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Residents tell council stray bullets endanger rural neighborhoods; officials agree enforcement and ordinance review needed
Summary
Multiple residents urged the City Council to strengthen regulations and enforcement on private target shooting in rural parts of Chesapeake after repeated reports of bullets crossing property lines and property damage. Council asked staff and police to research legal options and present amendments or charging mechanisms for council consideration.
Several residents from rural neighborhoods told the Chesapeake City Council on February 2025 that target‑shooting on private property is creating a public‑safety threat and called for clearer rules and stronger enforcement.
Speakers described multiple incidents in which bullets or large‑caliber rounds crossed property lines, damaged vehicles, pierced outbuildings and narrowly missed household members and children. Stephanie Fulford told council that in January 2024 a 5.56‑round penetrated the side of a truck and landed in the bed about 30 feet from a children’s playground; she said she had reported stray bullets to police multiple times without a successful enforcement outcome. Debbie Conboy, Heather Brown and other neighbors described bullets through barns, siding and vehicles in the Land of Promise/Blackwater area and urged the city to adopt clear, enforceable standards for private shooting (for example, berm requirements and inspections) and to hold property owners accountable.
Ernest Smith told council he and neighbors have raised concerns about unpermitted commercial rentals and event venues in a rural area, including claims that buildings used for gatherings have not been inspected; that matter was referred to development and permits staff for follow up.
Council reaction and staff response
Council members said the complaints are serious and directed staff to examine enforcement options. The city manager reported the current municipal code treats pellets and BBs differently from bullets and that the ordinance, as written, can limit enforcement when projectiles cross property lines. City staff and the city attorney said they would present options to council — including revising the ordinance so bullets are governed like BB/pellet discharges, creating standards for on‑site berms or backstops, and identifying state code provisions (for example, reckless handling of a firearm) that police might use — and to present possible charging mechanisms and enforcement pathways. Several council members also urged including citizen stakeholders and responsible shooting advocates in the research and drafting process.
Why it matters: residents described repeated close calls and property damage, and asked for both preventive standards and better enforcement. Council requested specific options and legal guidance from staff and the city attorney before proposing ordinance language.
