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Newton amends firearms ordinance to allow school archery programs with police permission
Summary
The City Council unanimously adopted an amendment to Chapter 66-3 to clarify that Newton-Conover City Schools and Catawba County Schools may run archery curricula under the ordinance exception, enabling local schools to pursue archery programs with the Chief of Police's permission.
The Newton City Council voted unanimously Feb. 1 to amend Chapter 66-3 of the Newton Code of Ordinances so that school-run archery curricula will be permitted under the ordinance's existing exception with authorization from the chief of police.
Interim City Manager Sean Hovis told the council that the Newton-Conover City School system is exploring adding archery to its elementary curriculum and staff discovered the current ordinance could prevent the program. "It was discovered that the City of Newton has an Ordinance which may prohibit the school system from moving forward with the archery curriculum," Hovis said, and staff recommended adjusting the language in Section 66-3(a)(5) to explicitly allow any Newton-Conover City School or Catawba County School educational curriculum managed by the designated school system to fall under the exception.
After a motion by Mayor Pro Tem John Stiver and a second by Council Member Ed Sain, council members voted unanimously to adopt the amendment to Chapter 66-3(a)(5). The ordinance change was presented as a narrow, program-specific clarification; council did not expand the exception beyond school curricula managed by the designated school systems.
The transcript records no public speakers opposing or supporting the change during this meeting. The amendment will allow school officials to proceed with internal planning for archery instruction, subject to any operational permissions the police chief may require.
What happens next: School leaders and district staff will coordinate with Newton Police on any permissions or safety protocols required under the amended ordinance before launching an archery curriculum.
