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Council remands proposed firearms-discharge ordinance to public-safety committee for rewriting
Summary
After stakeholder meetings with law enforcement and natural-resources officials, Beaufort County Council voted to send the proposed ordinance banning certain firearm discharges back to the Community Services Public Safety Committee for further work, chiefly to examine civil enforcement options and officer safety concerns.
Beaufort County Council voted to remand a proposed ordinance that would prohibit the discharge of firearms in certain unincorporated areas back to the Community Services Public Safety Committee for additional drafting.
Staff briefed council on a stakeholder meeting that included the county sheriff, the solicitor, state Department of Natural Resources representatives and Port Royal police. Participants expressed differing views on whether the county should pursue criminal enforcement, civil penalties, or a public-nuisance approach. Staff also flagged concerns about assigning unarmed county code-enforcement officers to investigate dangerous firearm incidents.
“Sheriff Tanner did announce that he would respond to calls at night or on the weekend if there was a complaint, and then he would have the deputy create a report then turn that over to code enforcement for investigation,” staff summarized. County counsel and the sheriff emphasized safety and prosecutorial considerations; several council members concluded more work was needed to craft language that is enforceable and does not place county code officers at risk.
Council adopted a motion to remand the ordinance for further work; members expressed preference for exploring civil penalties rather than criminalization to ease enforcement and prosecution. Staff said the committee would attempt to return a revised ordinance by April or May, depending on drafting time.
What happens next: the ordinance will be sent to the Community Services Public Safety Committee for additional drafting and legal review; staff said they will make “every effort” to have it ready for committee consideration in April, but May is possible.
