Blair Township supervisors table firearms-discharge ordinance after residents and auditors raise safety and legal concerns

Blair Township supervisors voted unanimously June 10 to table Ordinance No. 2025-04, a proposed ordinance defining the discharge of firearms in the township, after a lengthy public-comment period in which residents described safety incidents and township officials acknowledged legal concerns.

The ordinance was put on hold after Supervisor Brad Germaux moved to table the measure and Chairman Paul Amigh seconded. Germaux also asked members of the Blair County 2nd Amendment Coalition to consider joining a committee with the board to craft a revised ordinance.

Why it matters: The proposal would set local limits on firearm discharge intended to protect public health and safety. Several residents argued the draft would imperil lawful hunting and homeownersability to defend people and livestock, while township officials said the goal is to address safety around frequent target shooting near homes.

Residents who spoke described both nuisance and safety hazards. Renee Wineland, a Blair Township resident of Chimney Rocks Road, said she lives along a wood-line and keeps animals; she said she would use "bird-shot shotgun, a thirty-aught-six, or a pistol" if necessary to protect herself or livestock. Resident Joseph (Joe) Pompa said his family sight rifles into a backstop on their property for deer season and does not believe that activity poses a safety risk.

Other commenters described near misses. Dodie Amigh recounted that a stray bullet struck her home years ago while her children were playing and that a neighbor recently found a bullet lodged in a shed close to a grandchildren's playroom. Rich Moyer said he believed the draft ordinance could criminalize defending one's home in certain circumstances.

Legal questions were also raised. Bonita Shriver, president of the Blair County 2nd Amendment Coalition, told the board she had coordinates with outside lawyers who warned that Pennsylvania has preemptive law limiting local governments from enacting gun regulations that conflict with state statutes. Jacob Wible, speaking in his dual role as a resident and a township auditor, cited Pennsylvania Statute Title 34, State Game and Wildlife Code, Section 3505.0 and urged the board to ensure any local safety zone rules did not exceed state law.

Chairman Paul Amigh repeatedly framed the discussion as one about public safety rather than a challenge to Second Amendment rights. He told the room the board was not seeking to confiscate firearms or restrict possession or transport, and that the ordinance was aimed at public health and welfare following repeated reports of high-volume target shooting in some neighborhoods.

Next steps: The board voted to table Ordinance No. 2025-04 unanimously and invited coalition members and residents to work with supervisors on a revised draft. No formal amendments or deadline for the committee were announced at the meeting.

Source: Public comment and board discussion at the Blair Township Board of Supervisors meeting, June 10, 2025.