Clayton proposes law to ban firing guns in city limits

Farmers would still be allowed to shoot weapons on their property.

The city of Clayton is considering an ordinance that will prohibit discharging firearms in the city limits.

The proposed law will be discussed at a public meeting on July 21.

City council has been working on the ordinance for several months, according to city manager Richard Rose. City officials are trying to pass a law that would accommodate the city’s mixture of farmland and residential areas.

“Within a certain zone, you won’t be able to discharge firearms, except for under certain circumstances.” Richard Rose, city manager, said. “It will leave the agricultural and farm areas and rural areas as available to hunt on and discharge.”

The city of Clayton was formed from the merger of the village of Clayton and Randolph Twp. in 1998. Whether guns could be discharged in the township was not addressed at the time, according to Rose.

Some city residents have gun ranges on their property and this has raised concerns from their neighbors.

“When we hear these shots, we don’t know if it is an emergency or a person practicing,” said Martha Guthrie, who lives in Clayton.

Ron Sylvester, spokesperson for the Ohio Farmers Union, said he is pleased the city is addressing the concerns of farmers.

“There may be times when a farmer will need to use a weapon to protect their livestock from a nuisance animal,” Sylvester said. There are a number of threats to chickens and other animals farmers may have.”

The ordinance, if approved, would not supersede Ohio law. Citizens who live in densely populated areas will still be allowed to fire weapons if they are defending themselves or their property under Ohio law.

A date for a final vote on the proposed law has not been announced.

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