Council votes to ban firing of crossbows

The West Lake Hills City Council added crossbows and compound bows to the list of weapons prohibited from being fired within city limits.

City ordinance prohibits the intentional discharge of firearms, with exceptions for law enforcement in the line of duty or weapons discharged in the defense of people or property as allowed by the Texas Penal Code. City staff suggested adding bows and arrows to the list of weapons that can’t be discharged within the city at the Feb. 14 City Council meeting, but Council Member Beth South stepped in to remove longbows from the list of weapons that can’t be fired.

“There’s already no hunting in West Lake Hills,” South said during the meeting. “I have a problem saying people cannot shoot regular bows on (their) property. Compared to no shooting guns ... that surprised me.”

South said her husband has a bow and arrow and shoots at targets on their property for recreation. A longbow, South argued, can be used for recreational purposes and doesn’t have as much force as a crossbow or a compound bow, which uses a levering system.

“It’s a safety issue,” City Administrator Robert Wood said. “Arrows can go pretty far. If you fire (an arrow) from your yard it might end up two properties down.”

Infrequently, residents have reported seeing deer with arrows in them. Hunting is not allowed in West Lake Hills. Mayor Linda Anthony said she’d found arrows laying around while she was out on a walk in her neighborhood.

South argued that crossbows and compound bows could be included, because they include extra machinations that create more force when they’re fired. A longbow, which generally has a simpler design, wouldn’t have the same amount of range, Wood agreed.

“If we do this and expand it to (differentiate) crossbow and longbow and compound bow, we need to include some language that says arrows cannot leave the property boundaries,” Anthony said.

The City Council voted unanimously for an ordinance amendment disallowing crossbows and compound bows from being fired in the city, and prohibiting arrows from a longbow from leaving the private property of the person who fired it.