Bucks County township rejects major firearms restrictions

The anticipation of an ordinance that would bring sweeping restrictions on shooting firearms on private property brought out at least 70 people Tuesday to the Springtown Fire Department to hear what rules would be imposed by Springfield Township supervisors.

While many from the upper Bucks County township attended to oppose any rules, the supervisors agreed to only one provision, which was allowing shooting between 7 a.m. and dusk.

Supervisors Chairman David Long presented a list of possible restrictions, such as property size, the number of people permitted to shoot on a property, days of the week and noise.

In all the categories, except the 7 a.m. to dusk rule, none of the other four supervisors expressed a need to enact any restrictions.

“I think common sense does a better job than getting into rules and regulations,” Supervisor Jim Nilsen said.

Supervisors explored the ordinances in response to numerous complaints of excessive shooting.

“We’ve had complaints of people blazing away for three hours,” township Manager Michael Brown said.

Township solicitor Scott MacNair said what the supervisors decided on is not a prohibition against shooting, only the hours.

Nilsen said there’s a solution if people are not abiding by safe shooting practices, such as not shooting over property lines, using inadequate or no back stops or not taking other obvious safety measures: “If they are being reckless, that is already covered by state law.”

Charles Malinchak is a freelance writer for The Morning Call.