Township of Pine, PA Chapter 104 Firearms

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Pine 6-23-1958 by Ord. No. 24; amended in its entirety 12-21-1988 by Ord. No. 173. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]

§ 104-1 Rifles to be regulated.

A. No person shall, except in necessary defense of person or property, use air rifle of a caliber of .22 rimfire or greater within the Township of Pine, except as herein provided.

B. No person shall, except in necessary defense of person or property, fire or discharge any rifle of a caliber of .22 rimfire or greater within the Township of Pine, except as herein provided.

§ 104-2 Use delineated.

A. Rifles of a caliber of .22 rimfire or greater shall be deemed to be used within the terms of this chapter if they are loaded and carried by any person, regardless of whether or not the firearms have been, are being or are intended to be discharged.

B. The mere act of carrying firearms at any place other than an approved rifle range shall be sufficient under this chapter to include their use.

C. The transporting of firearms by automobile or other conveyance through the Township, which said firearms are not loaded and are being transported, shall not be deemed to be a violation of this chapter.

§ 104-3 Outside or pistol range; standards.

An outside range or pistol range shall be permitted, subject to the National Rifle Association standards or higher standards, if, in the exclusive joint opinion of the Chief of Police and Zoning Officer, such higher standards are in the best interest of safety for persons and property. The Chief of Police shall determine whether the range complies with the standards, which shall include the following, as well as the other standards:

A. The range shall not exceed 100 yards in length.

B. The backstop of the range shall be a hill, clear of all objects from which bullets might ricochet and of such size and character that a miss of the target by the rifle used by 15 feet could not penetrate the hill backstop.

C. No part of the range shall be within 150 yards of a dwelling.

D. No part of the range shall be within 150 yards of a public highway.

E. No more than five shooters shall be permitted at one time, regardless of the number of targets.

F. Applications, in duplicate, shall be filed with the Zoning Officer, said duplicate application to have attached thereto a plan of the territory intended to be utilized, which plan shall show that the area meets the requirements of Subsections C and D aforesaid.

G. The application for a permit shall be accompanied by payment of the sum of $25.

H. The Zoning Officer and Chief of Police shall personally view the premises upon application.

I. After consideration of the application, the duplicate application shall be marked "Approved" or "Disapproved" by the Zoning Officer and Chief of Police, signed, dated and one copy retained by the Zoning Officer and the other mailed or delivered to the applicant.

§ 104-4 Construal.

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the use of rifles, firearms or other weapons by police officers in the performance of their duties, in target practice or any other function of their employment.

§ 104-5 Violations and penalties.

A. Any person who shall violate this chapter shall be guilty of a summary offense and, upon conviction for violation thereof, shall be subject to a fine of not more than $300, plus costs & prosecution.

B. Each and every violation of any provision of the terms of this chapter and each and every day a violation occurs shall constitute a separate and distinct offense under this chapter, and each such offense shall be subject to separate and distinct penalties hereunder.

C. The penalties provided in this section shall not be the exclusive method of enforcing compliance with the provisions of this chapter but shall be in addition to all other legal and equitable remedies available to Pine Township.