[HISTORY: Adopted by Board of Commissioners
of the Township of Springfield as indicated in article histories.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 10-19-1960 by Ord. No. 680; amended in its entirety 10-8-2013 by Ord. No. 1541]
A. No person shall discharge, cause to be discharged or fire any firearm,
including, but not limited to, any pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun
or any weapon which is designed to or may readily be converted to
expel any projectile by action of an explosive, within the Township
of Springfield.
B. No person shall shoot or cause to be shot by use of a bow or any
other instrument, any pointed arrows when said arrows are pointed
with stone, wooden or metal tips.
C. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any air rifle,
air gun, BB gun, spring gun, paintball gun or any implement or weapon
which is designed to impel with force a projectile of any kind, within
the Township of Springfield.
D. Hunting of game or wildlife shall be prohibited within and on all
property owned by the Township of Springfield.
E. The prohibitions of this Article
I, §
48-1, shall not apply to the discharge or shooting of firearms or other weapons in the use of force in self-protection, for protection of other persons, for protection of property, or in the performance of a law enforcement duty. The Chief of Police may give prior written approval for the discharge of firearms or the shooting of arrows at properly constructed and supervised ranges, or the discharge of firearms during any military or law enforcement honor guard exercise.
Any person who violates this Article
I, §
48-1, upon summary conviction before any District Justice, may be assessed a penalty of up to $1,000 for each violation. A separate and distinct violation shall be deemed committed for each discharge or shooting of a firearm or other weapon.
All ordinances or parts of an ordinance inconsistent herewith
are hereby repealed.
The provisions of this article are severable and if any section,
sentence, clause, part, or provision hereof shall be held illegal,
invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction,
such decision of this shall not affect or impair the remaining sections,
sentences, clauses, parts or provisions of this article. It is hereby
declared to be the intent of the Board that this article would have
been adopted if such illegal, invalid or unconstitutional section,
sentence, clause, part or provision had not been included herein.
This article shall become effective 30 days following final
adoption by the Board of Commissioners and publication as required
by law.
[Adopted 3-5-1929 by Ord. No. 47]
[Amended 5-27-1975 by Ord. No. 919]
It shall be unlawful and it is hereby prohibited
for any person, persons, firm or corporation to store, sell or offer
or expose for sale, or have in possession with intent to sell, or
to use, discharge or cause to be discharged, ignited, fired or otherwise
set in action within the limits of the Township of Springfield, any
fireworks, firecrackers, rockets, torpedoes, roman candles, fire balloons
or other fireworks or substances of any combination whatsoever designed
or intended for pyrotechnic display, except after having obtained
a license as hereinafter provided.
[Amended 5-27-1975 by Ord. No. 919]
It shall be unlawful and it is hereby prohibited
for any person, persons, firm or corporation unnecessarily to discharge
in or into any street, highway or public place in the Township of
Springfield any rifle, gun, pistol, revolver, cane, cannon or other
appliance, whether projecting or exploding any bullet, cartridge or
otherwise, or any explosive substance or mixture of chlorates or nitrates.
A license for the public display of fireworks
by properly qualified individuals or corporations or by the Township
officials, under the direct supervision of experts in the handling
of fireworks, may be issued by the Township Secretary, at the instruction
of the Public Safety Committee of the said Commissioners, in such
form as may be prescribed, and upon furnishing such information as
in the opinion of the said Committee may be necessary to assure them
that such display shall not be hazardous to property or endanger any
person or persons, provided that application for such license be made
15 days in advance of the date of display.
Such fireworks or devices for pyrotechnic display
may be stored within the limits of the Township of Springfield when
the license for such storage has been issued under the direction of
the Public Safety Committee of Springfield Township, provided that
the building or premises in or upon which such storage is to be made
has been properly inspected by the said Public Safety Committee, or
an official of the Township designated by them, and certified as a
proper place for such storage, and provided further that no license
shall be issued for such storage within 500 feet of a school, church,
hospital or other public institution or any building used as a place
of public assembly.
The provisions of this ordinance shall not apply
to articles of the kind and nature herein mentioned which shall be
in the possession of the railroads or transportation companies for
the purpose of transportation, unless the same shall be held voluntarily
by such railroads or companies as warehousemen, provided that none
of the provisions of this ordinance shall apply to signaling devices
used by the railroad companies or to high explosives used for blasting
or similar purposes.
The Police Department, with the approval of
the Public Safety Committee, shall seize, take, remove or cause to
be removed, at the expense of the owner, all stocks of fireworks or
combustibles, offered or exposed for sale, stored or held in violation
of this ordinance.
All ordinances and parts of ordinances inconsistent
herewith are hereby repealed.