Ashe Mountain Times

The connection between the people of Appalachia and the use of firearms, for protecting and feeding a family, dates back as far as when the first black powder European looked up and spotted the mountain range as he pushed westward. But just as times have changed and new communities have sprung up where Native Americans once took down game with bow and arrow, the time has come for another change.

The time has come for the Ashe County Board of Commissioners to examine the discharge of firearms ordinance (32.13) because, just as changes in technology moved humans from bow and arrow to rifle and shotgun, changes in our communities' growth dictate that the days of firing off into the woods freely needs to have some sensible oversight.

The right of people to keep and bear arms in the Second Amendment is no less important as the right of people to be secure within their homes as provided by the Fourth Amendment. Both are equal in weight and both are equal in expectation of recognition from the citizenry. Commissioners are hired by we the people to create a compromise that allows both without denying either. No one said it would be easy.

To put it plainly, the county enjoys a good tax base bolstered by second home owners. Also, local business owners profit from their patronage as well as the dollars that come in from visitors who rent cabins and fishing camps and so on. These folks visit and move here with expectations of quiet country living with friendly neighbors and scenic views: That's what the real estate brochures promise. What isn't mentioned in those brochures, but should be, is that from time to time, people with no ill intent at all, will drive down a hollow road or set up on the side of a ridgeline to hunt game or sight their weapons for the next season or shoot just for the fun of it. Maybe the place they choose has been used by locals for as long as anyone can remember. However, over time, houses have sprung up just out of sight, but within range - and bullets don't respect property lines.

Fifty years ago it wouldn't have mattered much. Most of the hills were free and clear of hidden homes and for the most part everyone knew where their property ended and their neighbor's began. That's not as easy in Ashe County today, as we are dotted with multiple subdivisions and communities where pastureland used to be.

Anytime you have different groups of people sharing a bordered space, there is inevitably going to be an "us against them" issue. This need not be one. We strongly suggest the commissioners take some time, hold a public hearing to listen to all sides of the issue and then work out clear modifications to these ordinances ensuring that they have some give and take on both sides.

People should feel safe in their homes no matter where they live and it is not believable for an instant to think that any gun owner worth their salt would fire knowingly at someone's home or a road. Neither would they appreciate someone firing at theirs. But the woods can be thick and deceiving at times and that is when tragedy could strike.

A common sense firearms ordinance should allow for the safe discharge of rounds for hunting or recreation, with safe being the key word. This would not address ownership rights or anything along those lines. That is settled law and not up for debate.

While it is true that it is legal for individuals to fire weapons on non-posted private property and from non-posted private roads in Ashe County and across the state, if that private property isn't the property of the one shooting and no permission has been given, it should be illegal and stopping it should be enforceable.

Property owners and property owner's associations need to take the steps necessary to post their property lines appropriately as state law requires. And while they can do this fairly easily and inexpensively, it will be futile unless there is the weight of an enforceable ordinance behind it. Currently, in most cases the sheriff's department is powerless to assist unless immediate danger to persons is reported.

It will be a bit complicated to work out an equitable resolution to the debate. There will be a good amount of argument over the issue and there will be a good amount of uninformed rhetoric bandied about, but it can and must be done. The alternative is the exodus of second homeowners who just don't want to deal with the situation any longer and the lessening of visitors who will stay away for the same reason. While that might make some happy, it would adversely affect the tax base as well as the construction industry and retail markets'. Hits that Ashe County is not in a position to absorb and the citizens are in no financial position to offset.