PAROWAN – The city council made decisions on two ordinances last Thursday that it has been discussing since January, amending the ordinance that addresses shooting within city limits and leaving unchanged the ordinance that allows dogs to be killed when attacking persons or livestock.

The new shooting ordinance is more permissive than the former ordinance in the use of firearms. The previous law did not allow any shooting of firearms or propelling of missiles, including rocks, within city limits.

The new ordinance makes it unlawful to discharge a weapon within 600 feet of any building or structure in city limits, unless at an approved shooting range or with a conditional use permit from the city. This includes guns and bows and arrows.

Propelling devices such as rocks or BB pellets is only against the ordinance if it is done “willfully or recklessly, with the intent to do harm or mischief to another person or property.”

The amendment passed 4-1, with Councilor Dennis Gaede casting the only opposing vote.

Councilor Troy Houston’s motion to amend the animal ordinance that addresses attacking dogs died, with no second.

At a meeting in January it was brought up that the attacking dogs ordinance was in conflict with the shooting within city limits ordinance, and Attorney Justin Wayment drafted an amendment that would have prohibited shooting of attacking dogs within city limits.

The attacking dogs could still have been killed according to the proposed amendment, but only after the owner of the livestock followed a process that involved notifying the police and possibly going through the court process.

The ordinance, which was unchanged, says “any person may kill a dog while it is committing any of the acts specified in number 1 above (attacking any person, domestic animal with commercial value, or hoofed protected wildlife) or while such dog is being pursued thereafter.”

Wayment told the council that if the amendment was not approved it would just leave confusion between the animal ordinance and the shooting ordinance.

He said he knew what it was like to lose livestock, and the situation was very difficult.

“I don’t know if there is a good solution,” he said.

However, he added, it is too dangerous to allow guns to be shot in city limits.

“Bullets go a long way and they can kill somebody,” he said.

Mayor Don Landes agreed, and said that risk is too great to take.

“It only takes once and someone’s dead,” Landes said.

Despite the arguments for the amendment, most of the councilors seemed uncomfortable with it and no second was made, so the motion died. The ordinance stands as it was.

Parowan’s city ordinances can be read online at www.parowan.org.