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Council considers revising weapons ordinance
By Peter Jones
The Centennial City Council is poised to pass a new ordinance limiting the discharge of weapons in the city. After some discussion of the measure and its exceptions, the council voted 7-2 this week to send the measure to a public hearing on Dec. 8.
The proposed ordinance would revamp Centennial’s current policies on use of pistols, revolvers, rifles and other such weapons and introduces new limitations on bows and arrows.
The proposed change in the municipal code includes a number of exclusions on the firearm prohibitions. They include:
Discharge of a firearm by a law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty
A firearm used in defense of a person or property when there is a direct and immediate threat
Legitimate sporting use of weapons, use of weapons in organized educational classes, and the firing of blank cartridges at ceremonial events
The discharge of a bow, air gun, BB gun, air-soft type gun or gas-operated gun on private property by an adult or someone under 18 who is under the supervision of an adult
Discharge of a firearm as part of research, testing or scientific investigation
The new ordinance removes an exclusion that currently allows the discharge of a firearm on sections of land with less than an average population density of 100 persons per square mile.
“We’re taking that out of the current ordinance largely because we haven’t done the analysis and it would be difficult to apply, for a law enforcement officer to come to a property on a complaint [and then] try to figure out whether the population is at this ratio,” city attorney Robert Widner told the council.
Still, at least one councilmember was confused by a long list of exemptions in a law that was designed to prevent a potentially dangerous activity.
“This is where I’m having a little bit of difficulty,” District 1’s Betty Ann Habig told Widner. “It’s prohibited, but now we’re talking about allowing it. For me, there was a little bit of a disconnect with regard to what we were trying to achieve.”
The proposed ordinance has the support of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Centennial’s contracted law enforcement agency.
“It will assist the sheriff’s office with a variety of challenges that we have faced in the past,” Sheriff Grayson Robinson said in a statement.
Councilmember Rick Dindinger of District 1 and District 4’s Ron Weidmann voted against the ordinance without comment.
The public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed ordinance at the Dec. 8 public hearing, 7 p.m. at the new city office building, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road.
The proposed ordinance would revamp Centennial’s current policies on use of pistols, revolvers, rifles and other such weapons and introduces new limitations on bows and arrows.
The proposed change in the municipal code includes a number of exclusions on the firearm prohibitions. They include:
Discharge of a firearm by a law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty
A firearm used in defense of a person or property when there is a direct and immediate threat
Legitimate sporting use of weapons, use of weapons in organized educational classes, and the firing of blank cartridges at ceremonial events
The discharge of a bow, air gun, BB gun, air-soft type gun or gas-operated gun on private property by an adult or someone under 18 who is under the supervision of an adult
Discharge of a firearm as part of research, testing or scientific investigation
The new ordinance removes an exclusion that currently allows the discharge of a firearm on sections of land with less than an average population density of 100 persons per square mile.
“We’re taking that out of the current ordinance largely because we haven’t done the analysis and it would be difficult to apply, for a law enforcement officer to come to a property on a complaint [and then] try to figure out whether the population is at this ratio,” city attorney Robert Widner told the council.
Still, at least one councilmember was confused by a long list of exemptions in a law that was designed to prevent a potentially dangerous activity.
“This is where I’m having a little bit of difficulty,” District 1’s Betty Ann Habig told Widner. “It’s prohibited, but now we’re talking about allowing it. For me, there was a little bit of a disconnect with regard to what we were trying to achieve.”
The proposed ordinance has the support of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office, Centennial’s contracted law enforcement agency.
“It will assist the sheriff’s office with a variety of challenges that we have faced in the past,” Sheriff Grayson Robinson said in a statement.
Councilmember Rick Dindinger of District 1 and District 4’s Ron Weidmann voted against the ordinance without comment.
The public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed ordinance at the Dec. 8 public hearing, 7 p.m. at the new city office building, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road.
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