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SYRACUSE - An ordinance on firearms in the town limits of Syracuse was established in 1953.
It hasn't been updated since.
But Tuesday, Tom Perzanowski, town marshal, presented the town council with ideas for updating the ordinance.
Under the example Perzanowski presented, which came from Nappanee, it would be "unlawful for any person to shoot or discharge any firearms, slingshots, firecrackers or other missile propelling instruments or explosives within the city limits."
The ordinance would define firearm as any weapon capable of firing a projectile with deadly force by means of an explosion, including but not limited to guns, pistols, revolvers, cannons, muskets and rifles.
Also under the ordinance, "shooting or propulsion of any missile, pellet, shot, arrow, dart or other thing by means of any firearm, compressed air or gas propulsion device, bow, slingshot or propelling device of any kind, nature or description, into, upon, across, through or against any lands, the air above the same or the waters, or any structures, shelters, buildings or facilities within the city limits is unlawful."
The only exception is for police officers in the discharge of their official duties.
Perzanowski said his concern and reason for the new firearms ordinance update is safety. Recently, a deer was killed in the town limits with a bow and arrow. That had the potential for being a dangerous situation.
He said the town council could add or eliminate whatever weapon they had a problem with in the ordinance.
"My problem is this was written in 1953," he said, and weapons today are much more advanced and dangerous.
The new ordinance also doesn't allow for shooting on one's own property.
Paul Stoelting, town council vice president, said he has a problem with the ordinance prohibiting slingshots and paint ball guns.
A nail gun could be seen as a missile-propelling weapon, town attorney Mike Reed said. This ordinance would ban those.
In its present form, councilman Larry Siegel said, he didn't want to act on the ordinance. Stoelting agreed and the council recommended Perzanowski meet with Reed on tightening the ordinance before presenting it to the town council again.
In another matter, Perzanowski requested the council pass an ordinance to establish no parking on both sides of Washington Street, from Harrison Street to North Long Drive. He said he sent letters to the property owners along the road and heard no comments back.
The reason for this request, he said, is because the road is so narrow, it is difficult to get any emergency service vehicles down the road.
This was not just a police department issue, he said, as it has been discussed between the police, fire and street departments for the past two years.
"I'm asking on the behalf of three departments," Perzanowski said.
Despite Siegel's protests, council president Barbara Carwile instructed Reed to prepare an ordinance prohibiting parking on both sides of Washington Street to be discussed at the November meeting.
Also, the town council approved for Perzanowski to purchase two moving radars from U.S. Radar for $2,434.20 total.
