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South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
South Carolina Wildlife Federation
National Rifle Association
Gun Owners of America
Africa News
US Department of State Travel Information
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Dear Friends of SCI, The proposed ordinance would set a terrible precedent. This is a conflict which will continue to grow as various areas of the state continue to develop. It is problem which is more perceived than real. A great deal of study needs to go into this issue. While it should ideally go on at the state level, the reality is that Dorchester County is likely to do something before that can take place. I would suggest that Dorchester County step back, form a committee made up of at least one member of Dorchester County Council, at least one representative from the SCDNR, hunters and non-hunters and perhaps at least one member from some Dorchester County based law enforcement agency (i.e. the Sheriff's Office) to study the issue and come up with a solution workable to everyone. Turkey season is soon to over, and deer season is still four months away, so there is some time to work on a solution. The committee could hold several public hearings in the different areas of the county to allow for public input. The first thing the committee needs to do is to determine exactly how real the problem is. It may be, as I think, more perceived than real. It can then come up with a solution which is workable to all. It can then make a proposal to Dorchester County Council, which it can then, hopefully, enact into law. I would also suggest that a member of the SCWF Board or the Board of SCI Lowcountry Chapter of SCI, be put on the committee. It will give us a chance to propose alternatives and give us some good exposure to both the hunting and non-hunting communities in the Tri-County Area. As you know, the issue is receiving a great deal of media coverage. Please see the following article. I would think we would need someone residing in or owning or leasing significant land in (i.e. acreage) Dorchester County. Remember, this is a political issue being decided by a political body. The persons being appointed to the Committee will be appointed by Dorchester County Council or some committee thereof. Politically it would be a bit much for the members of Dorchester County Council to digest to appoint someone who is not a resident of or having land in Dorchester County or, somewhat affected by the ordinance as proposed.
BY ANDY PARAS ST. GEORGE--One by one, dozens of Dorchester County hunters stood up Monday night and took their best shot at a proposed ordinance that would forbid firing a gun within 500 feet of a road. The County Council's Public Safety, Health and Human Services Committee, which for an hour played the role of the fish in the barrel to the hundred or so hunters who showed up, ultimately decided to keep the issue in committee. The issue has pitted the populated section of the county against its rural counterpart, the suburban way of life versus a tradition and, in many cases, longtime hunters against those hunters who want a buffer around their children's schools. "You can't hunt anywhere in the county without being close to a road," county resident Charlie Moorer said. "This is a heritage issue. This is a part of our life." Moorer and the other hunters against the ordinance were met with applause from the audience. School officials and other residents who asked for some type of buffer to keep hunters out of gunshot range from schools and roadways were met with silence. Mike Windlaw of Dorchester District 2 said he doesn't want to infringe on hunters, "but it gets to the point where things are not like they used to be." "Maybe sometimes we have to give up a little bit of our rights for the kids," he said. Councilman Larry Hargett, a hunter for 50 years, said he proposed such an ordinance after a shot hit a pole near Beach Hill Elementary School in 2004. Hargett held up 14 reports from Dorchester and Charleston counties describing incidents where shooters' bullets ran afoul. Danny Hall, hunt master for the Little River Hunting Club that hunts in the region near Beach Hill, said the bullet didn't come from one of his hunters' guns. The club hunts on Saturdays and Sundays specifically so it won't interfere with children, he said. Gordon Holcombe, a hunter since he was 6, and other opponents of the law urged the county to enforce the laws that are on the books now because the majority of the hunters aren't causing the small number of problems. Jim Quinn, attorney for DNR, received the most animated reaction from hunters when he cautioned councilmen to tread carefully when trying to regulate hunting. "That's the problem of the state of South Carolina, not Dorchester County," Quinn said. Quinn said the proposed ordinance would take from hunters about 120 acres of land for every mile of road. "Certainly, you're talking about tens of thousands, if not hundreds (of thousands), of acres of land," he said. He said a county ordinance is not enforced by the state, putting the enforcement burden squarely on the shoulders of the sheriff's office. Mary Ann Britt, who stood up at the podium dressed in camouflage, said the county should leave the ordinance the way it is. "Leave it up to South Carolina," Britt said. "Y'all take care of County Council affairs and let's keep the growth down." The audience applauded. Andy Paras covers Colleton County. Contact him at (843) 549-9210 or at |
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