A. Declaration of policy. It is hereby determined and declared necessary in the interest of the public health, safety and welfare of the Town that the discharge of firearms be regulated within the Town.
B. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
FIREARMS
A rifle of any caliber, air rifle, shotgun of any gauge, pistol or revolver of any caliber.
RECORDED SUBDIVISION
Any subdivision of land within the Town laid out and established in accordance with the provisions of Ch. 236, Wis. Stats., and existing ordinances of the Town relating to land divisions.
C. Prohibited use of firearms. No person shall discharge any firearm within the Town of Oconomowoc as follows:
(1) Within 100 yards of any recorded subdivision in the Town of Oconomowoc.
(2) Within 100 yards of any building in the Town, except that this prohibition does not apply if the person who owns the land on which the building is located allows the hunter to hunt within 50 yards of the building and said permission is in writing.
(3) In those areas of the Town shown on Exhibit A.
D. Firearm prohibition. No person shall discharge nor cause the discharge of any firearm, whether pistol or shoulder stock, within the territorial limits of the Town. A firearm shall be construed as any rifle having a grooved barrel and upon discharge projecting a solid missile or slug. An exception is a shotgun with a rifled barrel or muzzleloader.
E. A shotgun or muzzle loader may be used in the Town only for hunting purposes providing written permission is obtained from the property owner of the land to which the hunting is to be confined. Written permission shall be carried on the person while hunting. While hunting, a person shall not discharge a shot, slug or ball which passes beyond the property line of the area to which the hunting is confined.
F. Exceptions. Unless otherwise indicated, the prohibitions of this section shall not pertain to:
(1) Law officers designated and authorized by the Town, county, state and federal authority.
(2) Activities upon any bona fide target range, provided that the Town Board must first issue, upon written application and within its discretionary power, a permit labeling such areas as an approved target range.
(3) Rodent control activities, provided that Police Department permission, within its discretion, be procured upon written application prior to such activities; such permission, if granted, to be of a temporary nature only.
§ 215-3 Violations and penalties.
Any person who shall violate any provision of this chapter, or any regulation, rule or order made hereunder, or permit or cause a public nuisance, shall be subject to a penalty as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article I, of this Code.
Section 2. Ordinance No. 2023-2 and all ordinances or parts of this ordinance conflicting or contravening the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.
Section 3.Severability. Should any portion of this Ordinance or the affected Code Section(s) be declared unconstitutional or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder shall not be affected.
Section 4. Effective Date. Upon adoption, this Ordinance shall take effect the day after publication or posting.
Village of Lac La Belle Police Department
W359 N6812 Brown Street Oconomowoc, WI 53066US
Phone: (920) 474-4812 Dispatch: (262) 446-5070