By Martin Couch
Bryant Police Chief Tony Coffman had a special announcement for the Bryant Finance and Personnel committee on Wednesday afternoon.
In an informational speech, Coffman was told of a man in south Bryant[more] shooting geese with a bow and arrow.
"They hit one of them is my understanding," Coffman said. "He's also shooting a pellet gun. This isn't the first time I had calls like this. I have asked the city attorney to update our ordinance again to include bow and arrows, BB guns and anything that will throw a projectile out, to help us if something like this should come about in the future so we can do something about it."
Coffman informed the committee, which included seven of eight City Council members, that the man with the complaint will be attending the public hearing section of the City Council meeting next week.
"How far down the ladder are the instruments?" asked Alderman Danny Steele to Coffman.
"Just BB gun," Coffman replied. "A pellet gun is about as powerful as a .22 now and as congested as were are getting in town . . ."
"The only objection I can imagine might be with a BB gun," Alderman Ken Green said. "I agree that BB guns are powerful."
Some BB guns are air rifles, which make the guns even more powerful in their discharge.
"That would be the only thing," Green said. "We'd get some kind of objection on regulating kids in the backyard."
"Kids outside playing with BB guns and shooting them could put another kid’s eye out," Coffman said. "We are not talking about going over there and confiscating the weapon, but we'd have something behind us to tell the parents they need to take more responsibility for their child and his actions."
The last time the ordinance was amended was in 2009 with an issue of deer around the Saline County Municipal Airport.
"I am coming back now asking for just a blanket coverage basically," Coffman said. "Like I said, it's not us becoming the Gestapo and confiscating weapons, I just want something to make the parents take more responsibility for their kids."
Coffman wouldn't be opposed to a curfew violation-type penalty for first offenders.
"The first time, we can release them to their parents and the second time issue a citation with a dollar amount," Coffman said. "Let's be fair and give them a warning first, then if we get called back to the same address for the same kids doing the same thing, then we can do something about it."
Another alderman told about an adult shooting at squirrels in a nearby tree with a pellet gun.
