No Shooting in Town

I saw a No Shooting Within Town Limits sign the other day as I was driving into Paragonah, a small town in southern Utah. At first I thought that this was a sign that might belong in the category of things that don’t need a sign. I mean, do we need to tell the random visitor to keep his Uzi to himself? The next day, however, I noticed that the City of Parowan, where I live, had “Shooting Within the City Limits” on the City Council’s meeting agenda. Twice in one week seemed like more than a coincidence, so I began to wonder about it.

I first wondered about shooting deer. There would be something to that. In the early morning, with the .30-.30 on my lap as the herd came through to eat my garden? In many states, the local Department of Natural Resources offers “depredation tags” to farmers or ranchers. Why not gardeners? I live within the city limits, but that does not exempt me from depredation; should I be exempted from the DNR’s dispensation? And it is not just deer. I remember once using a garden shovel on a raccoon on the back porch. It had gotten into a friend’s box of peaches during the night and I sent it packing with a bad headache. I could have just as easily used the .22.

Next I wondered about the pet. We have a cat—a scaredy cat to be exact. Mostly the cat sleeps on the sofa, but every once in a while she likes to go out and sit in the yard. I have, on occasion, needed to help her fight off a feral cat that has spotted her out there. I have done that by shooting it. Granted, it is just the pellet gun for that. But it requires shooting within the city limits.

Finally, there is the family. And I’m not talking about crime. I live in a rural village in southern Utah and I’ve often joked that I could leave a bag of cash lying on my front yard and no one would touch it—unless they were picking it up to put it on my porch for me. But, everyone has a horror story about a dog bite. And loose dogs are not uncommon in rural areas. If one bit my daughter, I would be furious. I would be, in fact, in a shooting mood—and, in town, no less. So, I can see this being a good reason for shooting within the city limits.

In Parowan, actually, shooting vicious dogs may be legal. There is a city ordinance (Title 1, Chapter 5, Section 1-5-6(4)) that allows me to kill an attacking dog. Aside from that ordinance, however, there does seem to be a prohibition against the use of firearms (Title 16, Chapter 2, Section 16-2-1) although the language contains some ambiguity. If I am allowed to kill an attacking dog, but not allowed to discharge a firearm, how am I going to kill the dog?

The other day I noticed that there is to be No Shooting Within the City Limits of Paragonah. I also noticed a similar topic on Parowan’s City Council agenda. I wondered whether such a sign was really necessary, but I also wondered whether there might be good reasons for shooting within the city limits. Indeed, I might be tempted to shoot to protect my garden, my pet, or my kid. I am allowed to protect these things; if I can’t shoot, how am I going to do it?