A proposed gun ordinance that would have allowed hunting in certain areas of the city was removed “indefinitely” from the table by the Westbrook City Council Monday, after a number of residents spoke out against the measure.

Prior to the meeting, one of the initial advocates for the ordinance change, John Ricci, told city administration that he wanted to pull the ordinance from discussion, but a public hearing had already been scheduled for Monday.

City administration had said written notifications would be sent to households living within the affected areas, but admitted Monday that it didn’t happen. City Administrator Jerre Bryant recommended to councilors that they hold an additional public hearing if they intended to vote on the ordinance.

However, a vote never took place. A large number of residents, and the councilors themselves, spoke against the ordinance.

“When I found out about it, I wasn’t very happy, and nobody on Methodist Road is happy about it,” said Gerard Leblanc, who lives on Methodist Road. “I’m definitely against it.”

Jane Herbert, who lives on the Windham line on Hardy Road, said she already hears shooting often coming from Windham.

“It’s not just hunting season, it’s all the time,” she said, adding that she has to be careful of what she wears outside.

James Joyce, who lives on Chase Hill Drive, said that while he’s a hunting advocate, he doesn’t believe the ordinance is a good fit for Westbrook.

“Not in this spot,” he said. “It’s too close to neighborhoods, and it’s not good for the city.”

Bryant said Ricci was initially interested only in shooting target practice on his own property.

“He indicated his intent was not to cause concern throughout the neighborhood, and that the proposal is much broader than he had originally suggested,” Bryant said, referring to Ricci’s statement.

How the ordinance evolved to allowing hunting in the city is unclear.

Allen Hayman, the owner of Sunset Ridge Golf Links, said the golf course property borders on the land included in the proposal.

“I have absolutely zero interest in gunfire on a golf course,” he said.

The ordinance would have allowed hunting with firearms in certain rural areas of the city. If approved, guns would have been allowed in areas between Cumberland Street, Methodist Road, Bridgton Road, Brook Street and the municipal boundary with Falmouth and Windham. However, the area between Methodist and Bridgton roads would not be subject to the change.

The ordinance was first discussed at a Public Safety Committee meeting in early May, and was moved to the Westbrook City Council on May 11. While councilors did not agree that the ordinance needed to be changed, the council voted to send the measure to a public hearing Monday.

It is legal to bow hunt in Westbrook, but firearms have been banned since the 1980s. A group of bow hunting advocates also came to comment on the measure, stating that an ordinance allowing firearms could also be dangerous for them.

Dale LeRoux, a bow hunter who lives in the vicinity of Duck Pond Road, said that bow hunters rely on camouflage, often not wearing orange, and are in close proximity to deer. He said this could potentially be dangerous for bow hunters if the deer, or a bow hunter’s decoy, is targeted by rifle.

Another argument against the ordinance came from Dan McCarthy, the president of the Westbrook Trail Blazes snowmobile club. The club maintains 30 miles of trails that rely on the support of many property owners, who allow the trails to pass through their land.

“We could lose this great resource in our community overnight,” he said, referring to property owners who could close their land to public recreational use if hunting had been allowed. McCarthy said at least three landowners had already told him they would do so if the ordinance passed.

Mayor Colleen Hilton and Council President Brendan Rielly read multiple letters from constituents, including one from McCarthy.

“We would have no choice but to dissolve, and all the efforts for a recreational trail system in Westbrook in the past would have been for nothing,” he said.

Following comments, the City Council voted 6-1 to table the proposal indefinitely. Gary Rairdon provided the lone vote against, saying he instead wanted to hold a vote on the ordinance to officially vote it down.

Rairdon encouraged residents interested in target shooting to seek out rod and gun clubs in greater Portland, including clubs in Falmouth and Scarborough.

Copy the Story Link