Following repeated concerns from Knightdale residents that stray bullets are hitting too close to home, Wake County leaders are looking to update the county’s two-decades-old ordinance regulating outdoor shooting. Residents have three opportunities over the next three weeks to learn about current safeguards and the proposed changes.

“Public safety is a top priority for our board, and these proposed updates aim to provide sustainable safety standards to meet our community’s current and future needs,” said Sig Hutchinson, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “We know we can find a balanced solution, and we hope all residents, whether they own firearms or not, will weigh in on these suggested changes.”

Commissioners recognize that Wake County has experienced incredible growth since 2001, when this ordinance was last updated. The rural/urban divide has blurred, and development within city limits is now adjacent to rural tracts. All municipalities in Wake County prohibit discharging firearms at all times within city/town limits. However, in the unincorporated areas of the county, private firearms activity like target practice is permitted, and any changes to this ordinance would ONLY affect those areas. Hunting animals or birds would also not be affected by changes to this local ordinance, as they are regulated by state and federal law.

The changes the board is considering to the Wake County Code of Ordinances Chapter 130 Firearms are:

1. Increase the minimum distance from a dwelling, public building, or livestock in which a person may discharge a firearm from 100 yards to 300 yards.
2. Require a backstop or other method of containment that adequately contains the projectile on the property from which it was discharged.
3. Prohibit the discharge of a firearm beginning two hours after sunset until one hour before sunrise.
4. Increase the maximum fine for a violation from $50 to the statutory limit of $500.

The upcoming public meetings include:

• Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 5 p.m.
  Wake County Board of Commissioners meeting
  300 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh
  Wake County staff will present information on the proposed changes and hold a public hearing.
• Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 6 p.m.
  Listening Session, Knightdale Town Hall
  950 Steeple Square Ct., Knightdale
  Wake County Commissioners and staff, Wake County Sheriff's Office personnel, Knightdale Town Council members, the Knightdale Police Chief, and N.C. Rep. James Roberson will gather for a public listening session to answer questions and hear feedback on the proposed changes to the ordinance.
• NEW: Monday, Sept. 19, at Noon
  Wake County Board of Commissioners work session
  300 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh, Room 2800
  The board has called a special work session to further discuss feedback received at the Sept. 6 hearing and Sept. 13 listening session regarding amendments to the Wake County Code of Ordinances Chapter 130 Firearms. They will not vote. The second reading and vote on the amendments have been tabled, and no new date has been set at this time.

This item was also discussed at the Aug. 22, 2022, Board of Commissioners’ Public Safety Committee meeting. In that meeting, staff shared a comparison of similar outdoor shooting ordinance regulations in other North Carolina counties.