Lancaster county officials weighing 'stray bullet' law

LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C.,None — A discussion about a gun owner's rights is taking place Monday night in Lancaster County.

Much of the county's empty land is filling up with shops and homes and some people who live there said they are nervous about hunters' stray bullets hurting someone.

In a rapidly changing landscape, the goal is to crack down on stray bullets and hold gun owners responsible for where those bullets fall.

"We'll be out on the porch and somebody's shooting and it scares me to death, especially with my grandchildren," said Lancaster County resident Judy Beatty.

Beatty's fears are not uncommon in a partially rural county like Lancaster. Outside city limits, there are usually no laws against shooting guns, but some county leaders said there should be.

"It's a balancing act," said County Administrator Steve Willis who said the is not about restricting gun rights. "We don't want to infringe on somebody's right to go out and in a reasonably safe manner, hunt on their own property, or target shoot on their own property."

But some people said shooting a gun on acres of rural land is not bothering anyone and a law would be overreaching.

"If I'm responsible, then I don't feel like I need somebody telling me how to be responsible with firearms if I already know that," said one hunter.

However, with subdivisions now crowding out former farmland and forests in the northern part of the county, leaders are concerned about irresponsible gun use.

The proposal would hold the shooter responsible for bullets that leave the hunter's property, even if there is no harm, if it can be shown that the gunfire was careless or negligent.

The sheriff's department would enforce the law, which county leaders admit could be tricky. The first step, Willis said, is deciding what standard to set for safety.

"Putting folks on notice that, if you're going to discharge a firearm, you've got to use reasonable safety rules," Willis said.

A vote on the measure is not likely for several months.

WSOC