MEDICINE PARK – People may no longer hunt or discharge their weapons inside the town limits of Medicine Park.
The Medicine Park Board of Trustees voted unanimously Feb. 20 to approve one ordinance that outlaws hunting within the city limits, and another law barring people from firing their weapons within the town’s boundaries. Both ordinances will take effect after they are published.
Under the hunting ordinance, people may not hunt, shoot, trap or kill animals on townowned property or within the town limits. The ban does not apply to trapping or capturing snakes or rodents.
People who are convicted of violating the ordinance could be ordered to pay a $300 fine, spend up to 60 days in jail or both. The fine does not include court costs and other fees.
The ordinance was modeled after a similar law in Oklahoma City, said City Attorney Jordan Cabelka.
“The only difference was, Oklahoma City had some language in there about unless you got a permit from the town, but that didn’t really seem to apply here,” he said. “So I took that out.”
Cabelka said he added the exceptions about trapping snakes or rodents. Discharging weapons The weapons ordinance says people may not discharge any firearms, rifles or other offensive weapons within the town limits.
The rule includes an exception for people who are defending themselves or their property if they are legally authorized to do so. Another exception applies to law enforcement officers in the performance of their duty.
The ordinance does not apply to town-authorized activities with a valid, previously issued permit.
People who are found guilty of breaking the rule could be ordered to pay a $300 fine, spend up to 60 days in jail or both. The financial penalty does not include fines or court costs.
The town code did not previously address hunting within the town limits, Police Chief Tom Crawford said at the trustees’ January meeting. However, he said, state law bars people from hunting or discharging weapons within 400 yards of a church or other public place.
Crawford said in January that state law also prohibits shooting across a public road, highway, right-of-way or railroad right-ofway. He said he could enforce the law on firearms within the town limits, but he could not prevent people from hunting in town because the law allows hunting on private property.