Lee County considers creating a gun ordinance

DIXON – Can Jeff Thomas fire his gun in Lee County?

For now, the answer is yes.

The owner of J.T. Sales Store on Lowell Park Road has a berm next to a shed from which he sells firearms. The shed is behind his house; he has neighbors on either side, and the berm is in front of a corn field.

He sometimes will show buyers how to use a gun by firing into the berm. Sometimes, he uses the berm when target shooting simply for pleasure.

And there’s no Lee County ordinance prohibiting discharging a gun at a private gun range.

“This is a private berm that I use to safely show customers how to use the gun,” Thomas said in an August interview. “There’s a lot of people who don’t know the proper way, and I try to demonstrate to them so they can use it safely instead of potentially hurting themselves.”

Neighbors unhappy with the practice began complaining to the Lee County Board in July, citing noise and safety concerns.

They also took their concerns to the county’s Public Safety Committee.

Lee County Sheriff’s deputies came out and investigated, and determined Thomas is abiding by the law – because there is no law.

That lack of a law, however, has Sheriff John Simonton and the board considering creating one, to govern what county residents like Thomas can and cannot do with firearms.

“We’re doing some research right now on a couple of things,” Simonton said. “Is it done during the daylight hours or during the evening? Are the proper safety mechanisms in place?

“Currently, the county has no ordinance regulating or forbidding private gun ranges. … There are laws regarding reckless discharges of firearms, but this complaint is unique in that this range has been set up near private residences. We’re looking at it from that aspect.”

Lee County isn’t the only one in Illinois to lack such an ordinance.

Whiteside County, on the other hand, does have one on the books: It is unlawful to fire a gun within 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling or corporate city limits unless the shooter has permission of every inhabited dwelling within that 300-yard radius. The law does not extend to gun ranges or hunting or gun clubs.

If such a law existed in Lee County, Thomas could not shoot his gun into his berm without neighbors’ permission.

Marilyn Shippert, Lee County Board member and chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, addressed the issue again at Tuesday’s board meeting.

“It really needs more technical assistance than what board members can give, which is why the sheriff is looking into it,” Shippert said. “I think there needs to be something to clarify where a range can be.

“We need a little bit of control on private ranges, but not infringe on people’s Second Amendment rights.”

Simonton said he has spoken with Thomas several times.

Thomas has demonstrated how he shoots his guns, and has been nothing but cooperative. Simonton said.

Although he’s not sure what such a gun law will look like, or even how it would impact Thomas, it’s time to spell it out in county code, the sheriff said.

He wants to look “more closely” at how private ranges in the county are being used.

“You’re walking a fine line with the right to bear arms,” Simonton said. “We want to make sure that we’re not impeding anyone with regards to that right to bear arms, but we also need to make sure we focus on the public safety aspect.”