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Here is a standard sort of ordinance from the city of New Brighton (emphasis added)</div>
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A. <strong>No person shall possess, fire, discharge, or set off any</strong> firearm, <strong>missile</strong>, fireworks, or</div>
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explosives in any open space site. Permits for fireworks will only be issued upon proof of</div>
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adequate insurance and compliance with State Statutes.</div>
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B. Only a law enforcement officer shall possess or carry a firearm of any description in any open</div>
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space site.</div>
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C. <strong>No person shall possess or carry in any open space site</strong> any air gun, <strong>bow and arrow</strong>, knife with</div>
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a blade greater than three inches, slingshot, dart, or projectile thrower, or any other dangerous or</div>
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illegal weapon. Nothing in this Subdivision shall be construed to prevent the recreational use of</div>
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firearms and bow and arrows on officially established field or target ranges.</div>
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D. <strong>Any unauthorized or illegal weapon within an open space site shall be subject to seizure by a</strong></div>
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<strong>law enforcement officer.</strong></div>
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So far I have not found a city in the Twin Cities that DOESN'T have an ordinance like this. It just so happens that most people disapprove of casually firing lethal weapons in public spaces. As a fan of lethal weapons I still expect to walk through a park with out worrying about lines of fire. </div>
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I have personally called the Ramsey County Non-Emergency dispatch twice and found that the Mounds View Police have a response time under 5 minutes. Also, kudos to the Mounds View Police for handling the matter quickly and politely. </div>
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My advice (successfully followed by MJohnson) is to call the county Non-Emergency dispatch and report that someone is in a public space discharging a bow and arrow. The dispatcher will ask for the location, a description of the shooter, your name and your phone number. </div>
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Ramsey County Non-Emergency Dispatch </div>
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651-767-0640</div>
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Hennepin County Non-Emergency Dispatch</div>
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763-525-6210</div>
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Calling and reporting this sort of criminal activity has multiple benefits. First it educates the shooters in the way that only talking to the police can. Secondly, the shooters will tell their friends. And third, the police will learn which areas are chronic problem areas. For example, the Mounds View police got so many calls this weekend that they are now planning to install "No Bowfishing" signs at Rice Creek. </div>
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After making a couple phone calls like this I feel confident that the police take these complaints seriously and that it is an effective and ethical way to oppose fish shooting. At the end of the day, it is not legal to possess, let alone fire a bow in most public spaces. As legal users of public spaces we are well within our rights to report illegal activity. I strongly encourage everyone in the Twin Cities to program these numbers into your cell phones and call in everyone shooting a bow in a park. For those of you outside of the Metro, research your local laws and put your local non-emergency in your phone. I suspect most cities forbid shooting lethal weapons in public spaces. </div>
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I tip my hat to you
Great strategic thinking here. It also just makes sense. Given the frequency with which alcohol and bowfishing share the same space, it's pretty wise to put the smack down on using loaded weapons in these communities. If you can't fire a rifle or pistol into the water to kill fish, why is it okay to use an equally lethal weapon to do so, especially in an urban area?
I wonder how long it will be before exceptions for bowfishing are written into laws like these.
Redhorse ID cheatsheets, gars, suckers: moxostoma.com
2020: 10 days fishing 11 species 0 lifers. 2019: 34/45/13 2018: 39/40/5
Depends on the city, but in wisconsin it doesnt take long.
Most cities consider bows firearms. Basically any fast lethal projectile is a firearm by law.
Several cities now have exemptions in WI.
I like the idea of signs getting installed. I got some perfect areas that these signs would look excellent in. These phone numbers wont work for most of my territory, but I'll research some numbers and try this new technique. Good stuff.
You bet its just a band aid. But its just another ingredient in the overall fight to stop the barrel filling. Proper education will be the final solution.
Yup, no question it is a tool - at least in the cities. like Josh said it could change quick. Those bow-lobbists are pretty quick... But if it helps convince some people that you don't have to fill up a barrel....
The real bummer is that the most sensitive water probably wouldn't apply. I doubt many rare species are getting shot within cities limits (could be wrong though).
I feel like the framework is there - the idea that you do not need to kill everything you see is becoming more accepted in fishing and hunting (though some still cling to it), mostly need to fight the blatant mis-information that native roughfish do not have value.
And while we are at it maybe we can get some to see that Brown Trout and Carp are the same thing...
"Proper education will be the final solution." - Dr. Flathead
(Note: do not use that quote out of context.)
Enforcing the laws that govern the use of weapons in cities is only one piece of the puzzle, but it is a piece that makes shooters stop assuming they can do whatever they want.
Yesterday I got my ass chewed by a mine safety inspector who told me "I am trying to stop past practice." Calling the cops about weapons violations is one way to stop the past practice of fish shooters. One group told me "We have never had a problem here before." And I said, "No one called before." That was obviously the first time they had to pause and think about if they actions were safe and legal.
It usually takes surprising new information for people to stop and think about their actions. I wish that I could provide that inspirational spark to everyone by example. I'll keep calling the cops because, as my dad said, "There always needs to be a carrot and a stick."
"There always needs to be a carrot and a stick." - words to live by right there...
When I see bowfishing reports asking where the Buffalo or Gar are spawning I really wish the stick were longer, wider, and heavier...
I totally agree with using this stick for the reasons you (tyler) point out, but I do think that eventually the stick will break if we hit enough people with it - such is life, we'll deal with that when we get there.
How hard would it be to get the rare species posted as a zero bag and maybe even get a sweeping reasonable bag limit on other natives? I mean, MN in particular, loves to have tons of fishing laws - why not give them the opportunity to make more? In the long run that would do wonders. The honest bowfisher would see as reason to be more careful about species, numbers, or both. At the end of the day I really don't care if they want to shoot carp and brown trout.
As duck hunter I can't (legally) shoot indiscrimately at anything with wings, why should bowhunters be able to shoot indiscrimately at anything with fins.