§ 54-336. Discharging certain weapons prohibited; exceptions.

(a)

It shall be unlawful for any person to fire or discharge in the parish any of the following weapons:

(1)

Any shotgun, rifle, firearm or hunter's bow and arrow;

(2)

Any air rifle or air pistol or any weapon which can or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of any air pressure.

(b)

The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

(1)

Public shooting galleries lawfully established by section 14-356;

(2)

Licensed private shooting galleries authorized by the city;

(3)

Target practice ranges or shooting galleries required and maintained by the police department;

(4)

Shooting galleries required and maintained on the premises of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration at Michoud;

(5)

Skeet-shooting ranges which are associated with university courses; however, such skeet-shooting ranges must be conducted on flat terrain to permit a clear view of the range at all times; distances shall provide adequate protection to life and property; direction of range activity shall be such that noise emanating from such activity is minimized; the maximum range shall be between 480 to 500 feet at a 45-degree elevation; a range instructor shall be present at all times and shall supervise all range activities;

(6)

Bow and arrow target practice sites and bow and arrow tournaments authorized by the city;

(7)

Hunting that may occur in the area on the east bank of the city bounded by the center of the Chef Menteur Pass, the center of the Rigolets, the east shore of Lake Pontchartrain and the main shore of Lake Borgne, including all islands within one marine league distance of the latter;

(8)

Hunting that may be carried on in the area on the east bank of the city bounded on the west by the east bank of the navigable stream known as the Michoud Cut, bounded on the north by the south bank of the Intracoastal Waterway, bounded on the east by the northwest portion of the shore of Lake Borgne lying between the western tip of Chef Menteur Pass and the mouth of the Bayou Bienvenue and bounded on the south by the north bank of Bayou Bienvenue; or

(9)

The Bayou Sauvage Wildlife Area.

(10)

Bow and arrow hunting that may be carried out in the area on the east bank of the city known as Oak Island, a certain portion of ground in the third municipal district located in section known as New Orleans East—generally bounded on the east by the west line of Collins pipeline servitude at the protection levee; on the south by the north lines of Lagoon Maxent and Bayou Maxent; on the west by the east line of Lake Michoud and Lake Marseille; and on the north by the southern line of S.&W.B. drainage canal and is more fully described as follows: Commencing at the intersection of the west line of the Collins pipeline servitude at the protection levee and the south property line of I-10 highway; thence measures in a southerly direction along the west line of the Collins pipeline servitude (at the protection levee) a distance of 2,322′ ± to a point of beginning; thence continuing along said west line of the Collins pipeline servitude (at the protection levee) a distance of 10,122′ ± to a point on the north line of a Lagoon Maxent; thence measures in a westerly direction along the west line of Lagoon Maxent a distance of 6,158′ ± to the junction of Bayou Maxent; thence continuing along the north line of Bayou Maxent and running in a westerly direction a distance of 3,927′ ± to the east line of Lake Michoud; thence running in a northerly direction along said east line of Lake Michoud a distance of 5,523′ ± to the south line of Lake Marseille; thence running in an easterly direction along the southerly line of said Lake Marseille a distance of 1,602′ ± to a point and corner; thence running in a northerly direction along the east line of Lake Marseille a distance of 2,700′ ± to a point on the 200′ R/W line of the S.&W.B. drainage canal; thence running in an easterly direction along the southerly line of said S.&W.B. drainage canal a distance of 4,281′ ± to a point on the west line of the Collins pipeline servitude (at the protection levee), said point being the point of beginning. All measurements are more or less and subject to survey.

Such hunting is permitted only when conducted by persons 16 years of age or older and such hunting is not permitted within 300 yards of the Bayou Sauvage Refuge, or within 300 yards of any public place, public road, highway, street, residence, home or structure which is capable of being inhabited or occupied.

(c)

Such hunting shall be subject to the regulations of the state wildlife and fisheries commission and laws of the state and only allowed if shotgun scatter shots of diameter or size No. 2 through size No. 10 are discharged in the permitted area not closer than 300 yards of any public place, public road, highway, street, residence, home or structure which is capable of being inhabited or occupied.

(d)

It shall be unlawful to discharge firearms or hunt in that portion of the parish east of the Jefferson-Orleans Parish line, northward to the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain, northeast along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to South Point, east-southeast along the southern shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain to Chef Pass, the southern shoreline of Chef Pass eastward to the western shoreline of the Intracoastal Waterway southward to the Industrial Canal, the Industrial Canal South to the Mississippi River and the Mississippi River to the Orleans-Jefferson Parish line.

(e)

Whoever violates subsection (a)(1) of this section shall be subject to a mandatory sentence of six months imprisonment and a fine not to exceed $500.00. The clerk of the municipal court shall keep a separate log or registry of the disposition and explanations for disposition of all prosecutions for violations of this section and shall report thereon to the city council and the superintendent of police on a quarterly basis.

(Code 1956, § 42-54; M.C.S., Ord. No. 16,926, § 1, 3-2-95; M.C.S., Ord. No. 17,240, § 1, 10-19-95)