At a meeting on Tuesday, the Washoe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to look into a new buffer zone between open space and residential areas south of Golden Eagle Regional Park.
The measure called for a potential amendment to Washoe County Code Chapter 50, which concerns shooting near congested areas.
One commissioner says the change would make enforcing current laws easier.
"This change allows all of the partners, which is not only Washoe County Sheriff's [Office], but also City of Sparks and the Bureau of Land Management to continue to have safety be our priority," said Clara Andriola, Washoe County Commissioner for District 4.
Assistant County Manager David Solaro says the boundaries between zones would become a lot clearer if the measure is approved.
"Part of that is making it really easy to understand where the boundaries are, where you can't shoot, where you can't shoot based on the ordinances enacted by the Board of County Commissioners," Solaro said.
Shooting would be illegal in the red-and-yellow area above if a new buffer zone is created. Credit: Washoe County
If approved, the potential ordinance would designate the striped area in the map above as a congested area. This would make shooting any firearm illegal in that area.
In yellow areas, shooting a shotgun, air rifle, or BB gun within 1,000 feet of any building is not allowed, nor is firing a gun, pistol, rifle, or other firearm within 5000 feet.
In the Warm Springs Defined Area in the top-right of the map, shooting is allowed so long as it's not within 500 feet of a building.
Solaro says multiple issues have led to this consideration, including conflicts between shooters and people using the land for other purposes.
"There have been quite a few things over the years," Solaro said, "whether it's mountain biker conflicts with shooting, or some people are just uncomfortable with shooting occurring. But those are things that occur on public lands."
Washoe County does not own the land in question, but Solaro says they can take steps to make it safer to enjoy the land.
"They are managed by the Bureau of Land Management on behalf of every citizen in the United States," he said. "We're just really looking at ways to make it more safe for all users."
Andriola adds that Tuesday's vote is a step in the right direction.
"It accomplished an opportunity to actually look at making safety a priority. And we actually followed that," she said.
Tuesday's vote is only the first step in putting the buffer zone in place.
The county still has to draft an official ordinance, hold public hearings related to the map above, and have a final consideration with the Board of County Commissioners. Once all of the above steps happen, the bill can become law.
