Resident wants drawbows removed from firearms bylaw

PENTICTON – A request from a resident to allow manual bow and arrow usage within city limits may get a serious look as the city prepares to host the B.C. Winter Games, which includes archery sports.

Penticton resident Rick Hamilton wants to see a change made to the City of Penticton’s bylaw that regulates or prohibits the discharge of firearms in Penticton and he went before city council Monday, April 20, to explain the sport of archery and the use of draw bows.

"I’d like to talk about drawbow only,” Hamilton said, referring to a passage in the bylaw that describes a variety of firearms, including different types of guns, drawbows and crossbows. “All the rest of them I think are great to have a bylaw on, but the drawbow part of it is the competitive side of a sport, which is an Olympic sport. A drawbow can only be used under your own strength."

Hamilton said other municipalities staged archery events in controlled environments and changing the bylaw wouldn’t have to affect hunting bylaws in the city.

“It’s strictly to do with the competitive side of the sport. The Winter Games are coming here next year, it’s one of the sports that will be in it, so we’ll have to figure out an amenity for that."

He said it would be a safe sport in a controlled environment, no different than a slapshot of a hockey puck or someone driving golf balls.

In response to Coun. Helena Konanz, Hamilton said a controlled environment might be a school field, with drop nets and students along the field to mark the playing area. He said there were specific things one could do to make it safe.

Acting City Manager Chuck Loewen told council the sport will be part of the B.C. Winter Games being hosted by the city next winter. He said each participant would need to be permitted for bow events, and subject to a police check under the existing bylaw.

Council unanimously agreed to have staff check out the possibility of removing drawbows from the bylaw.

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