MYRTLE BEAC, SC (WBTW) – The City of Myrtle Beach is considering changing its laws to allow guns to be discharged within city limits when dealing with nuisance animals.
South Carolina State law says if caught, nuisance animals like raccoons or more specifically coyotes, cannot be relocated; even to euthanize them.
Coyotes are an issue in Myrtle Beach; most recently a coyote got loose at MYR.
“We’ve had numerous sightings of coyotes and people are very concerned about them,” said Myrtle Beach City Manager John Pedersen
Pedersen says because of the city’s catch 22 when it came to dealing with coyotes, people were forced to use pretty barbaric methods.
“People have used other methods of killing a coyote. Shooting it with a bow and arrow or other things that are not humane in most people’s minds,” he said.
So now the city is looking to allow guns to be used.
But that comes with a lot of stipulations because the city doesn’t want just anyone shooting guns within its limits.
The new ordinance says only an animal control professional who obtains a written permit from the police department following specific guidelines will be allowed to fire a gun.
As mentioned before DNR does not allow relocation of nuisance animals, but there is a loophole.
Animal control professionals, like the ones this ordinance is specifically written for, are allowed to remove nuisance animals if they get a permit from DNR.
The reason is so raccoons and coyotes aren’t killed in public.
Russell Cavendar, also known as the Snake Chaser, is an animal control professional.
He said unless it was dire, he most likely would never consider killing an animal on someone’s property and always will remove it.
He says things to consider when shooting a gun in a public place is clean up, safety, and issues with residents calling 911, or seeing an animal shot, and obviously bad publicity.
Pedersen says the police department will make amendments to the ordinances before it becomes law to prevent things like unnecessary 911 calls.
Final reading on this ordinance will happen at the next city council meeting.
