Pinehurst Bans Tobacco, Guns at Parks
Camelot Park in Pinehurst
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The village of Pinehurst has banned tobacco use and concealed handguns at virtually all of its outdoor recreational facilities.
The Village Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to ban the two items at village playgrounds, athletic fields, swimming pools and other athletic facilities.The greenway trails are considered athletic facilities in relation to both bans.
The lone exception to the tobacco ban will be the Harness Track.
The bans are effective immediately, but Parks and Recreation Director Mark Wagner said there will be an education campaign that will take place before penalties are enforced.
Wagner told the council that smoking in public parks has resulted in increased staff hours devoted to clean up. Cigarette butts, he said, are hazards to the public and significantly reduce the aesthetics of facilities.
“We see people go to the park for the sole purpose of smoking and then they discard their cigarette butts out their car windows,” Wagner said.
The village decided to allow tobacco at the Harness track due to the nature of the business, and the fear that a ban would hurt business there.
“Earl (Police Chief Earl Phipps) would have to open up a substation down there if we were to try to enforce it,” Wagner said of banning tobacco at the track.
Wagner said the village will work with FirsthHealth on signage to notify park users of the prohibition of tobacco products and use other methods to notify the public of the changes.
He recommended a three-month awareness program before starting to enforce the ban.
The county has a similar smoking ban at its athletic facilities, Wagner said, and other municipal recreation departments in the county are considering similar action.
Wagner also provided the council with a letter of support from a local physician, Dr. Edward N. Squire Jr.
In the letter, Squire says the ban would benefit the health of nonsmokers and improve the experience of nonsmokers who use areas that permit smoking.
“Benefitting smokers by acting to restrain their smoking through inconvenience and protecting nonsmokers from having exposure to the noxious irritant effects of tobacco smoke, and or the behavior that older children and teenagers may later seek to imitate are worthy measures and that make sense and should be pursued,” Squire wrote.
The village already bans smoking in village buildings and vehicles.
The handgun ban, Wagner said, resulted from legislation enacted by the state legislature that allows concealed handguns in public restaurants and public parks.
Current legislation allows municipalities to enact ordinances to ban concealed handguns in certain recreation areas.
The new village ordinance allows a person with a valid concealed handgun permit to secure the handgun in a locked vehicle within the trunk, locked glove box, or other secured enclosed compartment or area within or on the motor vehicle.
Wagner told the council that he has not heard of any problems with individuals who have guns at parks or other athletic facilities.
“Not that we have problems now — we don’t,” he said. “But sometimes emotions can run high on the athletic fields and we just want to make sure we ensure the safety of everyone who regularly uses and enjoys are parks.”
Contact Tom Embrey at (910) 693-2484 or tembrey@thepilot.com.
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Comments
dogboy 10 months ago
....I am sure the bad guys will obey this weapons ban. Just think, if someone had a concealed weapon in Aurora, Colorado maybe some of those 12 victims would still be alive.
Courseaire 10 months ago
The Elephant Ban: Wagner told the council that he has not heard of any problems with Elephants in the parks or other athletic facilities. “Not that we have problems now — we don’t,” he said. “But sometimes emotions can run high on the athletic fields and we just want to make sure we ensure the safety of everyone who regularly uses and enjoys are parks.” So from now on Elephants will be banned.
smoochielarue 10 months ago
Anyone who thinking that all attending the movie in aurora Colorado with concealed weapons would have averted this tragedy needs to realize that tear gas or smoke bombs were used. No one really had no idea who the shooter was due to lights off and smoke. It probably would have been worse with people firing randomly and killing more innocent people.
JD 10 months ago
@ smooch
Your post makes way to much sense for the tinfoil hats that post here. Good luck though it was nice to see a ray of light.
jr27356 10 months ago
What happend to all the other posts on here ??
Medic1210 10 months ago
Great job guys. Your ban is sure to save many innocent lives. Sure, you've never had any problems with guns before, but you have to think ahead and prevent something from happening in the future. Just like Cinemark Theaters in Aurora. They had never had any problem with guns, despite state law that allows lawful carry into theaters, but they thought ahead and banned all guns to prevent innocent loss of life. Surely there's no valid reason to be able to protect yourself in a theater, right? Surely there aren't any women who need to be able to protect themselves while walking or jogging on one of the more secluded areas of your greenway trails, right? No muggers would ever think of hiding in wait in an area like that. Keep up the good work playing nanny to all the law abiding citizens. We all know criminals follow the law so well. BTW, can anybody show me one single instance where a "no guns" sign prevented a mass shooting or robbery, or rape? And, since we're talking about law abiding citizens who are feared to be unable to control their temper at the ball park, what's to stop them from retrieving their locked up firearm to end an argument?
NewspaperReader 10 months ago
smoochielarue - "Anyone who thinking that all attending the movie in aurora Colorado with concealed weapons would have averted this tragedy needs to realize that tear gas or smoke bombs were used. No one really had no idea who the shooter was due to lights off and smoke. It probably would have been worse with people firing randomly and killing more innocent people."
Of course they knew who the shooter was. Have you listened to any of the witnesses?
Do you honestly believe that more people would be put in danger if someone was actually shooting back? Have you considered that the gunman has to stop to aim if he is getting shot at, and that even a few seconds of distraction would allow more people to escape harm? Do you seriously think that the best course of action is just to let the shooter spray bullets into a crowd of innocent people, completely unhindered?
Nobody is talking about giving guns to random dummies who will just "fire randomly." A responsible and aware person CCW would certainly have been able to save lives, potentially all. To assert that having someone there to defend the innocent would cause more even harm is patently absurd.
TreadLightly 10 months ago
AURORA SHOOTING
"The gunfire lasted for up to 20 minutes, according to some eyewitnesses." (http://www.enstarz.com)
Can you imagine that? Or being in Luigi's in Fayetteville's shooting? Or being in the Pinelake Health and Rehabilitation Center when Stewart killed 8 people? The people in all of these places felt perfectly safe and secure. You can not justify armed security guards at normal places like these.
All Pinehurst parks will have all the same safety assurances as these people had. "We don't expect any trouble." And most of them will not have any trouble.
Most concealed weapons are never drawn, because serious trouble is rare. But for that one time in a lifetime that a weapon would save the lives of your family, at that one time when some madman or thug without a conscience could not be deterred by any other means, that weapon would be worth a billion dollars. Pray for peace and healing.
MikeNC 9 months, 4 weeks ago
The village decided to allow tobacco at the Harness track due to the nature of the business, and the fear that a ban would hurt business there.
Please explain...are the health risks of those whom work or visit the track less important than in all other such areas in Pinehurst? How does the 'nature of the business' have anything to do with enforcement or use of such products. Does 'the nature' also allow them to carry concealed weapons without worry of enforcement as well? Mike
RmeMP 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Mike, is there any better example of discrimination?! This is horrible, but then again, we all know how well money works here in Moore county...
Just ask Jeff Hardy! (Still waiting on that interview The Pilot staff)
emb6683 9 months, 4 weeks ago
“Earl (Police Chief Earl Phipps) would have to open up a substation down there if we were to try to enforce it,” Wagner said of banning tobacco at the track.
So the inability of government to enforce a law is the determining factor of whether or not to enact the law?
If that were the case, I can think of several laws that should be striken.
MikeNC 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Personally I believe that the thought process relates to the temporary horse people and Their nature of business relates to them being inferior to Pinehurst standards and not enlightened enough to quit smoking; and generally just not worth the effort. Is smoking still permissable by law? Does our government not rake in billions of tax dollars on smokers regardless of their nature of business. Talk about smoking and need of a substation...how about stepping up patrol of the traffice circle...the worlds largest round ashtray. I would love to get a visual on just who flicks their butts out there. I bet none of them nasty butts belong to track folks! Yes RmeMP; discriminatory and a snub on all residents....Mike
BTW...I jog at the horse track and generally get a visual on most all the common areas while driving in and out of the place. I don't recall seeing any unsightly cigarette butts being a hazard to the public and significantly reducing the aesthetics of the track facility. I guess they police up after themselves. Imagine that.
JD 9 months, 4 weeks ago
JD can feel so superior to others
Why do you feel like posting when you get your feelings hurt? Oh yea thin skin on the internet, that's good for you.
Toda 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Round 2 ~ DING!
Bflat 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Ah yes, the old bumper sticker "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" comes to mind. So, Pinehurst bans smoking and concealed guns from parks and all recreation areas, while still allowing tobacco at the track. I'm sure everyone will feel safe with all the exposed guns at those locations. Kids playing on the swing sets and other equipment will feel all warm and fuzzy while parents sit by waiting with a gun to pop off anyone that is a "threat" or the wacko opening fire on any and everything.
Medic1210 9 months, 4 weeks ago
Yeah, Bflat, it's all good, poking fun and making sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek comments at those of us that realize the police will not be there to protect us if something bad goes down. Just remember, something crazy like that can happen anywhere, any time. How quickly we forget that it actually happened just right down the road. I bet those 8 folks gunned down at Pinelake Nursing home in Carthage felt safe when they woke up that morning. After all, there's a nice "No Guns" sign on the door to protect them... Same in Aurora. Who would have ever thought that their night of enjoying a midnight release at a movie theater would turn into a nightmare in the blink of an eye? After all, there was a "No Guns" sign on the door to protect them too. How about those students at Virginia Tech, who woke up that morning just like many mornings before, thinking they were just going to fight to stay awake during the lecture, not fight for their lives? After all, we all know guns aren't allowed on campus, right? You see, folks like you who live every day in their own world, oblivious to what's going on around them always assume it could never happen to you. You're the ones that when something does happen, you'll be begging the 911 dispatchers to hurry up and send the police to save you. Personally, I'd much rather have my own gun with me than potentially wait the rest of my life for the police to bring theirs. I've carried for over 15 years, and have never even come close to needing it. Does that mean I'll never be put in a situation where it may be needed to save my life, or the lives of others like yourself? Nope. I just have to pray it never happens, but be sure I'm prepared if it does. Just keep living your life in your own world, where nothing bad ever happens. Just remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
Toda 9 months, 4 weeks ago
It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it an not have it!