Riverside Municipal Code Ch. 9.12 Weapons

In this chapter, "firearm" means a gun, pistol, rifle, air rifle or air gun, b-b gun, arrow, crossbow, or any other instrument of any kind, character or description which throws or projects a bullet or missile or substance by means of elastic force, air, or explosive substance likely to cause bodily harm.

(Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998; prior code § 35.1)

No person may fire or discharge a firearm within the city, nor may a parent, guardian or person having the care, custody or control of a minor permit the minor to fire or discharge a firearm within the city, except as provided hereafter.

(Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998; prior code § 35.2)

Section 9.12.020 does not apply to the use of a firearm by:

A. A peace officer or person in the military service in the discharge of their duties;

B. Persons using firearms in the defense of their persons, the life of another person, their livestock, their domestic animals or their property, to the extent authorized by law; or as otherwise authorized by a permit or license, other than a hunting license, issued pursuant to a state or federal law; or

C. A person shooting at a mark or target at a regularly established target range, which shall be subject to regulation by ordinance of the City Council.

(Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998; prior code § 35.3)

It is unlawful within the city to shoot, trap, snare, wound, poison or kill any wild bird or wild fowl of any kind, or to take or destroy the nests or eggs or young of the same, or of any gray squirrel or any squirrel protected by state or federal fish and wildlife regulatory agencies; other ground or non-native tree squirrels may be taken in compliance with this municipal code and state law. This section shall not apply to shooting a wild fowl at bonafide gun, rifle, pistol or shotgun clubs maintained as a private game reservation for the use and enjoyment of members only, which clubs shall be subject to regulation by ordinance of the City Council.

(Ord. 7283 § 1, 2015; Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998; prior code § 35.4)

If any kind of birds are alleged by anyone to be doing damage to crops or property, the City Council may by resolution allow temporarily the destruction by defined means of such birds as in its judgment are destroying crops or property in an amount sufficient to justify temporary relief.

(Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998; prior code § 35.5)

A. Upon conviction of a defendant, a firearm used in the commission of, or in an attempt to commit, any violation of this Code, is a nuisance.

B. Upon conviction of a defendant, any weapon described in subsection A of this section shall be surrendered to the Chief of Police who shall dispose of such weapon as provided by law, except that upon the certification of a judge of a court of record, the City Attorney or of the District Attorney of the County of Riverside, that the ends of justice will be subserved thereby, the weapon shall be preserved until the necessity for its use ceases.

(Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998; Ord. 4918 § 1, 1981)

No person shall carry or possess while participating in any demonstration, rally, picket line or public assembly, any length of lumber, wood, or wood lath unless that object is blunt at each end and is one-fourth inch or less in thickness and two inches or less in width, or if not generally rectangular in shape, such object shall not exceed three-quarters inch in its thickest dimension.

(Ord. 6762 § 3, 2004)

If any part or provision of this chapter, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter, including the application of that part or provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby and shall continue in full force and effect. To this end, the provisions of this chapter are severable.

(Ord. 6423 § 1, 1998)