Date of enactment: June 3, 1998
1997 Assembly Bill 308   Date of publication*: June 17, 1998
* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes 1995-96: Effective date of acts. “Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication as designated" by the secretary of state [the date of publication may not be more than 10 working days after the date of enactment].
1997 WISCONSIN ACT 242
An Act to amend 895.52 (1) (g) and 895.525 (2); and to create 895.527 of the statutes; relating to: sport shooting range immunity and responsibilities.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
242,1 Section 1 . 895.52 (1) (g) of the statutes is amended to read:
895.52 (1) (g) “Recreational activity" means any outdoor activity undertaken for the purpose of exercise, relaxation or pleasure, including practice or instruction in any such activity. “Recreational activity" includes, but is not limited to, hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, picnicking, exploring caves, nature study, bicycling, horseback riding, bird-watching, motorcycling, operating an all-terrain vehicle, ballooning, hang gliding, hiking, tobogganing, sledding, sleigh riding, snowmobiling, skiing, skating, water sports, sight-seeing, rock-climbing, cutting or removing wood, climbing observation towers, animal training, harvesting the products of nature, sport shooting and any other outdoor sport, game or educational activity, but. “Recreational activity" does not include any organized team sport activity sponsored by the owner of the property on which the activity takes place.
242,2 Section 2 . 895.525 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
895.525 (2) Definition. In this section, “recreational activity" means any activity undertaken for the purpose of exercise, relaxation or pleasure, including practice or instruction in any such activity. “Recreational activity" includes, but is not limited to, hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, bowling, billiards, picnicking, exploring caves, nature study, dancing, bicycling, horseback riding, horseshoe-pitching, bird-watching, motorcycling, operating an all-terrain vehicle, ballooning, curling, throwing darts, hang gliding, hiking, tobogganing, sledding, sleigh riding, snowmobiling, skiing, skating, participation in water sports, weight and fitness training, sight-seeing, rock-climbing, cutting or removing wood, climbing observation towers, animal training, harvesting the products of nature, sport shooting and any other sport, game or educational activity.
242,3 Section 3 . 895.527 of the statutes is created to read:
895.527 Sport shooting range activities. (1) In this section, “sport shooting range" means an area designed and operated for the use and discharge of firearms.
(2) A person who owns or operates a sport shooting range is immune from civil liability related to noise resulting from the operation of the sport shooting range.
(3) A person who owns or operates a sport shooting range is not subject to an action for nuisance or to zoning conditions related to noise and no court may enjoin or restrain the operation or use of a sport shooting range on the basis of noise.
(4) Any sport shooting range that exists on the effective date of this subsection .... [revisor inserts date], may continue to operate as a sport shooting range at that location notwithstanding any zoning ordinance enacted under s. 59.69, 60.61, 60.62, 61.35 or 62.23 (7), if the sport shooting range is a lawful use or a legal nonconforming use under any zoning ordinance enacted under s. 59.69, 60.61, 60.62, 61.35 or 62.23 (7) that is in effect on the effective date of this subsection .... [revisor inserts date].
(5) Any sport shooting range that exists on the effective date of this subsection .... [revisor inserts date], may continue to operate as a sport shooting range at that location notwithstanding all of the following:
(a) Section 167.30, 941.20 (1) (d) or 948.605 or any rule promulgated under those sections regulating or prohibiting the discharge of firearms.
(b) Section 66.092 (3) (b) or any ordinance or resolution.
(c) Any zoning ordinance that is enacted, or resolution that is adopted, under s. 59.69, 60.61, 60.62, 61,35 or 62.23 (7) that is related to noise.
(6) A city, village town or county may regulate the hours between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. that an outdoor sport shooting range may operate, except that such a regulation may not apply to a law enforcement officer as defined in s. 165.85 (2) (c), a member of the U.S. armed forces or a private security person as defined in s. 440.26 (1m) (h) who meets all of the requirements under s. 167.31 (4) (a) 4.
(7) A person who is shooting in the customary or a generally acceptable manner at a sport shooting range between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. is presumed to not be engaging in disorderly conduct merely because of the noise caused by the shooting.
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