BOTETOURT COUNTY (WSLS) - Botetourt County residents say they're concerned after a new noise ordinance is preventing them from participating in outdoor activities, like shooting guns.
Residents said when growing up hearing gunshots was normal and nothing to fear. They said the county is a rural area and people usually hunt deer.
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The frustration of residents further escalated after one person posted a Facebook video claiming he got a letter from Botetourt County officials that said he was committing a misdemeanor on breaking the noise ordinance. The video posted gained more than 6,000 likes.
Jesse Breeden said after shooting, a Botetourt County deputy told him he was in violation of the noise ordinance.
"It truly upset me a lot that we could go to jail or be charged with a misdemeanor for something that we've been doing since we were kids in Botetourt County," Breeden said.
In a letter he received from Botetourt County officials it states the noise he was creating from his guns was jeopardizing their health.
Breeden said he thinks his neighbor next to his field could be complaining.
"There is no law against shooting in and around the subdivision, hunting around the subdivision. When somebody builds a subdivision out in the middle of the country and they try to tell us what type of noise they can make, doesn't set well with us," Breeden said.
About 24 hours the video on Facebook posted, officials in Botetourt County said they got ten calls from people expressing their concerns about the noise ordinance. But officials said under the old ordinance, it would have still been a violation.
Now, the language had been clarified to make sure people understand.
"It was recently amended earlier this year to bring it in line with a recent Supreme Court decision that essentially said most existing noise ordinances were to vague, so our amendment cleaned it up and brought it in line with the Constitution," Cody Sexton public information specialist for Botetourt County said.
Botetourt County officials see the noise ordinance falls in line with others from across the state. For change to happen the law would have to be taken up with the county Board of Supervisors.
"We feel like the noise ordinance is the best it can be right now but we're always open to interpretation input from citizens," Sexton said.
"This noise ordinance is a violation of our second amendment," Breeden said.
Botetourt County sheriff deputies said they got calls complaining about a month ago, and the concern was noise and safety.
The sheriff's office said Breeden was shooting near a subdivision in the area those calls came from. They said it is okay to shoot in the field, but when that field is closer to a subdivision that's where safety becomes an issue.
Breeden plans to meet with the Board of Supervisors to see if the ordinance can be changed.