A 26-year-old Riverside man fired a .40-caliber Glock handgun at bags of leaves in the Walker Farm disposal site off of County Road nine days ago.

The man was charged by Barrington police with firing at least five shots at the bag on that Sunday afternoon. Police also said he had 16 shells. The man said it was target practice.

The man obviously was not familiar with Barrington’s firearms ordinance. He also failed to recognize that Walker Farm is not a licensed shooting range, said Police Chief John LaCross, and that he was shooting toward the adjacent Osamequin natura trails and bird sanctuary, where people like to hike and do some bird-watching.

Have you ever read Barrington’s firearms ordinance? Did you know the town even has a firearms ordinance?

Click here to see the ordinance.

But in brief, you cannot fire a gun in Barrington unless you are on your own land and you are at least 125 yards from a building or premises on your neighbor's land. But you cannot shoot across a highway.

You cannot discharge a firearm on land you do not own in Barrington unless you get permission from the owner. Then you have to be at least 125 yards from any building. And you cannot shoot across a road or street.

If you do not have permission, you also can’t shoot across another owner’s land without written permission that you must carry with you.

You can hunt for ducks or other fowl on the water, such as Hundred Acre Cove. But you must still be at least 125 yards from any building, and you cannot shoot across land you do not own without written permission.

You can defend yourself or your property with a firearm as long as you obey state laws, according to the ordinance.

Break the law? The ordinance carries penalties of from $100 to $500 for each offense.