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Surely there should be some consensus middle ground in the issue of gunfire within Town of Riverview limits.

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On the one side, some residents are concerned with geese and duck hunting along the Petitcodiac River. A local farmer even had permission from the town to cull the nuisance geese who were feeding on grain put out for his livestock. By all accounts, the farmer and weekend hunters observed the provincial Fish and Wildlife Act which stipulates a shotgun can't be fired within 200 metres of a dwelling.

On the other side, at least one homeowner is worried her family could be in danger with hunters firing within town limits. The town is considering a tougher bylaw banning all gunfire within its boundaries but there is already speculation the bylaw would be considered moot because the provincial legislation supercedes it.

Riverview isn't the first municipality to encounter this conundrum. As urban areas grow and sprawl, land that was wild and the domain of hunters and outdoorsmen and women is increasingly the territory of subdivisions, cul-de-sacs and running children.

We believe Riverview is within its right to enact a new bylaw. If town council can regulate roaming dogs and cats, how far you have to park from a fire hydrant and setting off fireworks, surely it has the right to tell people they can't fire shotguns and rifles within town boundaries.

If that bylaw is challenged and ruled illegal under the provincial legislation, so be it.

However, it is important that some flexibility be allowed in this situation. Some of the land in the outer sections of Riverview continues to be mainly rural and prime hunting areas. As well, doesn't a farmer have the right to protect his livelihood and land by removing nuisance animals and birds from his property?

This is a classic case of urban and rural lifestyles co-existing. It is impossible to draw a definitive line between those two ways of life and it should be up to the people we elect to govern us to solve cases like this so a family's safety and the rights of farmers and hunters are not mutually exclusive.

A new bylaw based on the provincial legislation, with some built-in provisions to allow for nuisance kills and hunting in the town's most remote areas seems like the type of balanced approach that will serve both sides in this dilemma well.

Town council needs to show the leadership.