SMITHFIELD - County Commissioners have postponed a public hearing on a proposal to largely ban the use of firearms within 600 feet of any occupied building.

The hearing was originally scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 3. A new date has not been set.

The postponement came after the Johnston County Planning Board split 4-4 on a motion to recommend that County Commissioners adopt such a ban. Also, county leaders have recently received scores of e-mails from people opposed to limits on firearms.

"We've received about 70 e-mails," County Manager Rick Hester said last week. "All of them were opposed to any kind of regulation."

In October, commissioners asked the planning staff to prepare an ordinance that would govern the discharging of firearms in Johnston. Commissioners moved after hearing complaints from residents worried about stray bullets hitting their homes.

The proposed ordinance, unveiled at the Nov. 16 county Planning Board meeting, would prohibit residents from discharging a firearm within 600 feet of a building or area that is "likely to be occupied" unless they had written permission from the property owner. Permission would have to be renewed every year.

The proposed law defines a firearm as any gun, rifle, pistol, bow or other weapon capable of discharging bullets or pellets.

The ordinance would not apply to:

Law enforcement officers or military acting in the line of duty.

Those using firearms to defend their life or property.

Those using lawfully issued hunting or wildlife-removal permits.

Nonprofit events - such as turkey shoots - as long as the organizer held a valid permit.

The ordinance would apply to all properties inside and outside of town limits.

Currently, the Johnston County Sheriff's Office has no way of addressing shooting complaints.

County Commissioners hope to reschedule the public hearing upon receiving ordinance revisions from a work group recently appointed by the board.

Members of the work group are County Commissioners Allen Mims and Jeff Carver; the county manager; Sheriff Steve Bizzell; planning director Berry Gray; and citizens Jeff Lawrence, Mike Walters, Jake McAllister, Stephen Reeves, Jonathan Parker and Todd Blackburn.