Squirrel shooting has been shot down in Chesterfield.

The city council approved Monday a ban on discharging firearms to protect property from critters such as squirrels, rodents, bird or rabbits. The law applies to firing weapons within 150 yards of homes on 10 acres or less.

The measure was approved by a vote of 6 to 2 with Councilmen Barry Flachsbart and Bob Nation voting against the law.

The vote came after two hours of comments from proponents who advocated public safety and opponents who protested the move as unconstitutional.

An amendment by Flachsbart would have allowed discharge of weapons only if there had been an imminent threat or damage to property within the past six months. The amendment failed, with only Flachsbart and Nation supporting it.

Mayor Bruce Geiger and Police Chief Ray Johnson showed off a piece of wood and a soda can that had been set up at various distance on a police range and shot at with a pellet gun. They also displayed a police protective vest shot with blow darts.

"A pellet gun, as is a blow dart gun, is a very powerful weapon, and this law is a matter of public safety," Geieger told the audience of more than 60 people.

But former Chesterfield Ward 1 Councilman Gene Schenberg and others said residents have the constitutional right to protect their homes from damage by squirrels and other varmints.

He said he's tried traps, poisons and trimming back trees to eliminate squirrel damage. When those proved ineffective, he switched to a dart blow gun and recently began using a pellet gun.

The weapon has become a sore point with Gary and Becki Stein, his neighbors in Greenfield Village subdivision.

Gary Stein presented the city with a petition with more than 130 signatures, many gathered in his own subdivision, that supports the city's new law.

Becki Stein showed off a handful of blow darts she and her husband have found on their property in the past.

"I want to enjoy my backyard without the fear of an 800-foot-per-second pellet," she said.

Robert Weisenfeld, who also lives in the Greenfield Village subdivision said, "we all have the right to be comfortable and safe on our property."

Councilman Randy Logan said the city "isn't banning people from protecting their home from squirrels and other animals by traps or removal by a pest expert — we're dealing with the safety of how it's done."

Schenberg said he "fully expects the law to be invalidated, because state law prevents it from being enacted."

He maintained the new law "is an attempt to strip Missourians of constitutional rights."