The police chief in the east Georgia city of Washington, GA is hesitant to sanction gunfire on downtown streets.
Usually no shooting is allowed in the city limits.
But Chief Mike Davis admits squirrels are driving residents
nuts. He says his department keeps getting more and more complaints.
Last week, the Washington City Council approved a special in-town season for squirrels. Residents are allowed to shoot the squirrels from 8:15 a-m to noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Davis says the squirrels start out in the attic, get into the walls of houses and sometimes chew their way into living rooms. The rodents even chewed through the wires in the chief's home -- causing a computer to short out and his refrigerator to defrost.
Rules for shooting say residents must use single-shot shotguns and obtain a three-dollar permit from the chief. That also entitles them to a personal lecture about firearms safety. NO rifles are allowed.
Davis says the permits will be issued only to local property owners, who also must have a valid Georgia hunting license.
Shooters also must adhere to the state-imposed bag limit of 12 squirrels per day.
So far, the chief has issued only one permit, but he says others are pending.