Mikul
Member
Let's face it guys, we participate in a noisy sport. Shooting is obnoxiously loud. If it isn't then why are we wearing these fancy hearing protectors? Most shooting is over 140 decibels with peak levels over 170. Here are some items to compare to:
sandblaster: 115 decibels
ambulance siren: 120 decibels
jackhammer: 130 decibels
rocket blast-off: 140 decibels
12 gauge shotgun: 156 decibels
When I drive to the range and pass the residential neighborhood that is directly accross the street, I always think "Thank God that I don't live here." Eight to Sixteen hours per day of nearly constant shooting would drive me insane. Now, I don't feel bad about shooting there. The range is 60 years old and the oldest house in the area is perhaps 25. Everyone within earshot knew what they were getting into.
There are other places that don't seem quite so clear-cut: in more rural areas where people shoot on their own property. I was at a friend's house who lives on 4 acres. His neighbor, two houses and 200 yards away was shooting legally in his back yard. We had to go inside to have a decent conversation. Gun clubs do move in to existing neighborhoods. Recently, a trap club moved from an urbanizing area on to a farm about 20 miles west of me. The neighbors are furious and I completely understand why.
We talk a lot on here about Libertarian principles of non-agression: your rights end where mine begin. Many of us bring up this exact moral code when talking about smoking. How does the noise from shooting differ? We inflict our noise on a lot of other people. I know that many people on here believe that you should be able to do what we want on our own land, but I'm sure if the same amount of noise were being generated by a stereo, or other device you would be against it.
I'm not talking about people with over 20 acres to shoot on in a remote area. I'm also not talking about the occasional shot being taken at pests or people who are out hunting, but strictly target shooting for fun. How can we reasonably expect our neighbors to tolerate our noise?
sandblaster: 115 decibels
ambulance siren: 120 decibels
jackhammer: 130 decibels
rocket blast-off: 140 decibels
12 gauge shotgun: 156 decibels
When I drive to the range and pass the residential neighborhood that is directly accross the street, I always think "Thank God that I don't live here." Eight to Sixteen hours per day of nearly constant shooting would drive me insane. Now, I don't feel bad about shooting there. The range is 60 years old and the oldest house in the area is perhaps 25. Everyone within earshot knew what they were getting into.
There are other places that don't seem quite so clear-cut: in more rural areas where people shoot on their own property. I was at a friend's house who lives on 4 acres. His neighbor, two houses and 200 yards away was shooting legally in his back yard. We had to go inside to have a decent conversation. Gun clubs do move in to existing neighborhoods. Recently, a trap club moved from an urbanizing area on to a farm about 20 miles west of me. The neighbors are furious and I completely understand why.
We talk a lot on here about Libertarian principles of non-agression: your rights end where mine begin. Many of us bring up this exact moral code when talking about smoking. How does the noise from shooting differ? We inflict our noise on a lot of other people. I know that many people on here believe that you should be able to do what we want on our own land, but I'm sure if the same amount of noise were being generated by a stereo, or other device you would be against it.
I'm not talking about people with over 20 acres to shoot on in a remote area. I'm also not talking about the occasional shot being taken at pests or people who are out hunting, but strictly target shooting for fun. How can we reasonably expect our neighbors to tolerate our noise?