Shooting on one's own property

[jzimm9mm]

Does anybody know of state of national laws which might prohibit shooting on your own property, outside of "city limits"? Most of my life I have shot on private property somewhere in the country. I really haven't given it a second thought until recently.

My parents have 20 acres of land where I've been shooting for a couple years now. We use a 20 foot tall dirt bank as a backstop and this seems pretty safe to me. Recently some of the farm land around them has been sold and more houses are starting to appear across the landscape. It hasn't happened yet, but I can see the day when someone who is gun "unfriendly" builds a house nearby and then gets bent out of shape about us shooting. If there is no law against shooting on your own property as long as you aren't in a metropolitan area, then there's no worries. However, I don't know for sure that this is perfectly legal. Does anyone here have an idea about this?

Thanks.

Jer..

 

[El Tejon]

How do, neighbor. The controlling issue for the Land of Liberty and Opportunity is how the land is zoned, assuming not on fed land.

Is your parents' freehold zoned Ag? Have the oncoming subdivisions gone before your county's bza to re-apply?

Regardless, Rule #4 applies, as always.

 

[Mal H]

The laws will vary from locality to locality and the only safe answer to is check with your local authorities (Sheriff Dept., etc.)

One good tactic you might consider is to continue to shoot regularly on the property. If you've been doing it for years, it is difficult for anyone new to the area to say you've just started shooting and to knock it off. If you get wind of newcomers to adjoining properties, be sure to be popping off a few as they inspect the house or property. If they are anti-shooting, you can nip that problem in the bud.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Easy for you to say, Mal.

I get the impression that your neck of the woods is... how shall we say... better armed than most third world nations?

 

[Mal H]

 

[TheeBadOne]

State law first, Local law second.

Where I live there is a DNR law that prohibits the discharge of a firearm within a few hundred feet of a dwelling or place where people gather (park, ball diamond, hall, etc). Some Townships or Cities pass their own ordinances restricting or limiting firearm use. Like already said, check with your local LE agency.

 

[jzimm9mm]

Wow, that was quick!

Sounds like a call to the Sheriff might be in order. I'm not sure what their zoning is offhand. Oh, I'll be sure to keep on shooting so people know it goes on. Thanks for the responses.

Jer..

 

[nico]

Just to throw my 2 cents in, in MD if you're on private property you have to be at least 200 yards from a house. If your parents have 20 acres, and your laws are similar (they're probably more lenient if anything), i wouldn't think you'd have any problems.

 

[El Tejon]

Jer, careful about calling LE for legal advice. I know of several county attorneys who have advised their Sheriffs to tell people "no" when it came to anything gun related.

 

[jzimm9mm]

Hmmm, the Sheriff thing is a good point. We could be told it's a no-no to shoot out there even though it might be perfectly legal.

I'm guessing that the land is still zoned Ag. The houses popping up are generally just one or two here and there, not full neighborhoods yet. Those areas are probably zoned Ag too since they were farm fields just a few months ago. Are you thinking that being zoned agricultural allows for shooting on the property? The need could arise to fend off predators and such....

I guess more research is in order.

 

[manwithoutahome]

jzimm9mm, a call to your local Sheriff (not the state cops or the local LEO because they are mostly anti anyway from what I've seen) will give you the answer. Also, read your local ordinances to find out if you are out of city limits (sometimes, even the country is considered city under some circumstances).

When I first got here I found that I could shoot outside and my neighbor yelled this and that and even called the Sheriff on me. Since I was "new" to the neighborhood the Sheriff came out and I showed him the backstop, the angle I was firing (away from any dwellings or such) and he just shrugged and said, "okay". But, I had called his office before and got the scoop on what was legal and not. I had researched the laws before hand and was prepared to debate if he told me wrong. He told the truth.

But you have to watch what your neighbors may do. They "rented" the land behind us and put in horses which now I am "endangering the private property of another" even though my backstop is more then safe. Sheriff won't do anything until I "kill or destroy private property" and I trust my neighbor to do something to kill his own horses (he's that way).

M

 

[Smoke Rizen]

Shooting on private land

When I first built in this area You could shoot most anywhere. After the first few houses came in people began to question My practice of shooting Praire Dogs from My tractor when maintaining My property. The property owners ??? ociation had a resolution against hunting anywhere in the development, but the Sheriffs Dept. told Me county law allows it or shooting anywhere on Private Property. Only catch is the bullet or shot can't leave You'r property,if so You are liable for damages. Check with You local, Authorities and hope You're allowed to practice safely on Your Own Property. R.S.

 

[c-bag]

Hello, to a fellow Hoosier!

I've always used the rule of thumb that if you're not in an incorporated area (city limits) and you're safe then it's all kosher, but i'll defer to
El Tejon's judgement on this.

The only other thing I'd worry about is C.O.'s giving you grief, even on your own property, during hunting season. (I've heard horror stories about this, but in my experience they're the nicest LEOs I've dealt with so who knows?)

 

[Sven]

I heard recently (but cannot confirm) that in AZ the state rule is must be more than 1 mile from a house.

 

[rayra]

Your state, county and local laws will all have something to say about No Fire zones xxx yds from inhabitable dwellings. I'd recommend finding and reading those laws, review the zoning guidelines, BEFORE contacting your local LEOs. KNOW if they are telling you something false.

That said, if I lived on such land, I think it would worth some small expense to establish a semi-permanent range facility, covered shooting benches, maybe even doze a trench / pit for the targets themselves.
Then Invite the neighbors to come shoot.
Cover ALL the Issues, before they can become Issues

 

[CatsDieNow]

Well, I went home to NW Indiana and was shooting on the farm over the holiday.

The trick is to invite all your neighbors to come over and shoot with you, that way they won't be complaining to the sheriff (who has a standing invitation).

 

[TallPine]

Bought my place with the fact in mind that there is a natural bowl in the hillside behind the house. Perfect pistol range with hill on three sides.

In this neighborhood of 40 acre or larger tracts you hear one or more gunshots almost every day. Porcupines are universally despised for the damage they do to trees and other plants.

Shot my deer this fall from the corner of my deck, on the hillside on the other side of the house.

Exercise your rights in order to keep them.

 

[DaveB]

It seems to me that there are two issues here: do you have a legal right to shoot?, and is it going to enrage somebody else?.

Assuming you have a legal right to shoot on your own land, the most important thing you can do (IMHO) is to make sure that every one of your neighbors is up to speed on your layout, your responsability, and on your competence.

There are some people who are against use of firearms in all circumstances, and some who feel as you do. Most do not have firm opinions, and can be reasoned with.

What you do not want to do is to EVER make some homeowner feel that their safety is in question and, most important, that their kids are in danger.

If one of your neighbors decides that your use of firearms is endangering their kids, and they decide to lawyer up, God help you.

db

 

[TheEgg]

Used to be able to shoot on my own land. Still can, legally. However, so many people have moved into the area and there are so many houses now surrounding me, that I have made the decision to not shoot there any more for safety reasons.

Legal or not, I will not take the chance of a bullet getting away from me and injuring someone.

Gotta find somewhere to move where THEY can't follow.:banghead:

 

[FPrice]

I'd like to say that a man can do anything (legal) on his property that he wants to.

I'd like to say that but it's not always true.

I suggest that you invest a few dollars in talking to a good lawyer and find out exactly what your local ordnances say.

If it was legal then my next step would be to set up an informal range according to any range guidelines I could find (hint: try the NRA) to show my efforts to be safe, as well as a good neighbor. This should be able to help you fend off any complaints.

It may be a little bit of an effort, but it may help in the long run.

 

[jzimm9mm]

Thanks a lot for all the responses. I think DaveB hit on my biggest concern. They just started putting in a house on a 2 acre plot adjacent to my folks, but not near or towards where we shoot. We know that they have a little girl, who apparently likes to roam around their current neighborhood. I have some concern that they will (unnecessarily) fear for their kids safety the first time I light off my FAL. I can't say as I would blame them. If they started shooting out the back door one day I might be a little concerned myself. I would just like to be informed on what is and is not acceptable before such a situation would arise. And like I said before, this is all speculative right now.

 

[El Tejon]

Fruit baskets to the neighbors are much cheaper than lawyers to defend yourself.

 

[Cosmoline]

Don't forget to look at the CC&R's ("conditions, covenants and restrictions) on the property itself. These can be VERY restrictive, mandating the type of grass used, it's height, permission for cutting trees, etc. etc.

Or you can do what I did and move to a parcel with NO zoning and NO CC&R's.