Is it legal to shoot a pellet/bb gun in a backyard in the city limits in Texas?

You will have to check your city ordinance 

I agree with LGD, it's only illegal if a city has an ordinance against it and that's determined by each individual city rather than being state level.

It won't be long until everything is illegal and gives you cancer in CalifAustin TX since half of california has moved there.

Call your city police non-emergency number and ask.

Your town/city probably has a website which would have a link to the ordinances.

Call your local marshal. and find out.

Tx is a chaotic place in terms of air gun regulations; one place you can shoot all you want as long as no pellets fly out of your yard. The next is a no go.

I would not trust police advice, they do not know everything. I don't live in Texas, but I was hassled by my local police for shooting in my backyard. The threatened me with arrest and fines. Luckily, I had the foresight to download off the internet St. Louis county ordnance and print it out. I showed the cops and don't think they were too happy that I knew more about it than they did, but all they could do is say have a nice day and leave. Here it is legal as long as your shots stay within your property lines and no damage or injury is caused to anyones property outside of yours. Most cities ordnances are available online, check it out.....

It is usually up to the individual officers discretion. If illegal, I believe most would just tell you to stop, as long as you were being responsible using your gun. But if they are having a bad day, they do have the right to enforce the law the way they see fit. Just a chance you take.

From what I understand, it’s written into some generic ordinances that are put out by some organization, and most little towns and cities adopt it without much discussion. 


Texas has made a big deal about gun rights in recent years, but this is where they fail. If you technically can’t take your 9 year old in the backyard to shoot a Red Ryder BB, you miss out on an opportunity to teach kids about guns and gun safety. They turn into young adults and they are left to go blindly figure it out on their own.

It needs to be written just like firearms, where you can shoot an air rifle on your property just so long as the BB or pellet land on your property. We almost need an air rifle lobby to play with the big boys in the state legislature and get this taken care of. 

Over the years in Odessa, Texas there has been so much vandalism by kids and punks shooting out windows and stuff that you can not shoot a air gun in the city limits any time, Or have one in your car past sunset shooting or not,,,

I live out side the city limits , So the city ordnance does not bother me ,

Mike

Check your local government website for applicable laws and ordinances or ask a lawyer. Some places are restricted use such as confined to the property, others are prohibited use altogether. Best to check prior and keep it safe and legal. 

I don't know TX ordinances, but the city of Mount Olive , NC has an ordinances against fire arms and airguns being fired inside city limits. They can take the gun if caught and issue fines. So play it safe and do your homework look it up to be sure. Don't trust local law officers because they may not know the written law, and will error on the side of caution and tell you you can't even if you can. As a responsible gun owner it's your duty to know the laws that pertain to your actions.

bottom line is some people will mess with you for 'anything' they can see and have nothing better to do with their pathetic lives than try to aggravate YOU usually by being loud in one form or another ... theyre airguns not firearms and 'gun laws' dont apply unless its specifically spelled out and describes an airgun .. just dont let them see you and work on that angle and you wont have a problem ...

Can't speak to the Texas laws, but you can probably find it easily on the internet. Don't count on local law enforcement to know this one. As Brent, I'm also in NC, and have done a little research. First, city and county laws are inconsistent, both among themselves, and the state. In NC, state law prohibits discharging a firearm or air rifle within 100 yards of a dwelling. My city prohibits discharging an air rifle within the city limits. Other cities and counties do not, but the state law would apply. So, you need to do local research. In most locations, my guess, common sense would prevail. If you keep it quiet and in your yard, it's probably unlikely you will run into trouble. But, you know your neighbors and I don't. If shooting in your yard is in violation of law, and you have neighbors who are anti-gun, or, with whom you have an adversarial relationship, then maybe discretion is the better part of valor.

I can't believe so many here think it's ok for police to not know the laws or not do their job but still boss you around. I'm not anti police and I support the police but we pay them well to do a job and they must be held accountable. You call the non emergency number and ask them to look it up. Any cop can call to check or call the solicitors office, it's what they do and it's part of what we pay for. Cops are not our bosses or our superiors in any way so don't let them talk to you as if they were. If there is a dispute have them call a supervisor, find the facts and be done with it right there. Freedom isn't free, you have to do a little work for it.