Urban home shooting question..

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I am with silent squirrel. I googled it when I moved out of the city I used to live in to a home in the same zip code but not within the boundries of that city. It is legal for me to shoot airguns (not PBs) in my yard where I live now. I had a fish and game officer stop by for a different reason (whiny fisherman complaint) and he said I was legal too. I would rather look it up myself than ask somebody because I get concerned they do not really know the answer. That applies to police and others. If you are willing to pay an attorney to research it that would be a great way to get a supportable answer (that you could then file away in case you need it). But an hour or so searching with google may give you access to the exact law that applies.

If you can't shoot in your yard you cannot shot from inside your house to your yard. You may still be able to shoot totally insider your house, I'm not sure. If you are not using a big bore your neighbors shouldn't know about it if you stay inside.
 
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Come on guys. Cops aren't out to get you. They can be a PIA for sure and they don't always react properly. But there is no conspiracy. Nor is there a desire to lie to you. There is only a set of circumstances that happen and a reaction to it.

We all know a cop can react poorly. And defensively. That is solely based on the situation and usually not the blackness of their hearts. There are rare exceptions. That's why we must deal with them wisely rather than adversarially.

All laws and local ordinances are codified. If you want to find out about a particular law you can do that easily. Just go to the appropriate website and read it. But you still may not know how the law is interpreted or what the outcome in your situation may be.

If you want to find out what that law means in court ask a lawyer. If you want to know what it means on the street ask a cop. Thats what matters to the guy with the airgun.

With good information you can tailor your actions and reactions to your advantage. That's just common sense IMO.

If I have to talk to a cop to do it I will. I'm not afraid to do it nor can I see where it puts me at any risk at all as long as I am controlling the situation.

If you aren't controlling your situation then the cops are going to. That's exactly what we are trying to avoid isn't it?
 
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beerthief said:
In defense of "cops" . a person that is truly an officer and see's the law is the law it would be his/her duty to investigate and enforce the attempt to evade that law .
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I’m not saying it won’t happen, but generally ordinances aren’t a high priority for most law enforcement agencies; Unless it’s town or county commission pushing the issue. I’m speaking with 20 years in the field and observations.
 
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As has been urged many times already, look up your local ordinances. If any are ambiguous and you really, really want to shoot out your window, ask an attorney and spell it out that the gun is an air gun, not a firearm. Some states categorize air guns as being firearms, so check on this.

Even when “it” is not illegal, you still have to factor in possible troublemakers around your house. I live in an unincorporated part of a rural western county, where hunting and shooting (PB) are still very popular. I still look around my home when I am shooting airguns, because I don’t want a passer-by on the nearby road to freak out. From anything but a very close view, an air gun might easily be mistaken as a PB. Also, merely knowing any projectile might whiz by you is disconcerting to most people. They don’t know if you are a good shot or not!
 
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jetpopt said:
As has been urged many times already, look up your local ordinances. If any are ambiguous and you really, really want to shoot out your window, ask an attorney and spell it out that the gun is an air gun, not a firearm. Some states categorize air guns as being firearms, so check on this.

Even when “it” is not illegal, you still have to factor in possible troublemakers around your house. I live in an unincorporated part of a rural western county, where hunting and shooting (PB) are still very popular. I still look around my home when I am shooting airguns, because I don’t want a passer-by on the nearby road to freak out. From anything but a very close view, an air gun might easily be mistaken as a PB. Also, merely knowing any projectile might whiz by you is disconcerting to most people. They don’t know if you are a good shot or not!
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This also pertains to the "big gun popularity " now in progress . very loud . i just got a loud Air pistol and my wife ask if i was shooting magnum .22 pistol out back .
 
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beerthief said:
This also pertains to the "big gun popularity " now in progress . very loud . i just got a loud Air pistol and my wife ask if i was shooting magnum .22 pistol out back .
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Yeah. I occasionally get tempted to buy some of the Firebird capsules to shoot, to deter deer. Then I think how someone might think I am shooting a firearm and report it as unsafe shooting because they don’t see a bona fide shooting range.
 
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This advice has already been shared previously but I'm going to echo this advice.

At this point in time I can't support talking to police, wildlife officers, attorneys, etc. The primary reason is that they may or may not know the details of the regulations / ordinances / law that has been adopted for your municipality.

You actually need to get your local regulations on being able to shoot on your own property. Print them out, understand them. Keep them handy.

In my urban municipality you can shoot air guns, not powder burners, as long as the projectile does not leave your property.

Doesn't matter if you're shooting out of a window or in your backyard or in your front yard as long as a projectile does not leave your property you are legal.

The OP needs to obtain the written regulations as they have been adopted, read them and understand them so that if any LEO shows up for any reason he can show and educate the LEO on what he is allowed to do on his property.
 
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Assuming it's possible, the best option is for no one to even be aware of what you are doing.

Make sure your backstop is completely safe, make sure that no one can just wander into your shooting range and make sure that no one can see or hear what you're doing. At that point it's extremely unlikely that the actual legality of what you are doing will even matter.

Even if what you're doing is 100% legal, staying under the radar is still by far the best option. All it takes is one obnoxious Karen and one cop on a power trip to ruin your whole week even if you're completely legit.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
If you are shooting anything out the window in the city it's best to know how a cop is going to react to it. Sooner or later someone will notice you and call them. Even if it's "legal" it has the potential to be a huge hassle.

Any time you do anything with an airgun assume people will think it's a firearm. The cops are going to arrive assuming that it is. Guys get shot holding a cell phone when cops are expecting trouble. A barrel sticking out a window could easily draw fire.

Is it legal? Maybe. Ask someone who knows the law you can trust.

Is it wise? I guess that's up to each individual to decide based on their situation.
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some good points made
 
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