neighbors call cops on me for shooting on my property

[Request Dust Off]

So I should call the cops when they shoot also? What about the neighbors on the other side shooting yesterday? So it looks like backstop or not there OS no way to legally shoot whenever I want

Good you want to build a backstop.

Don't jump into childish pissing contest and treat the police with over 125% respect would be my first advice.
Talk to your neighbors & work it out. Being cool would be first approach. If that doesn't work, be cool and do what you can within the law and your rights.
Get the law from your state, parish, city and go from there. Don't take anybody's word for it.

Dense woods is not a backstop is correct. If anyone is so sure about it, go in the dense woulds while people are shooting. You might get a different perspective on how well dense woods work as a backstop. I was pinned down in such an area & could not believe the rounds were making it as far in as they did.

I go on the back berm at a 200 yd range and always find handgun bullets that skipped off the ground from the 25-50yrd targets. While not full power still would be considered dangerous.

I shoot air rifle at my house but still maintain some degree of stealth. 1 neighbor shoots with me and 1 does not care. Still leaves 3 or 4 near me that could complain just to cause a problem, even though it should be a total non-issue for them. (Due to distance.)

 

[BenCarp27]

So I should call the cops when they shoot also? What about the neighbors on the other side shooting yesterday? So it looks like backstop or not there OS no way to legally shoot whenever I want

I don't know you, other than the information you have provided. So, I won't pass judgement. Using the information you've given so far, however, I'll try and see this from your neighbors' perspective.

According to what you've said, your experience is limited to the past several months when you began shooting with your girlfriend. Since then, you've purchased a 9mm handgun and an AK. You also claim to be shooting without a back stop of any sorts, and "towards a vacant lot". How big is the vacant lot by the way?

It could just be that your behavior and inexperience with firearms is creating a very unsafe situation, and your neighbors realize it. I'm not trying to harp on or insult you in anyway, please don't take it that way.
But, firearm ownership and shooting sports require a high level of responsibility. This responsibility includes the utmost degree of safety and knowledge.
Not knowing you, other than the things you have written, I think I would reccomend some safety training courses. Nothing in specific. A basic Hunter's Safety course will cover the basics of ownership, as well as cover some basic laws and ordinances.
Once again, I don't intend this to be a negative post in it's nature. Just tryin to offer some friendly advice.

 

[Lanceam24]

I don't know you, other than the information you have provided. So, I won't pass judgement. Using the information you've given so far, however, I'll try and see this from your neighbors' perspective.

According to what you've said, your experience is limited to the past several months when you began shooting with your girlfriend. Since then, you've purchased a 9mm handgun and an AK. You also claim to be shooting without a back stop of any sorts, and "towards a vacant lot". How big is the vacant lot by the way?

It could just be that your behavior and inexperience with firearms is creating a very unsafe situation, and your neighbors realize it. I'm not trying to harp on or insult you in anyway, please don't take it that way.
But, firearm ownership and shooting sports require a high level of responsibility. This responsibility includes the utmost degree of safety and knowledge.
Not knowing you, other than the things you have written, I think I would reccomend some safety training courses. Nothing in specific. A basic Hunter's Safety course will cover the basics of ownership, as well as cover some basic laws and ordinances.
Once again, I don't intend this to be a negative post in it's nature. Just tryin to offer some friendly advice.

I understand completely. I am a member of many other forums and I know some people will give me heat about my "noobness" and I used to kinda get mad but now I can tell when people are trying to help.

I am very new to guns, so expect a lot of odd noob questions from me. I pride myself on learning about what I'm dealing and I intend to become experienced with guns just like I did with motorcycles or cars or computer science or whatever.

BTW I have gotten a lot more feedback on this forum than I have on my others, so thanx everyone for that.

 

[Jack]

From the beginning:

Bought my gf a little .380 pocket pistol a few months ago for home protection and because she rides her motorcycle alone sometimes.

Does she carry it with her, when she is riding?

 

[Lanceam24]

Not yet because we haven't had a chance to take the ccw class. Plus she doesn't ride too much since its been cold. She keeps it in her car as of now

 

[Jack]

Not yet because we haven't had a chance to take the ccw class. Plus she doesn't ride too much since its been cold. She keeps it in her car as of now

Good, just wanted to make sure you weren't unintentionally making her into a felon. As far as the neighbors go, have you tried going over there and asking them about it, seeing if you cant work out a compromise, telling them you are planning on building a berm?

 

[Lanceam24]

The only place a wanna have it on my bike is concealed because if not any idiot can roll up and snatch it off my hip

 

[Skiney]

Hummmmm...Don't have the shooting/and neighbors calling Poe Poe around my crib. Hell if one of my neighbors hears the rest of us are shooting they usually get their guns out and start shooting too... and if your new to the area and don't have a gun we'll loan you one to shoot:]

If my neighbors did't hear me shoot 4-5 times a week they'd call the Poe Poe all right; for them to do a WELLFARE CHECK to see if I was ok; since I shoot so often lol!!

We like DAT US here in Lizard Creek

 

[JR1572]

Hummmmm...Don't have the shooting/and neighbors calling Poe Poe around my crib. Hell if one of my neighbors hears the rest of us are shooting they usually get their guns out and start shooting too... and if your new to the area and don't have a gun we'll loan you one to shoot:]

If my neighbors did't hear me shoot 4-5 times a week they'd call the Poe Poe all right; for them to do a WELLFARE CHECK to see if I was ok; since I shoot so often lol!!

We like DAT US here in Lizard Creek

You da mayor. You do whatcha' wanna do!

JR1572

 

[Doug.38PR]

300 yards??!! That's ridiculous. What limp wristed soccer mom dreamed up that? Shoot. In Morehouse Parish where I live, people shoot outside all the time. People up here have land from 2-40 acres. I have 15 acres myself. Where I live out in the country there are houses around here and if you move 300 yards you're on somebody's front porch. But people, myself included, shoot outside all the time. I hear people sighting in their rifles all the time and popping off handguns all the time. I've had parties over at my house where we shoot everything from .22s to .223 Remington in AR15 off the back deck. We aren't shooting towards roads or house and are shooting into the bank/levee of my pond and/or into the ground.
On my list of things to do is get a dozer out here to put up a backstop rather than shoot at cans on the levee bank or on the ground.

Up here people's attitude is: it's your land, do what you want. As long as you're not hurting or endangering somebody else, people are neighborly to each other and mind each other's own business. I moved out of the city to get away from anti-gun soccer mom thinking

 

[oleheat]

Do you know the neighbors? Not sure, but maybe it would put their mind at ease if you would pay them a visit, introduce yourself, and let them know what you are up to- and maybe even show them the backstop you are working on. They might be a bit more resonable if you go out of your way to prove to them you're intentions are genuine- and that their safety is a concern to you, as well.....

If it's still apparent that this will continue to be an issue, then I'd suggest you take the deputy's advice and lay off the rifle, at the very least. At the end of the day, there are other places to shoot- and although they're not as convenient, they are a lot less trouble than ongoing problems with the neighbors that involve the local authorities....

 

[Gus McCrae]

When I first moved out here, I shot in the back often, if not every day. The neighbor who lives about 200 yards from me didn't like it, so they call the cops. Cops came four different times. Each time, they see nothing wrong and then tell me they don't mind my shooting. So, nutty neighbor eventually stops calling cops. However, my step-children tell me that they can hear the old lady yelling when I shoot. I never heard anything (naturally). Well, over the Christmas holidays, my kids are visiting me from Louisiana and I take them out back to shoot. This time all the children tell me that the hear the same old lady yelling profanity. So, when I'm done shooting, I decide to call the cops and tell them what my children heard. Deputy came, I tell him what happened, he leaves to go talk to the neighbors, I go inside my house and go about my own business. About 15 or 20 minutes later I look out the window just to see if deputy still there. To my surprise, I see several cop cars, one of which is marked, "narcotics".

I never heard from the neighbors again.

Lulz.

 

[Russo]

one of the reasons why i plan on building an inside range at my new shop...

 

[charlie12]

We go out and shoot on her mothers 7-8 acres a few times a week(about 6 acres clear the rest consists of small trees shrubbery.

In the title you say "my property" it's not your property it's your girlfriend's mother's property.

Don't get too mad at the neighbor sounds like it was a anonymous complaint so you don't really know who it was. Don't **** off the wrong person.

 

[Lanceam24]

Not my property but I live here, and i have permission to shoot whenever I please. I know exactly who it was, cop first said "I cant really say who called" then proceeded to say "its probably because they just put that trailer back there..."

 

[charlie12]

Not my property but I live here, and i have permission to shoot whenever I please. I know exactly who it was, cop first said "I cant really say who called" then proceeded to say "its probably because they just put that trailer back there..."

You still don't know you think you know. Are there any other neighbors? The Deputy might not even know, he might have gotten dispatched as someone shooting at your girl's mother's property and he responed and was told there was no complainant to see. Get a copy of his report to see for sure, if a report was written

 

[Lanceam24]

Well he took my name and said he had to at least report something so I guess he did

 

[Skiney]

You da mayor. You do whatcha' wanna do!

JR1572

Huh??? The mayor? You must have me confused with someone else:}?

 

[LongGoneDays]

I've only had the cops called on me once. I was shooting a handgun at my grandparent's old place, never had any problems shooting out there growing up. Over the years someone people bought a small section of the cow pasture about 1/8 of a mile on the opposite side of the road, plopped a trailer "house" and a few horses.

God, I hate horses.

So anyway 4 deputies show up, one of them my former 8th grade teacher who friggin' taught me Hunter's Ed, and they asked me all kinds of questions about where I was shooting, informed me of all the old wives tales of how far a bullet will go and how many schools it could knock over, etc etc.

They leave and I finish up. Talk to my uncle who lives around the corner, he said they've called the cops on him and he lives a good bit from them and because of direction/trees there is no way in hell their shots were a danger to them. The people knew this, could have easily walked over and saw the direction I was shooting, but chose to misuse the police to voice their displeasure. I suppose I could have been charged with the law about shooting close to an inhabited dwelling, but honestly I had never heard of it until years later on the internet, never heard of it being used.

The bad part being the woman that called was my half sister's 1st cousin and we pretty much grew up together. People are petty. And horses are stupid.

 

[Mjolnir]

When I first moved out here, I shot in the back often, if not every day. The neighbor who lives about 200 yards from me didn't like it, so they call the cops. Cops came four different times. Each time, they see nothing wrong and then tell me they don't mind my shooting. So, nutty neighbor eventually stops calling cops. However, my step-children tell me that they can hear the old lady yelling when I shoot. I never heard anything (naturally). Well, over the Christmas holidays, my kids are visiting me from Louisiana and I take them out back to shoot. This time all the children tell me that the hear the same old lady yelling profanity. So, when I'm done shooting, I decide to call the cops and tell them what my children heard. Deputy came, I tell him what happened, he leaves to go talk to the neighbors, I go inside my house and go about my own business. About 15 or 20 minutes later I look out the window just to see if deputy still there. To my surprise, I see several cop cars, one of which is marked, "narcotics".

I never heard from the neighbors again.

BEAUTIFUL!! I'm down with flu - in Indianapolis on Super Bowl weekend - and this made my day! I'm sharing.