I live in a residential area in southeastern Wisconsin. Neighbours surrounding all angles of my house. Is it legal to shoot at .25 grain PCP air rifle in my neighbourhood?
Shooting Airgun in residential neighbourhood
- Thread starter parksrw44
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You may find that answer in your local ordnances… In the scenario you paint abov the question you might consider is… Is it safe to deploy a .25 PCP in your backyard…?
Like the other response says, check your local laws to find that out. The legal part of it I mean. In most cases you can safely shoot an air rifle in the back yard. A moderator for the noise and a good backstop to shoot into that is large enough so nothing gets past it by accident. Making sure there is nothing beyond the backstop that could be hit if any rounds do get by the backstop. I personally go by the rule , if there is any doubt at all any shot wont be totally safe I do not take that shot. Safety first always, bullets don’t allow for second chances. I’ve seen set up inside people’s basements that only allowed 15 yards of distance, but you could safely zero in and check fps and related things out of the icy cold weather. Happy shooting!
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Not that it's necessarily right, but in my situation I've opted to plead ignorant and just be very discreet about it. But I live in a rural community too, so there's going to be more tolerance towards something like this if it were to be discovered.
Noise discipline and concealment are important. If no one knows what you're doing it won't be a problem.
Noise discipline and concealment are important. If no one knows what you're doing it won't be a problem.
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Almost every city in the US has local ordinances regulating any projectile discharge within city limits. Also generally not a good idea to be shooting a 25Cal in any neighborhood anyway. And quite frankly if you have neighbors on all sides and need to ask this question I think you need to brush up on the safety rules we all live by.
I don't know about the laws in your town, you'd have to tell us where you live or figure that out for yourself.
But .22" is about as large a round I'd shoot unless you have 4-acre lots in your town. If you have a huge yard where you can shoot with at least 200 yards to any property line, maybe then I'd consider .25".
But .22" is about as large a round I'd shoot unless you have 4-acre lots in your town. If you have a huge yard where you can shoot with at least 200 yards to any property line, maybe then I'd consider .25".
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A good rule of thumb is to call your local sherrif or police department and ask to speak to a officer. They are the ones who will respond when some karen calls you in. Between ignorance and legal there is a big difference depending on your area you live in. A good cop having a bad day can wreck yours. A bad cop on a good day will aquire all your shooting stuff. Me personaly i would make a phone call and ask.
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also don't use a land line to make the call LOL
I agree in general though. Depending on your community it may be a thin line between a warning and citation. Our cops have meth heads and drunks to contend w so have more important things to do than deal w me, an otherwise law abiding citizen. FWIW I shoot into my garage from the driveway, so that's my backstop.
Personally I think caliber (big bores aside) is a moot point as long as you're shooting safely (whatever that may entail) For myself, I shoot my 25s into cardboard sandwiches at home and there is zero pass thru. A sheet of 3/4" OSB behind it would be impossible to penetrate w any airgun.
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My guess is no, not legal, but check the local regs. My situation is similar, and air rifles are now considered same as firearms. I think this will be universal soon. And from a practical, public safety perspective, given the increasing demand for air power, it probably makes sense. That said, I shoot routinely in the yard and have had no issues. The important factor is your neighbors. It is unlikely that law enforcement will ever be involved, unless a complaint is lodged. I talked to my neighbors, not knowing it was illegal at the time, and they are fine with it.
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Around here the standard rule is not let the projectile leave the boundaries of your property. Other than that, common sense rules.
One of the first things that should be taught and learned about gun safety of any kind is to know where your projectile is going.. what lies beyond your intended target. Generally if it can happen it will happen eventually.
One of the first things that should be taught and learned about gun safety of any kind is to know where your projectile is going.. what lies beyond your intended target. Generally if it can happen it will happen eventually.
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In Florissant Mo. It's illegal, and is considering a discharge of a weapon.
Do you have a good Lawyer ? and maybe 2 or 3 K $$
Ignorance is not an excuse ever .
Just say'n
Ignorance is not an excuse ever .
Just say'n
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I see this as the main problem with high power and .25 and up . A newbie reads all this on AGN and starts thinking .25 and 35FPE is small almost to small .
OK rant over .
OK rant over .
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I think it's more a matter of arrangement. I mean if you have a 5 acre wooded lot in town or have an 8 foot privacy fence it's a totally different situation than what I have going on.
I simply don't have the space to shoot beyond 25 yards, so it's pointless to shoot anything other than 177. It is handy to just walk out the door for sighting in tho.
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I live in a residential area with houses stacked on top of each other and i can tell you that even the craziest neighbors don't care what you do as long as those pellets don't go over to their property. Most of them have had kids or know that boys play with bb guns and airsoft guns, get a good mod and don't have any pellets leave your property and its most likely fine, its also better if they don't really see you shooting so if you shoot from a garage or shed or open window/door from the house then its totally fine... but of course check the laws just in case.... *the most important part is to make sure that your pellets never leave your property*
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This too.
The community and neighborhood you live in may or may not have a level of tolerance. Like I had mentioned in my situation it's a rural community, so it's pretty much live and let live. Some of the more suburban places I've lived weren't so much.
On a total side note I just watched a YT video about Swiss and their public shooting ranges. They have hot ranges over active roadways which is a level of trust off of any scale. But they also have a much more responsible outlook on gun handling than your average 'murcan
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