Laws on target shooting near house/property

[Winchest55]

What is the law on shooting outside of city limits in the country near your house. Is there a certain distance you must be away from a house when shooting? Also someone elses land, no house just someone elses property?

[rambone]

I'm also interested. I think the primary restriction is if firearms are allowed to be discharged for that purpose within your town at all. Many towns require you to be "outside town limits," if the town has a local ordinance prohibiting discharging a weapon. Beyond that I can't cite a specific law, aside from using common sense and sufficient safety precautions.


Begin Rant:

I know the town I grew up in enacted a really crappy law that pissed a lot of people off. This is a tiny town of 800 residents, and many had very large properties and many were farmers. The town completely banned the use of firearms for any purpose, and effectively banned hunting. Bow and arrow were also restricted, requiring 10 acres or more for it to be legal to shoot a bow at all. Anything less is considered unsafe.

Banning hunting like that for people who have 50 acre farms really ticks me off, and I'm not a hunter. Hunting is a lot of peoples' passion. The deer population is out of control as it is anyways. There are more deer in North America now than there were when Columbus sailed here.

Bows and arrows are unsafe on less than 10 acres of land? Give me a break! I grew up on 6 acres with woods on all sides of the property. Really stupid.

Also the law was written in such a way that it effectively applied itself to BB guns and probably Paintball guns too. Punishment was something like a $7500 fine and 5 years in jail for a second offense. Freaking liberals.

[jedi]

Oh rambone just think of all the children this law saved... =)

[Rob377]

Nothing in state law that I could find.

You can find Anderson ordinances here
City of Anderson, Indiana - Located in Central Indiana

I didn't see anything in there either, but just looked through quickly.

[Winchest55]

Thanks for your help guys i appreciate it. I should be able to find something on the link you put up.

[MK18]

The distance is difference for each County. You will have to consult your county ordinances to find out.

[buckhunterbb]

Thought it used to be 100 yds. from someone else's house. Projectiles weren't supposed to leave your property. Can't find this info in new 2009-2010 hunting guide. Maybe IN DNR website will show.

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

On flat wide open ground like much of central and northern Indiana is, I think common sense should be the biggest player. Have a good backstop located where no miss is gonna knock out the neighbor's window, or cow, or kid. Practice safe shooting. Learn your local regs, if any. Just common sense stuff.

[Jack Ryan]

Originally Posted by buckhunterbb

Thought it used to be 100 yds. from someone else's house. Projectiles weren't supposed to leave your property. Can't find this info in new 2009-2010 hunting guide. Maybe IN DNR website will show.

It was never there.

[Lock n Load]

Right after the Hollywood shootout a neighbor (town board member) cut across 2 other properties to yell at for me shooting behind the house. We had a 4-5 ton pile of fill dirt, 20+ acres of farmland sloping upwards to a wood line then another open field (50+ acres) and another wood line as the backstop.

I happened to be firing an AR (testing a new build), .22 pistol and a shotty into an old stump in front of the dirt mound in front of the above mentioned landscape....

He went off blabing about how "does someone have to killed to get us to stop shooting out here?" And he was going to call the Mooresville police. Well, for starters, we live outside of Mooresville City limits, secondly the Sheriff has to respond from Martinsville and lastly I advised him that he just tresspassed across 2 properties to come over and almost get shot on my land!!!

I called the Sheriff, the operator put a deputy on the line and he stated that there really wasnt any regulations per say, but to be safe and use common sense. While the neighbor was still standing there I asked if lethal force was advised on a tresspasser.... needless to say the neighbor left and the deputy said he didnt advise that in this situation unless I felt my life was being threatened.

I also asked about a backstop, hunting rules pertaining to distances from roads, buildings etc.... he replied that while those were definately good guidelines he didnt think they applied to target practice on private property, also stating that while hunting theres no backstops.

All of the hunting guidelines state x amount from a road, no shooting over water etc.... but I could not locate the same language in the state or county laws.... looks like they only pertain to hunting situations?

Anyhow, prior to some houses being built back in the farthest fields I shot alot over 14 years out here and that was the only complaint. Now we fire some rimfire and only test major calibers at close range (to be safe) using that stump and dirt pile.... I just use common sense, fire at close range and during daylight hours (being an old night shifter, I respect the early morning and evening hours).

Of course, there are laws that can be broken: shooting after hours violates the noise ordinances, obviously if someones property gets shot or god forbid a person is shot.

And with the few instances of stray bullets hitting and killing people, I have really restricted my shooting to occassional, mostly rimfire and close ranges.

YMMV but that was my expierence and advice from my local SD.