Can i shoot a gun on my property?

by **iker** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:18 am

i am trying to find out if i can shoot a gun on my property. and i mean without getting in trouble, i know some smart allic would have said "yeah go outside and pull the trigger." so any ways. I live in walton county, georgia. my address is monroe, ga but i live outside of city limits. i have 3 acres but it is in a subdivision. i have about an acre and half of yard and behind that i have an acre and a half of woods. i called the sheriffs office to find out if it was legal and they told me it "it is not legal because there is a county ordinance, not just city. but everyone does it. im not saying you can, but a lot of people do" that is what i was told by the sheriffs office. haha. well my confusion is the county ordinance thing. does that mean you cant discharge a firearm in the county? because it is a pretty rural county and a LOT of people have hunting property here. and the they were right about a lot of people doing it, because they do. i just want to shoot my .22 rifle. i want to know if i can do that on my property. The sheriffs office has confused me. thanks for any help yall can offer! because the only other place i can shoot is my hunting club down in greene county which is about an hour and a half away, unless i pay to go to a shooting range which i dont want to do.

by **oakley** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:22 am

What they are telling you is that technically, its illegal, but you're not going to get in trouble for it unless someone calls to complain.

by **elkan80** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:34 am

Forget how much land you have. Check your LOCAL laws and ask at your nearest police station (I suppose local sheriff) about what you can do on your land?

I suspect the laws are pretty straight forward.

by **jorian23** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:40 am

no.

by **aethelbert35** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:41 am

You need to call the local authorities. The Sheriff would be the best bet.

In Texas you can shoot on your own property of greater than 11 acres. But that can be restricted in some counties.

I doubt that you will find the right answer here.

Edit: Seriously.... if you've already asked the sherif, and they gave you an answer..... why are you asking a bunch of Know-Nuthings on Yahoo for help? Are you daft?

So, you go out and choose to shoot your weapon on your property despite what the sheriff says and they come to arrest you. Is your defense going to be "But Yahoo answers says......"

by **calvert** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:43 am

it is illegal to do this, and dangerous to boot. 3 acres is not a lot.... and woods doesn't offer a lot of cover.
however, if someone calls the police and complains that you're firing a gun, you can, and will, be arrested, fined, and possibly imprisioned. just because people do it doesn't mean it's ok.

by **garret** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:47 am

Where is the bullet going to go?

by **fiynn** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 1:57 am

The only thing that probably be of concern is that you live in a sub-division. Usually that means other houses in close proximity. The fact that you've got a lot of land behind you might make it ok, but I would ask your neighbors if they mind a gun (even a .22) being fired that close to their home. I used to live on a farm in Paulding County, and when subdivisions started going up around me, I was always worried about people maybe in the woods behind my house, so eventually I ceased all shooting activity. It sure was nice to step out into my back yard in the "old days" and crank off a few rounds whenever I felt like it.

by **delrico** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 2:02 am

If there is a county ordinance that says "no" it means you're not allowed discharge a firearm within that county, even on your own property. If you're in a subdivision, then you're near another residence and that's why it's illegal. If you are going to shoot it though, use the woods behind your property and be careful, again this doesn't mean that someone will not call the police because the sound carries out in the country.

by **montrel68** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 2:08 am

If there is a county ordinance that says "no" it means you're not allowed discharge a firearm within that county, even on your own property. If you're in a subdivision, then you're near another residence and that's why it's illegal. If you are going to shoot it though, use the woods behind your property and be careful, again this doesn't mean that someone will not call the police because the sound carries out in the country.

Basically what the sheriff was saying is, "It is technically illegal, but I'm not going to care unless someone gets hurt or complains."

The county ordinance probably states something like, "It is prohibited to discharge a firearm in an area zoned residential."

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