Shooting near houses?

flimflamflo

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone can enlighten me on what's considered socially/legally acceptable gun use near people's homes?

Had guys hunting in the fields/mountain surrounding my house today. I'm not commenting on the hunting, I'm bothered by the fact that there were men with cocked rifles at the bottom of my garden - close enough for me to talk to them. Not on my property, but close enough to be a danger if someone lost their footing (or the run of themselves).

Kids, pets all brought inside. Shots flying. I'm not happy about this at all, accidents happen and I lost a friend in a shooting accident when I was a teenager.

What's the done thing with this? I asked them to move on - there's a fine big mountain for them to roam - but got pretty short shrift. I don't want to call the guards but I don't think it's right to have this happening so close to my home.

Any advice please? As I said, I'm not trying to stop the hunting - I just don't want it this close to my home.

Thanks very much,
Flim.

Tikka391

flimflamflo wrote: »

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone can enlighten me on what's considered socially/legally acceptable gun use near people's homes?

Had guys hunting in the fields/mountain surrounding my house today. I'm not commenting on the hunting, I'm bothered by the fact that there were men with cocked rifles at the bottom of my garden - close enough for me to talk to them. Not on my property, but close enough to be a danger if someone lost their footing (or the run of themselves).

Kids, pets all brought inside. Shots flying. I'm not happy about this at all, accidents happen and I lost a friend in a shooting accident when I was a teenager.

What's the done thing with this? I asked them to move on - there's a fine big mountain for them to roam - but got pretty short shrift. I don't want to call the guards but I don't think it's right to have this happening so close to my home.

Any advice please? As I said, I'm not trying to stop the hunting - I just don't want it this close to my home.

Thanks very much,
Flim.

Legal distance you have to stay from from a house/road is 60 feet, but there is more to this than legality. Common sense and manners play a big part aswell. Every one I shoot with stays much further away than that, 60 or 100 yards or more, and that's if we know the people in the house, and they'll know who's in the field out the back of the house. There's no need to go right up to a ditch/fence of a house.
I wouldn't go down the Garda route, I would talk to the land owner first.
I guarantee you one word from him would sort it out. If they thought they would loose permission to shoot that farm they'd stay away.

dodderangler

60 metres is the legal distance to be away from houses when it comes to shooting. No law against carrying it beside your house on the permission they have rights to but common courtesy would've been nice for them to at least respect your property enough to keep a distance.
I stay at least a field away from any house unless it's the land owners. I don't have time to get into confrontations with people especially when I know the law and they don't. They should've at least respected the distance of your house.

flimflamflo

Thanks everyone - I know there are sporting rights on all the land around us, including ours. I'm just worried that if whatever they're hunting strays on to my land, they'll shoot. Bullets travel more than 60 feet and there are kids and pets around. Cocked rifles walking 20 feet past the side of my house, however legal, makes me nervous. The going is heavy, it's boggy and its rocky. I'm assuming that, if one of my dogs gets hit, it'll be hard cheese?

Thanks again, Flim.

allan450

cocked rifles something doesnt sound right.

Tikka391

dodderangler wrote: »

60 metres is the legal distance to be away from houses when it comes to shooting. No law against carrying it beside your house on the permission they have rights to but common courtesy would've been nice for them to at least respect your property enough to keep a distance.
I stay at least a field away from any house unless it's the land owners. I don't have time to get into confrontations with people especially when I know the law and they don't. They should've at least respected the distance of your house.

It's 60 feet the diatance not 60 yards.

allthedoyles

I was out walking today along the River Barrow , and heard many gunshots close by .

It was rural area , but still a bit scary as you don't see the shooters

Tikka391

flimflamflo wrote: »

Thanks everyone - I know there are sporting rights on all the land around us, including ours. I'm just worried that if whatever they're hunting strays on to my land, they'll shoot. Bullets travel more than 60 feet and there are kids and pets around. Cocked rifles walking 20 feet past the side of my house, however legal, makes me nervous. The going is heavy, it's boggy and its rocky. I'm assuming that, if one of my dogs gets hit, it'll be hard cheese?

Thanks again, Flim.

Far be it from me to tell you what to write in your posts or correct you on what you saw, but the thing about cocked rifles, what do you mean?
The bolt might of been closed but the gun not loaded.
And if one one of them had a tumble and fell or for some reason the gun went off by accident (witch in 30 years shooting I've never heard it happen) even if they were a half a mile away and they could hit something so what do we do only go shooting where there is no houses for a few mile radius. Every shooter I know is very safety conscious, these lads may of been just as safety conscious.
All I'm saying is choose your words

allan450

I think it must of been cocked shotguns.

The pigeon man

Tikka391 wrote: »

It's 60 feet the diatance not 60 yards.

I don't think that you are legally required to be any minimum distance from a house to discharge a firearm. Although being careless could be considered reckless discharge of a firearm, which is illegal.

flimflamflo

In fairness, it's pretty obvious I don't hunt myself or I wouldn't be asking :-) What I mean by it is they're shooting, loading, shooting again, loading. The shotgun is ready to fire.

As I said, I'm not complaining about the fact that they're hunting - I think it's a legitimate concern that people you don't know are firing guns next to your home when you've got kids and pets around. They can be as careful as they like - accidents are called that for a reason. If there's even 0.01% of one of my kids or pets being hurt, obviously I'm going to express worry about that.

There's plenty of room for them and me on the mountain. I was just wondering what the protocol is. And I do think it's inconsiderate, not to mention unnecessary when there's plenty of room for all of us.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

flimflamflo wrote: »

Hi there,

Just wondering if anyone can enlighten me on what's considered socially/legally acceptable gun use near people's homes?

Had guys hunting in the fields/mountain surrounding my house today. I'm not commenting on the hunting, I'm bothered by the fact that there were men with cocked rifles at the bottom of my garden - close enough for me to talk to them. Not on my property, but close enough to be a danger if someone lost their footing (or the run of themselves).

Kids, pets all brought inside. Shots flying. I'm not happy about this at all, accidents happen and I lost a friend in a shooting accident when I was a teenager.

What's the done thing with this? I asked them to move on - there's a fine big mountain for them to roam - but got pretty short shrift. I don't want to call the guards but I don't think it's right to have this happening so close to my home.

Any advice please? As I said, I'm not trying to stop the hunting - I just don't want it this close to my home.

Thanks very much,
Flim.

Socially acceptable doesn't matter what so ever. The law is what's important.

There is no legal distance one should be from a house, however, one cannot shoot within 60 feet of a public road.

What do you mean "if they lost the run of themselves"? What are you getting at here exactly?

Are they on your land? You say they are at the bottom of your garden. Are they in the next field?

Why did you think you had the right to ask people to move from land that wasn't yours?

flimflamflo wrote: »

Thanks everyone - I know there are sporting rights on all the land around us, including ours. I'm just worried that if whatever they're hunting strays on to my land, they'll shoot. Bullets travel more than 60 feet and there are kids and pets around. Cocked rifles walking 20 feet past the side of my house, however legal, makes me nervous. The going is heavy, it's boggy and its rocky. I'm assuming that, if one of my dogs gets hit, it'll be hard cheese?

Thanks again, Flim.

Are you talking about your garden or do you have a plot or land? How do you know the rifles are "cocked", loaded or anything for that matter? Your worries stem from ignorance I believe, why not go to the local gun club and find out more about shooting/hunting in your area.

Is there a right of way lane at the side of your house? If so, nothing you can do about it. If your dog gets hit and it's in your garden, I wouldn't think that would be hard cheese. If I were you, I would worry more about your dog eating poison or getting hit by a car than being shot accidentally.

flimflamflo wrote: »

In fairness, it's pretty obvious I don't hunt myself or I wouldn't be asking :-) What I mean by it is they're shooting, loading, shooting again, loading. The shotgun is ready to fire.

As I said, I'm not complaining about the fact that they're hunting - I think it's a legitimate concern that people you don't know are firing guns next to your home when you've got kids and pets around. They can be as careful as they like - accidents are called that for a reason. If there's even 0.01% of one of my kids or pets being hurt, obviously I'm going to express worry about that.

There's plenty of room for them and me on the mountain. I was just wondering what the protocol is. And I do think it's inconsiderate, not to mention unnecessary when there's plenty of room for all of us.

How do you know the shotgun is ready to fire? There may be plenty of room in the surrounding area, but they may have permission to shoot that piece of land and to be honest, you have no right to interfere. If they are reckless, or shooting towards your house, by all means have words, but you should really read up on the topic before voicing concern. You don't want to be "that" person.

flimflamflo

"What do you mean "if they lost the run of themselves"? What are you getting at here exactly?" >> I should think that was pretty obvious. A license doesn't necessarily mean someone isn't a nutjob and anyone getting a kick out of firing a gun immediately alongside a garden with kids in it..well, that could seem unusual to people who don't shoot guns for fun.

"Are they on your land? You say they are at the bottom of your garden. Are they in the next field?" >>> Yes, immediately on the other side of my ditch.

"Why did you think you had the right to ask people to move from land that wasn't yours?" People shooting guns. Next to where my kids are playing. If you've a few gurriers hanging out in the field bush drinking next to your house and behaving in ways you weren't comfortable with, would you prefer they did it further away? Even if they owned the land? If they can quite easily move a half a kilometre up the mountain, where there are no houses or kids playing, why not do that? Why shoot next to someone's home if you don't really need to?

"Are you talking about your garden or do you have a plot or land? How do you know the rifles are "cocked", loaded or anything for that matter? Your worries stem from ignorance I believe, why not go to the local gun club and find out more about shooting/hunting in your area."
>> My land, my house is on it, it's a small holding. I know the guns were loaded because I saw them loading, firing, re-loading. Guns are dangerous, I think dismissing people for legitimate worries and vaguely threatening them with not wanting to be "that" person doesn't do much to help really. As I said, I'm not saying they shouldn't be hunting. I'm asking why they couldn't show a little more consideration.

Guns are dangerous. Most regular people don't have them or use them. Most regular people are nervous about them. A little give and take and some consideration might help - that's why I was asking about it here. So I can understand what the deal is. I get that some of you are a bit more like my pals from today, and some of you are more thoughtful about it. Looks like it's down to luck. And where my kids are concerned, that's a bit of a pain. But hey, enjoy your sport.

flimflamflo

And when you think about it, not being "that" person works in both directions.

Anyway, to those of you who gave helpful advice rather than a lecture on your right to shoot stuff, thank you.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

flimflamflo wrote: »

I should think that was pretty obvious. A license doesn't necessarily mean someone isn't a nutjob and anyone getting a kick out of firing a gun immediately alongside a garden with kids in it..well, that could seem unusual to people who don't shoot guns for fun.

That's kinda paranoid. When was the last time a nut job "lost the run of themselves" with a legally held fire arm? What was the outcome? Is it common in Ireland and if so how many deaths per year were due to this. Very irrational thought process.

flimflamflo wrote: »

Yes, immediately on the other side of my ditch.

So they are not on your land. Not a whole lot you can do then really, is there?

flimflamflo wrote: »

People shooting guns. Next to where my kids are playing. If you've a few gurriers hanging out in the field bush drinking next to your house and behaving in ways you weren't comfortable with, would you prefer they did it further away? Even if they owned the land? If they can quite easily move a half a kilometre up the mountain, where there are no houses or kids playing, why not do that? Why shoot next to someone's home if you don't really need to?

Are you really comparing these people with gurriers drinking in a field?

Maybe they want to shoot there? You are now implying that even if they owned the land, that they should move off? :eek: Your discomfort isn't grounds to ask them to move. You are being completely irrational now.

flimflamflo wrote: »

My land, my house is on it, it's a small holding. I know the guns were loaded because I saw them loading, firing, re-loading. Guns are dangerous, I think dismissing people for legitimate worries and vaguely threatening them with not wanting to be "that" person doesn't do much to help really. As I said, I'm not saying they shouldn't be hunting. I'm asking why they couldn't show a little more consideration.

Cars are dangerous, so are kitchen knives, what's your point here exactly? Guns are dangerous so do what exactly? How did I threaten you? I know I wouldn't want to be "that" person living in a rural area, someday maybe relying on my neighbours for help. You approached two people, well within the law, and asked them to move from land you don't own because you have an unnatural fear or something they are doing. It's pretty much down to ignorance, you have displayed a complete lack of understanding of the laws surrounding the sport and the sport itself.

flimflamflo wrote: »

Guns are dangerous. Most regular people don't have them or use them. Most regular people are nervous about them. A little give and take and some consideration might help - that's why I was asking about it here. So I can understand what the deal is. I get that some of you are a bit more like my pals from today, and some of you are more thoughtful about it. Looks like it's down to luck. And where my kids are concerned, that's a bit of a pain. But hey, enjoy your sport.

There's approximately 250,000 fire arm certificates issued in Ireland. That's a substantial amount, considering the population. So you could say it's quite a common sport and actually most regular people have an idea about firearms. Most people are not nervous of firearms. Having kids doesn't give you some extra rights. You have kids, that's your life choice, not sure what it has to do with the firearms act.

flimflamflo wrote: »

And when you think about it, not being "that" person works in both directions.

Anyway, to those of you who gave helpful advice rather than a lecture on your right to shoot stuff, thank you.

Do you consider helpful advice anything you agree with? If so, i'd change that up a little, just so you are armed (pun not intended) with the correct information. You wouldn't want to approach those two men with a statement like "It's illegal to shoot within 60 feet of my house", because that's not correct.

Captainaxiom

You'd be surprised at the amount of "regular" people that have guns.


And just to add guns aren't dangerous only the people using them.

BorneTobyWilde

Probably easier to shoot near houses than houses far away. Why shoot at houses to begin with though.

Captainaxiom

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Probably easier to shoot near houses than houses far away. Why shoot at houses to begin with though.

Nowhere did it say that they shot AT houses.

Uinseann_16

Im nearly sure he was cracking a joke and it flew over your head like this lad thinks bullets are gonna just because someones shooting nearby

flimflamflo

Thanks guys. As I said, I had a friend killed in a shooting accident when I was younger. I'm not a 'lad' I'm a woman but sure that's beside the point. I don't think having kids gives me extra rights - but if they're close to someone with a gun who doesn't need to be near them, I'm going to be nervous - that's not paranoid, that's natural. Telling me no one told me to have kids is a bit immature - no one told you get a gun either.

As you say, not much I can do about it. It'd be nice if people showed a little consideration for others though. At least the gist of what's been said on here on here tells me what I'm dealing with.

clivej

flimflamflo wrote: »

Thanks guys. As I said, I had a friend killed in a shooting accident when I was younger. I'm not a 'lad' I'm a woman but sure that's beside the point. I don't think having kids gives me extra rights - but if they're close to someone with a gun who doesn't need to be near them, I'm going to be nervous - that's not paranoid, that's natural. Telling me no one told me to have kids is a bit immature - no one told you get a gun either.

As you say, not much I can do about it. It'd be nice if people showed a little consideration for others though. At least the gist of what's been said on here on here tells me what I'm dealing with.

To be honest YES I would have a worry if people were shooting near my HOME. As in fact I do. My house backs onto farmland and I get a little nervous when I hear gunshots in the field. And this from me that is very competent with firearms.


Myself if people were shooting that close, the other side of a ditch, then I'd have a quite word with them explaining that I was worried about it and ask if they could/would move to another spot.
And YES I would report them to the Garda if they were IMO using firearms that IMO were a danger to my family, property, or livestock. And I would ask for names, addresses and take photo's of their actions & faces.

If they are shooting shotguns then 100y is getting close to the maximum distance that the shot, the actual pellets, will travel if shot in a normal way at a crossing bird.

Cass

To the OP. You have asked what seems like a genuine question. At first glance.

However you have managed to call us all nutjobs, unstable, shooting for kicks, akin to drunken louts, untrustworthy, and reckless. Before you claim to have never called us that, read back through the thread and you'll see where these words were used or implied. You say you have no problem with hunting, but have used every insult i've ever heard to describe the people you met. Your attitude towards these people and shooting in general, by association, includes us all.

So allow me to educate you on a few things that others have also touched on.

• A firearm is not a dangerous thing. It's an inanimate object that could sit idle for a thousand years without ever harming anyone. In the wrong hands it's absolutely dangerous, but considering the checks, and legalities any firearm has to jump through (including full medical disclosure) to get a firearm you can be pretty much guaranteed they are safe.
• If the people had permission to be on the land they were on, you've no right to tell them to move on. If you approached them and asked if they could, i'm sure they would have obliged. However it all depends on your attitude. Confrontational will not work, in fact it'll have the opposite effect.
• A shotgun is not a "cocked rifle" as you started off with. Two completely different firearms. You say you knew the guns were loaded but changed from "cocked rifle" to shotgun showing a basic lack of understanding about firearms. I say this to highlight the fact that if you cannot identify the firearm how can your claim that they were "cocked" be taken at face value.
• A shotgun has an effective range of about 50 to 70 yards. Depending on the angle fired it can travel further but has lost all its energy and becomes harmless.
• Calling people with firearms "nutjobs" is insulting and ignorant. You have no basis for this assumptions other than your fear.
• You have no idea as to what we have to go through to get our firearms, and must continue to do year on year to keep them. We are the most regulated section of society and i guarantee those lads most likely have cleaner records than you if they have a firearm. This includes full medical disclosure, warrantless home checks, no criminal records, and a thorough background check.
• Do obtain a firearm you must do a competency course and most people have gone out with others to learn the sport so they are more aware of the safety needs/concerns than most.
• Comparing "bush drinking" to firearm ownership is another insult born of ignorance. One is a possibly illegal act including trespass. The other a legitimate sport that has existed for hundreds of years.
• People shoot where there is game. You may want them to move, and ordinarily most would be obliging enough, however moving to where there is no game is pointless.
• In all my years of shooting never have i shot towards, over or at houses (or any building for that matter). I've stood close to some but again our knowledge or firearms, safety and our experience tells us to fire in the opposite direction to any buildings.

Its understandable to have concerns, but frankly your attitude is accusatory and confrontational. Point in question. Your comment a couple of posts back. "I get that some of you are a bit more like my pals from today .........". Given your attitude here i can see why you were met with the answers you claim to have received from the people you met.

As for the thread, you did not get the reaction you were expecting and so liken us to louts, drinking in a field, simply because no one held your hand and called the people with guns "bad men". In all honesty when you come onto a shooting forum and make such comments what were you expecting to happen?

Shooting sports have existed for hundreds of years as i said above. The sport is older than the GAA and contributes more to the exchequer than most other sports (in license fees, jobs, conservation schemes, wildlife management, supporting local communities, etc). Yet we are constantly attacked by people that are ignorant of what we do. They hate us simply because we use a gun instead of a hurl, or soccer ball, and we are the "bastard" child of the Government who wish we'd simply go away. Currently the EU is trying to ban certain types of LEGALLY held firearm because of the terrorist attacks that used trucks and knives.

IOW we are always the scapegoat because we are an easy target.

So perhaps this explains why your attitude towards our sport is met with such resistance, and why some feel your tone/attitude leaves a lot to be desired. We are quite happy to discuss any topic with anyone, but frankly the hunting forum is not a platform for people with a bias or grudge to come and try to air their grievances.

flimflamflo

Now who's being touchy. I keep saying I have no problem with hunting. I asked the guys yesterday very nicely and in a very conciliatory way - and was told "**** off, woman.".

If you think your right to sport is greater than the right of my kids to play on my property without shot falling around them, there's eff all I can do about it clearly. I'm not using it as a platform for anything - I don't think it's unreasonable to question why anyone would want to shoot immediately on the other side of a garden with kids in it when there is ample sport to be had a couple of hundred metres away.

I came on here to ask was there any form around distance, proximity, danger etc. Sorry I bothered.

Cass

Okay you haven't listened to a word i've said, nor the others above.

You seemed determine to demonise people with firearms and are looking for people to agree with you while completely refusing any constructive debate or different opinions to the point that you don't even reply to any of the points raised.

As said above the hunting forum, nor the shooting forum, will be a place for people with bias or an axe to grind to troll/air their grievance.

Thread closed.

Vegeta

flimflamflo wrote: »

It'd be nice if people showed a little consideration for others though.

Hey OP, your quoted sentence here is what I'd like to comment on. The vast majority of hunters would be considerate and would not shoot that close to your house. Not because it's unsafe, but because it's just bad manners creating very loud noises so close to other people's homes. Hunting/shooting sports in Ireland have an excellent safety record.

I completely understand that your kids, pets and property are your major concern/priority, and rightly so. I do feel that using language like "nut jobs", ""if they lost the run of themselves", " Shots flying" is unnecessary and might go a ways to explaining some of the stronger responses above.

It is completely possible to hunt safely in a field which shares a border with a house. Hunters are constantly assessing safety, perpetually asking ourselves the question "Would a shot here be safe?". Ireland has a pretty densely populated countryside, we're never far away from a farm yard, livestock, houses, gates, roads, fellow hunters! etc etc so all safety training, class room or practical, drill this aspect into hunters/shooters. It's just something that is a constant presence in the mind of a hunter.

At the same time firing shots close to a house is just rude, it is not considerate and it is something most of the people I hunt with just wouldn't do.