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Shooting at home

Shooting at home

Old Sep 28th 2009, 1:41 pm
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Default Shooting at home

I normally shoot at a club but I was shooting off a few round of BP at home doing some powder load calculations.
I'd just finished up and had the striped revolver on the bench when the gandarm arrived with complaints from a neighbor.

They told me outright that the law prohibited me from shooting anywhere on our land and if I did so again my guns would be confiscated.
Now admittedly I was within 80m of neighborsing propertiy (in a 3 sided concrete alcove), but to my understanding I should be allowed to shoot on my own land if I am a certain distance from a road/livestock/houses.

We have 17 acres here, and the local hunters come across and shoot on our land sometimes, so I'm sceptical at what the gandarm told me (such as I can not use my licenced fusil on my land to shoot vermin or for protecting our poultry).
They were responding to a spurious report from a moaning neighbor that I was discharging an automatic. I just think they BS'ed me so as not to have to come back.

Does anyone know the current regulations about using 8th cat and licenced arms on private property?
A link to official regs would be nice as if a can shoot here I'll want to have a print of the regs if shooting (further away from the neighbors) should see Le Plod turn up again.

Last edited by Docthebiker; Sep 28th 2009 at 2:05 pm.
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Old Sep 28th 2009, 2:54 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Never understood why ANYONE needs to have a gun.

(Given that I lived for over 20 years on a farm and regularly turned down all requests to shoot on the land - even with offers to pay)


hmmmmm
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Old Sep 28th 2009, 4:06 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Originally Posted by analyst
Never understood why ANYONE needs to have a gun.

(Given that I lived for over 20 years on a farm and regularly turned down all requests to shoot on the land - even with offers to pay)


hmmmmm
Some people have a gun, as do I, just for target shooting on my land. There may come a day when I need to put my bullseye somewhere other than a target......: Some self sufficiency people also need them to shoot their food - beats bopping something on the head, would'nt you say?
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Old Sep 28th 2009, 4:11 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

there is a law but I can't remember the distances ... you have to be a certain number of meters with your back to your neighbours property .. urgh! contact your local hunting club and they'll help you.
Plus, to have a gun you need to have a license which involves taking an exam regardless if you are shooting targets in your garden or anything else.
-no idea why I replied, my post is really vague - sorry!
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Old Sep 28th 2009, 6:23 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

I would guess Roger O might know the answer as he is looking into joining the Carcassonne gun club......
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Old Sep 28th 2009, 6:33 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Docthebiker,
I've checked, but just at the moment an unable to find the official distance that you're allowed to shoot from your property. Unless you get another satisfactory reply in the meantime, I will raise this query when next at my club.
I would have personally thought that within 80m of neighbouring property you should be ok - but will check. It's my understanding too that you should be allowed to shoot on your own land if within a certain distance from road/livestock/houses.

One thing I'm sure you are aware of is that BP arms - like shotguns are particularly noisy, moreso than small or medium bore, and the sound obviously carries further - enough to disturb your neighbour. It's interesting to note also that local hunters shoot across your land on occasions, and I assume that those equally loud discharges have never bothered your tale-telling neighbour. Strange. Is it possible that your powder load calculations were being performed a little late in the evening, and/or on a Sunday?
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Old Sep 28th 2009, 6:52 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Originally Posted by beigey
.........Plus, to have a gun you need to have a license which involves taking an exam regardless if you are shooting targets in your garden or anything else.
-no idea why I replied, my post is really vague - sorry!
Beigey,
I'm afraid that your comment isn't strictly true.
One can use a BB, CO2 or air gun without a license or taking any exam.
Firearm rules are strict - and so they should be - club membership & regular practice are mandatory - but there is no exam per se. There is an exam however for those who wish to hunt.

Last edited by Tweedpipe; Sep 28th 2009 at 6:56 pm.
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Old Sep 29th 2009, 6:20 am
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Its so interesting to me to see such a thread. In Australia, after the Port Arthur masacre, semi-automatic weapons were deemed illegal, so people just stopped using guns bar the odd hunter (or illegal carrier). The gun shop closed in our area and other than the cops, and few Melbourne shoot outs - you never hear anything about them.

Can I ask what the appeal is from a place of ignorance please
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Old Sep 29th 2009, 3:28 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Originally Posted by FrogAndChat
Its so interesting to me to see such a thread. In Australia, after the Port Arthur masacre, semi-automatic weapons were deemed illegal, so people just stopped using guns bar the odd hunter (or illegal carrier). The gun shop closed in our area and other than the cops, and few Melbourne shoot outs - you never hear anything about them.

Can I ask what the appeal is from a place of ignorance please
FrogAndChat,
If your question is, 'what is appealing about guns and shooting', I can only offer my humble opinion:

As a young boy (many moons ago) I tried football, fishing, tennis and swimming but these sports/pastimes somehow never had more than a passing appeal to me.
Then one day an uncle set up a basic shooting range in his back garden using a simple air gun. Once the basic safety rules had been explained and mastered, the difficulty in hitting the middle of the target really stimulated me - and I was hooked on shooting as a sport.
I’ve been a member of a few clubs over the years, including clay-pigeon shooting - which offers a different sort of challenge.
(Whilst in western Asia, I went along to check out membership of another alleged clay pigeon club. But when I witnessed that live pigeons being released within the club shooting compound was their idea of target practice using 12 bore shotguns, I beat a hasty retreat. This at least to me was certainly no healthy ‘sport’).
Pistol or rifle shooting at a static or mobile mechanical target however is a sport that requires very keen mental involvement, as well as a reasonably fit body, and is a continual challenge to each individual. It’s also a sport where one benefits from comradeship of club membership and team competitions. I simply love it. And the way in which the sport is organised in classes according to ability, each person of whatever age, weak or strong, male or female, experienced or beginner can shoot and compete on equal terms. Once whilst member of an air gun club - where I thought I was pretty good - I found myself shooting alongside a severely disabled person in a wheelchair. Her results on the target made me look very amateurish, and we became quite good friends.
Unfortunately even serious club shooters which must include Olympic champions, tend to be viewed as unusual characters - even social outcasts by a large majority of the general public. And this I find sad.
My sense of humour recalls an alleged interview between a female broadcaster and a youth club leader who was about to sponsor a group of children on an adventure holiday. It went something like this:-
- So, what things are you going to teach these young boys during their adventure holiday?
- We're going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery and shooting.
- Shooting! That's a bit irresponsible, isn't it?
- I don't see why, they'll be properly supervised on the rifle range.
- Don't you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?
- I don't see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.
- But you're equipping them to become violent killers.
- Well, Ma'am, you're equipped to be a prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

For those who are turned on by playing football, scrabble etc, that's fine and I appreciate that choice. However I'll stick to my choice of sport, and will willingly give any related advise to anyone who wishes to know more or join a club in France.
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Old Sep 29th 2009, 3:56 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Originally Posted by analyst
Never understood why ANYONE needs to have a gun.

(Given that I lived for over 20 years on a farm and regularly turned down all requests to shoot on the land - even with offers to pay)


hmmmmm
Thank you for your opinion, but I was only after information regarding the law in France not a debate on the morality of firearms.
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Old Sep 29th 2009, 4:51 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Originally Posted by Tweedpipe
Docthebiker,
I've checked, but just at the moment an unable to find the official distance that you're allowed to shoot from your property. Unless you get another satisfactory reply in the meantime, I will raise this query when next at my club.
I would have personally thought that within 80m of neighbouring property you should be ok - but will check. It's my understanding too that you should be allowed to shoot on your own land if within a certain distance from road/livestock/houses.

One thing I'm sure you are aware of is that BP arms - like shotguns are particularly noisy, moreso than small or medium bore, and the sound obviously carries further - enough to disturb your neighbour. It's interesting to note also that local hunters shoot across your land on occasions, and I assume that those equally loud discharges have never bothered your tale-telling neighbour. Strange. Is it possible that your powder load calculations were being performed a little late in the evening, and/or on a Sunday?
The tell-tale neighbor I put down to the usual xenophobia you get when a foreigner owns the biggest property in the village (the chateau).
I chose to do it on a tuesday afternoon while most people were at work and the kids at school.
I'm fairly new with my trap club, so although l am (initial) licenced for a shotgun I don't own one yet. Trouble is I can't really ask anyone there as they are all off hunting until the club reconvenes in May.
Any time you can find out is great with me.
Thanks
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Old Sep 30th 2009, 12:49 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

As a point of interest, my friend (a hunter) told me that the minimum safe distance (from a dwelling) to fire a weapon is 125m from the boundary of that dwelling. NOT the house itself. Dunno if that helps?
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Old Sep 30th 2009, 2:58 pm
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Default Re: Shooting at home

I think I already put this link somewhere - but may have been on the TF forum.
http://documents.webmaestru.net/regl...tion/index.htm

You mentioned Cat. 8 and assuming BP is Black Powder equiv. to the French PN (Poudre Noire) - with which I am not personally familiar - would be under
http://www.armae.fr/contemporain/147...rtissement.htm
(subject to any recent ammendment with which I am unfamiliar too - as no personal involvement.) You may need to investigate further!

As to the right to shoot (loisirs - pleasure or sport) on one's own property?
Very difficult to find a simple direct description of the law in this respect!!
It is discussed here - but you need to be pretty good at French to even think of interpreting the whole thing!! I'm fairly bilangual and I have some difficulty..
http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:...&ct=clnk&gl=fr

Where I was (near Perpignan) before we moved here, our house was technically in a ZAC (Zone Artisanale) and had belonged to the owner of a business there. It was isolated (and insulated) from the nearest road or dwelling on two sides by businesses (old buildings with artisans), on the third side by a disused agricultural field of about 6 hectares and on the fourth side by our "crazy" neighbour with his 4 "saved from death" Spanish Galgos. This guy didn't even pay his phone or erlctricity bills but somehow managed to pipe his electricity and water in from the nearest road mains!! He also had guns.

On a Saturday and Sunday, the whole place was deserted and shooting 22LR using subsonic was absolutely no problem. The chasseurs were banging away in the field next door and the place was a bit like Beirut in 1980 (I was there when "they" were trying to throw rockets at the Sarkis' place which landed anywhere but..!! Reminded me of the Blitz (born in '38) but without any sirens!)

I would advise you to contact your local mairie - we have a mayor here who is chasseur and the local police municipale is a friendly harmless young guy!
If yours is not like that, then the going may be tougher.

Sorry not to be able to nail it all down perfectly - but round here down south one plays it a little by ear.

As to guns - as you'll see from my interests in my profile, they are not the be all and end all - but from my grandfather via my father to me they have just been a normal part of my life.

When I was a child in Torquay, i was under 5 when I got my first air rifle and later we used to go out target shooting on a Farm near Widdecombe where we used to spend most of our summer holidays. Occasionally I have shot animals - mostly half dead Myx-injfected rabbits to put the poor things out of their misery, but I am not a "for sport" hunter.

Have to go now.. hope the above helps a little!
Cheers,
Roger
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Old Sep 30th 2009, 10:10 pm
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Thumbs up Re: Shooting at home

Thanks roger.
I checked that link and found:
Where can I use my weapon from 5th/7th category?

This part is not explicitly explained in the law of 1995. But it should be retained on a purely sporting basis, you will be able to shoot only in one private enclosed space preventing third parties or game to enter the “field of fire” and, with the agreement of the owner. Your projectiles will have to be collected in full safety without leaving the enclosure defined as field of fire.


It's a little bit vague on the legal front. but it's what I was looking for. It's certainly what I was doing as the field of fire could not be entered and all aimed shot was collected.

I'll take that info to the mayor and inform him that I'm moving further away from the niegneighbors see if I have his support (the rates we pay I should hope so).
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Old Oct 1st 2009, 6:59 am
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Default Re: Shooting at home

Originally Posted by Docthebiker
Thanks roger.
I checked that link and found:
Where can I use my weapon from 5th/7th category?

This part is not explicitly explained in the law of 1995. But it should be retained on a purely sporting basis, you will be able to shoot only in one private enclosed space preventing third parties or game to enter the “field of fire” and, with the agreement of the owner. Your projectiles will have to be collected in full safety without leaving the enclosure defined as field of fire.


It's a little bit vague on the legal front. but it's what I was looking for. It's certainly what I was doing as the field of fire could not be entered and all aimed shot was collected.

I'll take that info to the mayor and inform him that I'm moving further away from the niegneighbors see if I have his support (the rates we pay I should hope so).
Reading that, I would define that as a proper range. My suggestion would be go join your local ball trap (Shot Gun range Clay) and get friendly. Our neighbours are very easy going, As long as I dont stand on the patio taking pot shots at things in the bushes. But here everyone shares a bit, A silly example was my oh went to the old folk down from us to ask where the best place to by chickens was, Now we get 12 eggs placed on our doorstep every week and when the weather is right a bag full of Cepes.

Last edited by Ka Ora!; Oct 1st 2009 at 7:06 am.
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