Discharging Air Guns in Town
Michael Ellis
I have been castigated by certain readers of the group via e-mail who
contend that it is NOT against the law in most municipalities to discharge
an air gun within the town / city. Below is the relevant municipal code
information for the City of Fort Worth, Texas, as found on the municipal
codes website:
http://www.municode.com/database.html
As a bonus, I have thrown in the relevant cite for Palestine, Texas as
an example of such ordinances in smaller municipalities - feel free to
search for more evidence if you feel the need. There are even STATE laws
regarding discharge of air guns, check out the codes for Massachusetts, for
example.
If you question whether it is legal in your particular community or not,
just set up a tin can in front of your City Hall or Police Station and shoot
it a few times in front of your City officials. Please report back to the
group on your subsequent experience.
Mike
***** Fort Worth Codes on Air Guns *****
PART II CODE
Chapter 23 OFFENSES AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS*
Sec. 23-4. Discharging BB guns, air guns--Prohibited.
No person shall discharge any kind or species of air gun, air pistol or BB
gun within the city; provided, however, "air gun" and "air pistol" shall not
include a gun or pistol utilizing a compressed gas or air propellant and
operated as part of an amusement arcade or a paintball amusement facility or
event.
(Code 1964, § 27-8; Ord. No. 13594, § 1, 9-29-98)
Sec. 23-5. Same--Liability of parents.
(a) No parent or any other person having legal control or custody of
any boy or any girl under the age of seventeen (17) years shall permit such
boy or girl to discharge any kind or species of air gun, air pistol or BB
gun within the city; provided, however, "air gun" and "air pistol" shall not
include a gun or pistol utilizing a compressed gas or air propellant and
operated as part of an amusement arcade or a paintball amusement facility or
event.
(b) A violation of section 23-4 by any boy or any girl under the age of
seventeen (17) years shall be prima facie evidence of the guilt of the
parent or person having legal control or custody of such boy or girl.
(Code 1964, § 27-9; Ord. No. 13594, § 2, 9-29-98)
***** Palestine Codes on Airguns *****
CODE OF ORDINANCES City of PALESTINE, TEXAS Codified through Ord. No.
0-35-99, adopted Dec. 13, 1999. (Supplement No. 8)
PART II CODE OF ORDINANCES
Chapter 74 OFFENSES*
Sec. 74-2. Discharge of certain weapons.
(b) Air rifles, etc. It shall be unlawful for any person to fire,
shoot, discharge or cause to be fired, shot or discharged any air rifle, air
pistol or pellet gun of any description, by whatever name known, that is
capable of discharging a pellet or any solid object by means of compressed
air, gas, springs or other means within the corporate limits of the city.
(c) Exceptions. This section shall not apply to police officers while
in the performance of their official duties or while participating in
firearm qualification.
(d) Penalty. This section is hereby declared to be a health and safety
ordinance for the safety of the inhabitants of the city and any person who
shall violate a provision of this section shall be deemed guilty of a
misdemeanor that upon conviction shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed
$2,000.00 as is provided in section 1-13 of this Code.
(Code 1968, § 19-3.1; Ord. No. O-18-94, §§ I, IV, 7-25-94)
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hamrdog
when i was a young lad i was with my brother and a friend. we were shooting
at some junk on the edge of town. the local boys in blue saw us and took
the air rifle and called our parents. apparently it was a $50 fine to
discharge an air rifle within the town limits. we got off with a warning,
but made sure we were out of town when shooting from then on.
i would think it would be at least a minor violation to discharge an air
rifle in most towns.
andy b.
bullx2
bird" in this town and get caught..goodbye $$$. Years back, a eating
establishment moved into a grove of trees where i was living also, it had been
the home of some
nuisance birds...they had been very rude to me the one time i frequented the
joint...i saw them shooting the birds with airguns...1 call later and they were
fined, censored and got to keep the bird droppings..
Now it may be legal to shoot a airgun here, just don't shoot at a bird, dog,
cat..yada, yada, yada.
x2
Michael Ellis wrote:
> ...
GLC1173
#There are even STATE laws
#regarding discharge of air guns, check out >the codes for Massachusetts, for
#example.
# If you question whether it is legal in >your particular community or not,
#just set up a tin can in front of your City >Hall or Police Station and shoot
#it a few times in front of your City officials.
If you throw rocks at a tin can in tront of a police station, that will
probably also get you into trouble.
But, believe me, you can shoot an air gun all day in your basement and the
police won't give a damn about it - as long as you don't shoot it out the
window at outsiders. Nor will they care if you shoot it at rodents in your
suburban garden. (Done both.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<B>Dissident news - plus immigration, gun rights, nationwide weather
<I> Al Gore - in his own words</I>
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Robert S. Fourney
they've been banned?
--
Alex Clayton
glc...@aol.com (GLC1173)
>wrote:
Discharging Air Guns in Town
>snip
But, believe me, you can shoot an air gun all day in
your basement and the police won't give a damn about it - as long as you
don't shoot it out the window at outsiders. Nor will they care if you
shoot it at rodents in your suburban garden. (Done both.)
Well I guess if someone listens to this kind of advice they deserve what
they get. In the city I live in it is illegal to discharge an air gun
even in your garden. A few years ago I read about a guy being cited for
it. I was surprised so I called the local law and was told yes, it was
illegal. I used to let the kids shoot in our back yard before that not
any more. If they can't see you doing so in your house I guess you would
be safe. In many places if your neighbor should see you shooting in your
garden and call the law you could be in for trouble. Before anyone tries
following this advice I would urge them to check with the local
authorities.
#"Money is truthful. If a man speaks of his
#honor, make him pay cash"
#Lazarus Long
northern lights
A medium size cardboard box stuffed tightly with paper and or plastic
bags or even old clothes and then sealed, is an excellent pellet and BB
trap. you can even shoot BB caps or Aguila .22 colibri (.22's with only
primer charge and no powder) just make sure you ventalate the house
somehow to remove lead contaminates from the air.
Mark
Fearless Freadys
gun. What neighbors don't know won't hurt them.
Fearless Fready's
www.fearlessfreadys.com
jc bennett
either.
email for details.
Nicole Hamilton
# Ditto! An indoor range is the ticket. A medium size
# cardboard box stuffed tightly with paper and or plastic
# bags or even old clothes and then sealed, is an
# excellent pellet and BB trap.
If you expect to shoot very much, a metal trap is the way to go. I think
the one I have in my basement for my .22 pellet gun was about $50.
Nicki
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GLC1173
# But, believe me, you can shoot an air >gun all day in
#your basement and the police won't give a >damn about it - as long as you
#don't shoot it out the window at outsiders. >Nor will they care if you
#shoot it at rodents in your suburban >garden. (Done both.)
and replied:
#>Well I guess if someone listens to this >>kind of advice they deserve what
#>they get. In the city I live in it is illegal to >>discharge an air gun
#>even in your garden.
My father did. (Cleveland suburb of Seven Hills, 1975).
They told him that as long as we didn't cause any trouble, they didn't care.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<B>Dissident news - plus immigration, gun rights, nationwide weather
<I> Al Gore - in his own words</I>
<A HREF="http://www.alamanceind.com">ALAMANCE INDEPENDENT:
official newspaper of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy</A></b>
bill horne
#
# Group: rec.guns Date: Mon, Jul 24, 2000, 10:25am (PDT+3) From:
# glc...@aol.com (GLC1173)
# >wrote:
# Discharging Air Guns in Town
# >snip
# But, believe me, you can shoot an air gun all day in
# don't shoot it out the window at outsiders. Nor will they care if you
# shoot it at rodents in your suburban garden. (Done both.)
# --------------------------------------------
#
# they get. In the city I live in it is illegal to discharge an air gun
# it. I was surprised so I called the local law and was told yes, it was
# illegal. I used to let the kids shoot in our back yard before that not
# any more. If they can't see you doing so in your house I guess you would
# be safe. In many places if your neighbor should see you shooting in your
# garden and call the law you could be in for trouble. Before anyone tries
# following this advice I would urge them to check with the local
# authorities.
If I wanted to shoot a BB gun at critters in my garden, I'd check with
my neighbors, and to hell with the 'authorities'.
--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.
M.C. Williams
state of NJ a bb gun is considered as a real gun and you need a permit
to buy one. If you get a pistol purchase permit you can but a glock or a
bb pistol cause the same permit is required for either.
Carl Porter
penal code under the heading of discharging a firearm within the city
limits.
"M.C. Williams" wrote:
> ...
JPK
JPK
Georgia Kitterman
want to practice with your hunting bow in the back yard, one of the officers
volunteered to help he with leering how to shoot.
Go figure?
Paul
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IanKerfoot
at Urbana-Champaign) about 10 years ago had a foreign exchange student
complaining about the police busting him for shooting a BB gun outside. No
allegation that he was shooting out windows or anything. I do not remember what
the police did to him for it.
Ian Kerfoot
The Banyan Tree Homepage
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/4287
Long Live the AK-47
http://hometown.aol.com/iankerfoot/myhomepage/index.html
Derek
you
# want to practice with your hunting bow in the back yard, one of the
officers
# volunteered to help he with leering how to shoot.
#
# Go figure?
Laws are based on stigma not common sense. A BB gun although it CAN cause
serious injury, does not compare to a arrow shaft in terms of damage
inflicted. I mean there is "gun" in "BB gun", so it must be made illegal!
I hate this fact as it is much harder to dispatch a loud, annoying, and very
persistent bird outside my window every morning at 5:00 am with a arrow
rather than a air rifle.
Derek O'Banion
doba...@ups.edu
Pistoleer Pete
more shooting time in without having to travel to the range. I thought
about shooting in the crawl space under the house or to get an airgun. Not
wanting to break any laws I called the local authorities. They told me that
shooting a firearm anywhere in the city was out, including under the house,
but there was no law prohibiting me from using an airgun for target
practice--as long as I did not break any windows or such. I haven't picked
up an airgun (yet); been too busy buying firearms. Guess I'll have to stick
to the range.
________________________________________________
My Beretta Page: http://www.pistoleer.com/beretta/
Pistoleer Classified: http://www.pistoleer.com/classified/
# An article in The Daily Illini (student newspaper for University of
Illinoise
# at Urbana-Champaign) about 10 years ago had a foreign exchange student
# complaining about the police busting him for shooting a BB gun outside. No
# allegation that he was shooting out windows or anything. I do not remember
what
# the police did to him for it.
Ken Worrell
from shooting windows and street lights out. Most cops don't care if you
use them responsibly.
Ken Worrell
Life Member NRA
The time is now to join NRA or bury your guns and pray!
Alex Clayton <Alex...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:8lk80r$j7h$1...@xring.cs.umd.edu...
> ...
Daniel Huber
> ...
I have one :)
Dan