Shooting on one's property

mikey177 · 12-28-2005, 05:39

Does anybody know if it's legal to discharge a firearm on one's own property.

Let's say you live on a vast tract of land in the province, not really a farm but something with less than a hectare of lot area, and which is relatively far from the city proper. Can you legally fire a gun here, or do your neighbors have the right to lodge a complaint against you for disturbing the peace, alarm and scandal, or some other violation?

P.S.

It wasn't me doing the firing. It was my neighbor, and he was using a high-powered rifle in full-auto mode. He fired off about 10 to 15 rounds before hurriedly putting the rifle back into the trunk of his car. I think he used a mound of sand (they use the property to store concrete aggregates) as a backstop.

isuzu · 12-28-2005, 06:21

Nope! it's illegal to discharge a firearm even if it's in your own property. FED specifically states that you only could discharge your firearms in a LICENSED firing range that has obviously passed their safety inspection.

Discharging your firearm inside the confines of your residence for self-defense is another case.

**Eye Cutter** · 12-28-2005, 06:21

that is illegal. talk to them to inform you if ever they will shoot their firearms again para walang samaan ng loob, that is if its ok with you, otherwise, diplomasya can do miracles... alam mo naman sa probinsiya, ang pakikisama can go a long way...

vega · 12-28-2005, 07:40

Try shooting with them.

vega

Django · 12-28-2005, 08:34

Quote:

Originally posted by isuzu
Nope! it's illegal to discharge a firearm even if it's in your own property. FED specifically states that you only could discharge your firearms in a LICENSED firing range that has obviously passed their safety inspection.

Ditto. You can lodge a complaint with the local LEOs if you want.

PMMA97 · 12-28-2005, 15:31

Requirement for Target Range Aquisition

* Not less than 1,000 meters from any main road.
* Safe distance from the nearest residential houses.
* Nuisance to the neighborhood.
* Construction of Pit - 8 ft in depth, 5 ft in with, length must be the same with that of the target wall (High Powered Only)
* Backstop
o Hill
o Mountain
o Artificial made o concrete (sand, gravel, cement and wood) height (not less that 5 ft) thickness (not less that 2 ft)
* Target Wall
o
Made o concrete (sand, gravel, cement and wood)
o Height (not less that 5 ft)
o Thickness (not less that 2 ft)
o Safety measures and rules posted in conspicuous place
o Qualified range officers
o In front of hill or mountain, if possible

PMMA97 · 12-28-2005, 15:34

You could befriend your neighbor and try to know him better while educating him on some of the legalities. Baka naman kaya nyang magpatayo ng licensed range mas maganda ang kalalabasan.

mikey177 · 12-28-2005, 16:35

Actually, I use the term neighbor in the loose sense of the word. Even if his lot and mine are adjacent, he (the owner) doesn't live there, and there's only a small hut on his property where his caretaker stays. His lot is mostly vacant space in front and fishponds at the back.

Anyway, thanks for the input. I'll try the diplomatic approach on him first

isuzu · 12-28-2005, 19:23

Invite him to lunch on your property. Seems that you have a cool place.

theTactician · 12-30-2005, 10:48

its illegal man. no kidding. dont try it. if you want to discharge a gun go to the range. its not worth it firing in your backyard and accidentally hitting a neighbor or worse, your kids, family...there's no re-start once you accidentally shoot somebody. could be fatal. its always game-over.
safety is always a priority.
go to the range. happy shooting

toxic · 12-31-2005, 00:29

Illegal talaga yan Sir, you can file a complain to the local police kung napeperwisyo kayo, pero sabi nga ng nakararami pwede namang daanin sa diplomasya pagsabihan lang ng konti ,kung ayaw pa rin maglubay magpaputok ka din ;f
Ingat lang Sir baka Lespu yan , May Connection o Nice People Around.
Yan ang hindi Nice.

toxic · 12-31-2005, 00:29

Opps double Tap,my Bad..Sorry

mikey177 · 12-31-2005, 05:20

Quote:

Originally posted by theTactician
its illegal man. no kidding. dont try it. if you want to discharge a gun go to the range. its not worth it firing in your backyard and accidentally hitting a neighbor or worse, your kids, family...there's no re-start once you accidentally shoot somebody. could be fatal. its always game-over.
safety is always a priority.
go to the range. happy shooting

Tactician,

Relax, dude. As I stated in my first post, it wasn't me who was doing the shooting, it was my neighbor

theTactician · 12-31-2005, 19:15

Quote:

Originally posted by mikey177
Tactician,

Relax, dude. As I stated in my first post, it wasn't me who was doing the shooting, it was my neighbor

yeah, im cool man. just giving an advice. happy new year

Espada · 12-31-2005, 21:47

Here in the south, its base on zoning, I live in open rural zoning, and once in a while I just rip a couple of mags, right now new-years eve, I just went thru a couple of mags.

mikey177 · 01-01-2006, 03:54

Quote:

Originally posted by theTactician
yeah, im cool man. just giving an advice. happy new year

No problem

Honestly speaking, when all the fireworks were going off last night I secretly wished I was at a shooting range instead. Actually, it's far more quiet here in the province during new year's eve than in the big city. My dogs weren't even bothered by the few explosions they could hear in the distance.

P.S.

Happy new year, everybody. May our funds for practice and for acquiring new shooting equipment increase ;f

vic2_187 · 01-01-2006, 07:01

america and the philippines are two different worlds.....

in america, everything is illegal, thats how it seems anyway...

if your property is like an "open range", shoot all you want...

when i was a kid, we used to hunt on a private farm in america, my dad's friend owned one hundred acres of land... so his american friend used a shot gun, and my dad used an m14 or a mini 14... was kinda fun...

here in the philippines, there seems to be a fine line between legal and illegal... still depends on who you know, and how much money you have....

if your living in the province, no body really cares if some one shoots off a few rounds every now and then, lets just hope they are using a good back stop or shooting into the dirt....

if you are big time in your province and have lots of land, no one will care if you shoot on your property, just treat the cops out every now and then to some beers... heheheh...

Froggy_131 · 01-01-2006, 12:11

Quote:

Originally posted by vic2_187
america and the philippines are two different worlds.....

in america, everything is illegal, thats how it seems anyway...

You seem to know a lot about the laws in the U.S.A.

here in the philippines, there seems to be a fine line between legal and illegal... still depends on who you know, and how much money you have....

if your living in the province, no body really cares if some one shoots off a few rounds every now and then, lets just hope they are using a good back stop or shooting into the dirt....

if you are big time in your province and have lots of land, no one will care if you shoot on your property, just treat the cops out every now and then to some beers... heheheh...

I'm sure you're all proud of this! ;z

isuzu · 01-01-2006, 12:24

Quote:

Originally posted by vic2_187
if your living in the province, no body really cares if some one shoots off a few rounds every now and then, lets just hope they are using a good back stop or shooting into the dirt....

if you are big time in your province and have lots of land, no one will care if you shoot on your property, just treat the cops out every now and then to some beers... heheheh...

I wouldn't take any chances on what you've mentioned. Having lots of money won't GUARANTEE that the police won't arrest you for shooting guns in your property, which is illegal, unless you have a licensed firing range. I would rather go to a licensed firing range than risk losing my gun license. It's like shooting yourself in the foot.

Having lots of influence in the local police does not guarantee that you could do anything you want, either. The regional police can take action against you, as well as the NBI. And you will be in deep trouble if this happens.

darwin25 · 01-01-2006, 21:14

What about my rat hunting in the fish ponds? Everybody who has a .22 rifles, handguns and airguns in my hometown do this. No indiscriminate shooting done. Or our backyard plinking, nothing more than .22 magnum used, with lots of backstop used or downrange shooting at fishponds. We always make sure that there are no houses around. Learning how to shoot in our backyards taught by our own fathers and older brothers is a way and a fact of life where I grew up. And a .22 rifle, handgun or airgun is a daily tool that we use specially on our daily visit to fishponds. We always hear the crack of rimfires or airguns in our backyard by the hour and AFAIK, nobody has been unintentionally hit by a bullet. Heck, we even roam around the barrio with friends, each of us having our .22 rifles slinged in our shoulder. You wont hear anybody raising a howl over them. Everybody knows how to use their firearm responsibly. I bet there's a big difference in how people use guns. Those who learned to use firearms because its a daily tool and a way of life knows how to use them responsibly. Those who use them for show cannot be expected to have the same discipline.

**Eye Cutter** · 01-01-2006, 21:19

+1!

I agree with Darwin 100%! All of these are just tools. Tools can be used to make or break things. Depende na yan sa end-user!

isuzu · 01-01-2006, 22:21

I agree with you, Darwin. What I don't agree is what Mikey's "neighbor" did. Firing a burst from a high-powered rifle and hurriedly keeping it in the trunk of his car. There's something sinister in his actions.

mikey177 · 01-02-2006, 06:50

Quote:

Originally posted by isuzu
I agree with you, Darwin. What I don't agree is what Mikey's "neighbor" did. Firing a burst from a high-powered rifle and hurriedly keeping it in the trunk of his car. There's something sinister in his actions.

Most definitely.

Traveling through Tarlac and Pangasinan, I often see farmers along the highway with air rifles, and my caretaker relates how they use them to hunt for birds to eat. There's no problem with that.

It's the showy, irresponsible gun owners that should be taught proper gun handling skills and shooting etiquette.

Allegra · 01-02-2006, 07:14

dont attend weddings/baptisms in batangas , cavite or the boondocks of Laguna and Quezon
Some drunk celebrant will likely let loose some automatic gunfire from his m-14/16
In fact bida ka pagnaglabas ka ng glock fssg

**Eye Cutter** · 01-02-2006, 07:24

and most likely, yung fssg na yun e galing sa amin! hahaha!