999 Response

[Trevorevans]

Neighbour issues can be awful, I usually come home from shooting and clean my gun on the patio to save any mess or scratching of tables etc. in the house but I actually find myself hiding a perfectly legal act as I know if my neighbour saw me with a gun, broken down or not, then an ARV would most likley be coming my way. These are people who rang the police when I, wait for it........ Fitted a...(drum roll).......Wood burning stove!

[Blackstone]

You need a FAC to get a air rifle in N Ireland. The same process as for a .22 rimfire ect. The licence specifies on lands that the shooter has lawful authority to shoot over. The holder must ensure that the land is suitable for this type and caliber of firearm and the use of this firearm on the land presents no danger to the public. I suppose if you had a big enough garden with no neighbours close you might be OK.

And if you only have target shooting on your FAC for it, shooting in your garden is an even bigger nono :(

[HDAV]

These are people who rang the police when I, wait for it........ Fitted a...(drum roll).......Wood burning stove!

Thats Madness what was the reason/excuse?

[phaedra1106]

Maybe they thought it was a Scud missile launcher?

[walshie]

Thanks for all the advice guys, but I was only exercising my legal right to shoot my own airgun in my own garden, with all necessary safety precautions in place.

The backstop was silent and the airgun is silenced, so it wasn't a noise issue.

The neighbour in question was in yesterday evening, so I took the opportunity to go round and explain the situation.

I wasn't going to invite them round to see my setup as I presume they can see that through their binoculars or however they snoop into my garden, but just to assure them it was perfectly safe.

They didn't even bother to answer the door, for whatever reason, so I won't be going there again.

I would imagine they are gutted that despite their efforts to "get me in trouble" the cops must have told them I was doing nothing wrong.

I just find it hard to believe people have nothing better to do with their time.

Edited July 27, 2012 by walshie

[njc110381]

I'm so glad I've got understanding neighbours. I shoot my air rifle and pistol in the garden all the time... In fact a few weeks back I even shot a rat that had wandered through from the railway bank with my hushpower .410 only to be greeted by a voice through the hedge asking "did you get it?"!

 

To be fair I'm very open about my shooting and everyone knows I do it. Most of them have seen my backstop and have talked in great detail about what I do at one time or another. I've gone as far as fire forming small centrefire rounds and test firing my 12g when the firing pin was playing up with no problems. I did warn them first with the 12g, they were having a bbq at the time and would have **** themselves had I not mentioned it!

 

One of the neighbours has small kids but they know I'm aware of it so all is well. When they get a bit older the can come and have a play with the air rifle and maybe the .22lr. As I'm the land owner there's little the police could grumble about - I'm more then 50 feet from the centre of the nearest highway and my certificate isn't restricted. It's as safe as any indoor smallbore range.

[malkiserow]

Call the police and tell them your Mrs was sunbathing topless in your garden, and you can see your neighbour looking through some binoculars at her .........

 

Nahhhhh ramp it up. Wait until he is photographing something, then..... my young kids are playing in the paddling pool and my recluse single male neighbour is photographing them.

 

Though, you might just have a point if the police think your Mrs is fit and want a look themselves! - fair doos - cannot blame them for that

[al4x]

of course if she looks like Nora Batty you may have trouble convincing the police

[JonathanL]

Indeed there is, and it's totally unfair

 

Works like this,

 

Female neighbour decides to sunbathe in the nude and I see her, I get done for being a peeping tom

 

I decide to sunbathe in the nude and my female neighbour sees me, I get done for being a flasher

 

Some days you just can't win

 

Now there's a mental image I really didn't need on a sunny Friday eve!

 

J.

Edited July 27, 2012 by JonathanL

[Vince Green]

I think if it annoyed them that much I would be inclined to exercise my legal right more often

[TopDown]

Are you really suggesting that an SGC or FAC could be at risk by some back garden plinking legally with an air rifle?

 

If it is possible to speak to the neighbour logically and reasonably why did they call the police?

 

As I have explained in my post what is ACTUALLY happenning and what is told to call takers can be very different. I did not suggest that legally plinking will put your ticket at risk. The issue will be a ****** off neighbour. Neighbour disputes are up there with family ones - bitter, longstanding and unless one party moves unlikely to go away. Fall out with one and what is the easiest way to get at you, given the twitchiness of the police and general public about firearms?

 

If you had no knowledge of guns, no idea what it was your neighbour was doing, perhaps no idea of the kind of person your neighbour was, would you knock on their door or err on the side of caution? Perfectly reasonable people sometimes over-react when taken out of their comfort zone.

 

Am I missing something or does trying to help always get treated with such skepticism?

[walshie]

As I have explained in my post what is ACTUALLY happenning and what is told to call takers can be very different. I did not suggest that legally plinking will put your ticket at risk. The issue will be a ****** off neighbour. Neighbour disputes are up there with family ones - bitter, longstanding and unless one party moves unlikely to go away. Fall out with one and what is the easiest way to get at you, given the twitchiness of the police and general public about firearms?

 

If you had no knowledge of guns, no idea what it was your neighbour was doing, perhaps no idea of the kind of person your neighbour was, would you knock on their door or err on the side of caution? Perfectly reasonable people sometimes over-react when taken out of their comfort zone.

 

Am I missing something or does trying to help always get treated with such skepticism?

 

I'm not being sceptical Topdown, and thanks for your views.

As stated in a previous post, I tried to do the right thing and went round their house to explain, but they wouldn't open the door, even though I knew they were in. That doesn't sound like a perfectly reasonable person to me.

I tried to do my bit, although I'm still not sure why, as I shouldn't really have to explain anything, but they made it impossible. I'm surprised they didn't call the cops again because they had a "strange man ringing their bell".

I do think pandering to these types might only make it worse, as they probably like the attention and to think they have some sort of control over what I do, legally, on my own property.

I'm waiting for them to use the zoom on their binoculars to see the wife "wielding a knife" in the kitchen when she's peeling spuds next.

[TopDown]

Walshie. I wasn't referring to you. You can but try. If they don't want to know then not a lot you can do. Hope you hear nothing more about it.

[Trevorevans]

Thats Madness what was the reason/excuse?

Because It was going to poison their children and had already given the husband asthma due to the smoke going up and out of our chimney then down theirs filling their house with smoke. We had people from the council parked outside at random intervals through the day monitoring the smoke for weeks. True story.

[Yellow Bear]

Because It was going to poison their children and had already given the husband asthma due to the smoke going up and out of our chimney then down theirs filling their house with smoke. We had people from the council parked outside at random intervals through the day monitoring the smoke for weeks. True story.

 

 

Quite likely - we have one like this too - only lit the fire 6 times but has complained about 10 times - MP, environmental health, neigbours, the works - just can't wait for the next heating season :rolleyes: :blink:

 

All told her it perfectly legal and correctly installed - she seem to think we should check with her before we do anything - sheees - the last thing was the tree in the garden blocking her light - we took in down in the spring due to rot, she had people at the back take out 2 for the same reason - now whenever it is the least bit bright she closes her curtains.

Personally I think she is just a nosey *** and could not see and now hide behind the curtains to find something else to complain about. :yes:

[Trevorevans]

Quite likely - we have one like this too - only lit the fire 6 times but has complained about 10 times - MP, environmental health, neigbours, the works - just can't wait for the next heating season :rolleyes: :blink:

 

All told her it perfectly legal and correctly installed - she seem to think we should check with her before we do anything - sheees - the last thing was the tree in the garden blocking her light - we took in down in the spring due to rot, she had people at the back take out 2 for the same reason - now whenever it is the least bit bright she closes her curtains.

Personally I think she is just a nosey *** and could not see and now hide behind the curtains to find something else to complain about. :yes:

I've a feeling we could be neighbours lol! But they thought nothing of buying a dog and leaving it locked up in the house alone for up to 10 hours a day barking and howling. We complained for over a year even made a recording for them so they could hear how bad it was to which they agreed that they wouldn't want to live with it but still did FA about it. However they were really 'upset' when as a last straw we went to environmental health instead of trying to resolve the situation between us, like a year of trying wasn't enough time!.