Do Your Neighbours Know You Shoot?

[Shadowchaser]

A few months ago on another thread we were discussing another matter and the conversation came around to whether or not your neighbours know you shoot. 

I wanted to take this to the full PW audience to see what the consensus was. 

I live on a farm (not a working one as such, but we do run a business from here, rent out land to neighbour etc.) I sometimes shoot clays here and do rough shooting over the season.  My neighbours therefore know that I shoot (as do some of them).  I guess it's also fair to assume that most farms will have firearms. 

I mentioned in the other thread that I will often pick others up to go shooting. One chap lives in a village in a row of terraced houses. Lived there for many, many years and I know for a fact that all of his neighbours (and most folk in the village) will know that he shoots and has guns at home. 

Another chap lives in a house on a cul-de sac. Again I'm pretty sure all of his neighbours know that he shoots. He'll often walk to my car with gun in slip, ammo bag over his shoulder and wearing a shooting vest. 

Some on the other thread believed this to be unwise and on another forum I've read about people going to great lengths to conceal from their neighbours the fact that they shoot/have guns in the house. 

Where does everyone else stand on this?  

[Dave-G]

I stand on the corner. 

[mossy835]

only 4 in my street know i shoot,

[marsh man]

My neihbours either side of my bungalow know I shoot and I keep a low profile when it comes to hanging up the game or laying out the bag , never had any problems off anyone and we all get on well together .     MM

[enfieldspares]

Well once upon a time one house up he and she they both shot and three houses down he shot. Nowadays the one house up folk moved away and the three houses down man lost his pistols (that was all he shot) under the Tory handgun ban. Do any neighbours now shoot? I don't know. Do they know I shoot? I think they have an inkling, yes.

[London Best]

I think the whole ruddy village knows that I shoot!

And, seemingly, most of my other business as well.

[DUNKS]

neighbours either side only, ! keep a low profile.

[DaveT]

Neighbours to one side definitely do, share game and receive butchery advice. Others would have to cause to really.

[Minky]

Two people on my cul de sac know/knew  that I shoot or in the past shot but Overall no one knows what I do and what I've got.  I  don't advertise the fact in any way. I park my vehicles on my ground so I don't have to go out on the road.  When I load up I  check to. See if people are going past.  The same when I return.  As far as I am concerned ...what the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't grieve over. The fact that people know about you means that potentially you are open to all sorts of accusations and events such as damage to vehicles and property.  If someone alleges that you've been  waving a gun about true or not plod won't hesitate  to take away your guns for an undetermined time. There is no advantage to advertising that you go out shooting. Most of my neighbours would be horrified. The days of old boys having a  shotgun in a sack tied to the crossbar of a bike and carrying a bat of rabbits through the village to the pub have long gone.

[Poor Shot]

I would assume that all of my neighbours know I shoot. I openly carry slipped guns, kit and dogs out to the car. Carry shot game back into the house and hang game outside the rear of the house.

I'm not all that bothered as most are old and from the generation where open carry of shotguns and a bloke going door to door with some rabbits and trout was a thing.

As they pass on and are replaced with younger neighbours then I may reconsider.

I imagine that if I lived in the inner city or even in the local town then it would be very different.

[discobob]

I walked into a shooting ground to find one of my neighbours there - we didn't know each other was a shooter back then - but our immediate neighbour knows as does another who was a copper (inspector apparently) who was walking past and recognised it was a slipped gun putting away, and another who goes to NWSS to use the air rifle range....

[Genghis]

One does. They’re a couple that I’ve known for about 12 years, prior to us living on the same street.

 

I live on the outskirts of a town, very industrial area so a lot of HGVs go past but not much footfall. I don’t go to excessive lengths to hide that I shoot but I always travel with my gun in its ABS case. I imagine that if you don’t know anything about guns then you wouldn’t guess that I was carrying a shotgun.

 

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Genghis

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Many years ago I walked in to a hotel and got in the lift to our room upstairs.

I was carrying one of my Berettas in its ABS case with a large Beretta Sticker along the length.

The other occupant of the lift, a woman, asked me if I had been playing the organ for long?

I replied I was still practicing!  

 

It amused my Fiance.   

[Mullard83]

Neighbours to one side of me do. we have just had new neighbours move into next door who have commented how nice it is seeing a muntjac in the garden, after moving from a town to a village. I must admit if they were able to enter my garden easily I wouldn`t mind seeing them there too. Not sure how they may feel if they spot me bringing a Roe home after a stalking outing though. I neither hide, nor openly make it known I shoot & as my house is open to the front if I see alot of people about I`ll wait till it`s quieter before moving guns to/from a vehicle.

[Red696]

I’m sure my neighbours know.  What they think of it matters not to me.

[marsh man]

Sadly we cannot turn the clock back where guns and concerned , the village I was brought up had nearly as many shooting people as people who didn't shoot and it was a every day occurance in the Winter time to see people walking around with a gun under there arm or tied to the crossbar of there bicycle as cars were only for the rich and we were light years away from owning a car , one person I well remember was a Mr Scott , no not the Peter Scott who did at one time lived in a large house where I ended up working , anyhow this Mr Scott had a double 8 bore hammer gun and used to walk through the streets on the way to the estuary , he looked exactly like Wentworth Day in his tweed jacket and fold down thigh boots , I used to go round his house on a Friday night after getting paid to buy a box of 10 cartridges for 5 bob and funny enough in all the years we knew him we never saw him fire the gun or bring anything home , the village pub was also the birth place of the G Y W A and both the land lord and his son shot wildfowl as game was again only for the rich , then one by one the older ones started to depart and stangers started coming into the village and the life we knew it was being swept out of the back door and a different breed of people were beginning to emerge , now I doubt if hardly anyone own a gun as there are some rumon ( buggexx ) living in the village now and you would have to keep a very , very low profile where guns are present   MM

[30-6]

One side yes, new other side don't know. Have to cross 1 metre of pavement to get to car and try to be discreet when moving items. When my local pub was open, most knew as I used to barter rabbit and pigeon. Only talk about ownership now to trusted people if it arises.

Don't advertise the fact. Don't wear full camo while leaving house, although see lots of non shooters wearing it as it's cheaper than normal jeans.

[Scully]

Yep. Everyone knows. I live in a small village in the Eden Valley. The local pub hosts after shoot drinks, dinners, get togethers etc etc. 
During the shooting season it’s often full of men and women dressed in shooting gear. 

You can literally walk from one shoot to another; very little ground that isn’t shot over around here. It’s much the same in my home town 12 miles away. 

[macca2017]

Everyone in our cul-de-sac knows I shoot, I tell most people I meet that I shoot.   I think we should, I know there maybe a security issue telling people but I grasp at any opportunity to try to promote shooting and explain what we do and why we do it. If people don't like it then tough.

[udderlyoffroad]

25 minutes ago, macca2017 said:

 I think we should, I know there maybe a security issue telling people but I grasp at any opportunity to try to promote shooting

I have a neighbour with 'mental health issues', who has been known to call the police with vexatious complaints*, and is a fantasist.  I take great care not to even emerge from the house carrying a gun slip, much less game, rather use the back entrance/driveway.

Some call me paranoid, I just would rather not complicate my on-going renewal.

*Not about me I should add

[Poor Shot]

To add to the OP question. Does your workplace, workmates etc know you shoot? 

Personally, the only person who knows I shoot is my immediate line manager, who has competed at international level at his sport and is great source of advice for competing under pressure at a top level, confidence boosts etc. 

I work for an international company with over 450k employees world wide. I'm at at a lower/ middle management level and It would only take one do-gooding HR rep or upper management to make my life hell and end my career. We all know how evil and vindictive those tree hugging vegan types can be and my company is rife with them. 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Poor Shot

[London Best]

I am amazed at how many “closet” shooters there are.

[jall25]

Yes my neighbours know

I take 2 or 3 game - pigeon - deer too 

[udderlyoffroad]

2 hours ago, London Best said:

I am amazed at how many “closet” shooters there are.

I'm not.

IIRC, you've previously posted that you're retired.  Presumably mortgage long since paid off,  so you can't be, in modern terms 'cancelled' for holding the wrong point of view.

Hope this doesn't come across as singling you out, but you are in a good position.  If one of your neighbours is of the tree-hugging persuasion, so what?  Doubt you'll lose any sleep.

The rest of us, however, must pick our battles, and not die on pointless hills.  My local MP knows I shoot, my somewhat cantankerous to the point of unpleasantness neighbour does not.  My other neighbour comes beating at our DIY syndicate.

2 hours ago, Poor Shot said:

I work for an international company with over 450k employees world wide. I'm at at a lower/ middle management level and It would only take one do-gooding HR rep or upper management to make my life hell and end my career.

Definitely worked for a similar if not the same company, and fortunately my boss as well as a few colleagues were into shooting, not that we openly discussed it.  As were, incidentally, one or 2 of the senior management in the US.  It was the middle UK management/HR Chair-moisteners that would've caused me grief.

[London Best]

8 minutes ago, udderlyoffroad said:

If one of your neighbours is of the tree-hugging persuasion,

My neighbour is a tree hugger alright! 
He even keeps a cooking fat!