shooting on private property

[ironsniper1]

hey all, i didnt know where to post this, but i have been trying to figure out the rules and laws for shooting on ones own private property in tennessee/willamson county? tried searching online but got more stuff about gun control than anything else

[gregintenn]

Are you inside the city limits? If not, I expect it is perfectly legal to shoot on your property as long as you have a positive backstop. You may have neighbors with noise complaints, however.

[ironsniper1]

3 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Are you inside the city limits? If not, I expect it is perfectly legal to shoot on your property as long as you have a positive backstop. You may have neighbors with noise complaints, however.

i dont live in mount juliet any more i live slightly outside franklin (finally got my first house back in 2020) but i am currently looking for some land and would like to have some to shoot on, just need to know what all i need to know to be safe etc

[gregintenn]

Maybe call the sheriff’s office where you intend to buy? There isn’t any state law against it.

[ironsniper1]

5 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

Maybe call the sheriff’s office where you intend to buy? There isn’t any state law against it.

i know that but isnt there something no one within a mile of you or something like that? i do know if and when i do it, i will have a sloped ditch dug into the ground with some good backstops

[gregintenn]

Just now, ironsniper1 said:

i know that but isnt there something no one within a mile of you or something like that? i do know if and when i do it, i will have a sloped ditch dug into the ground with some good backstops

Not that I’m aware of.

[Darrell]

When I moved to TN four years ago I stopped at the local Sheriff's office and asked the same question. They told me that I can shoot on my own property (20 rural acres.) I regularly shoot out behind the barn, but before I began I spoke with my nearest neighbors, all of whom also shoot on occasion. 

The guys on this forum are a great resource, but speaking with your county sheriff makes more sense than taking the word of a stranger on the internet. 

[peejman]

Generally, if you're outside city limits, have a good (earthen) backstop, and know what's down range, you're good. The county sheriffs office can confirm.  Expect noise complaints and a visit from a deputy most any time you shoot. 

[Jeb48]

Several of my neighbors have their own range and all of them I know have guns and shoot, so I never have had a complaint in 8 years so far. Several have been invited to shoot and one has taken me up on it. Even with the neighbors I have, I limit the really loud shooting to a public range. I self limit to around 10 rounds of really loud shooting to check a scope or try a new gun.

Edited June 14, 2023 by Jeb48

[Kimber451911]

Have always shot at my place, and the Sheriff is an old friend… but I have had some retired folks who don’t seem to be “gun folks” move in next door. So, now I feel obligated to tell them before I shoot.. since it’s normally magnum revolvers, and I don’t want to cause them “issues”..  He seems ok with it, but she appears quite aggravated. Knew I should’ve bought more acreage decades ago. 

[Defender]

Guess it depends on how close and how often, in what direction and what time if you were my neighbor, and of course, you COULD invite me to shoot too, lol.