Back yard shooting Zoning Ordinances question

[Guest Kram815]

Hello all!!! New to the board and im sure this wont be my last (dumb) question.

 

I live on over an acre of land in a 30+ year old subdivision in Knox County (Gibbs / Corryton)  that did NOT renew its restrictions nor do we have a Home Owners Association. My back yard naturally slopes downward. I am wanting to put in an outdoor one lane hand gun range. I would be shooting into a dirt bank roughly 15' - 20' tall and my house would b another 100' - 150' or so in front of the bank. I wondering if there is any legal restrictions or zoning ordinance that would prohibit this. Im having trouble finding a site or number for information. As I see it, it would b a safe range the only thing that has me hesitant is the "subdivision" thing and minimum distances from residences if there is one.

 

Thanks for any information or help. Hope to dig it out this weekend...

 

Kram

[Tempest455]

Probably need to talk to local PD and ask. Technically, you should not where I live. We half 1.5 acres lots here but the guy at the end of the street shoots handgun into a hill often. 

[Guest windhamdw]

You may get in trouble if your niebors dont like it because shooting might be a nuisance do to all of the noise. Im with tempest455 better check with your local PD first.

[Luke E.]

I think checking with the sheriffs dept. is where you need to go. I know in Rutherford county (and the rest i believe but not sure) as long as you are outside the city limits and have a safe place to shoot, you are good to go. As far as the noise goes, as long as it is daylight hours when normally folks would be awake you should be pretty safe there. I have had a couple guys i know local that before firing the first shot at their new properties they called and had a deputy come out and look over the area and once he said he didn't see anything that concerned him they took off with no worries.

[Raoul]

You'd be better served talking to your local planning and zoning department. 

[JWC]

I'd talk to the neighbors and get them to come shoot. the way I see it If they know about it no one will ever call in complaining and you will never have a problem.

Ya know life would be so much easier if supressors didn't have that dang stupid tax.

[runco]

Coincidental topic, this issue came up this weekend with some friends of mine, but ended in a neighbor vs. neighbor feud.  Neighbor had a BBQ and some guys came over.  One had a certain Glock, one of the guys asked to shoot it into a bale of hay.  After a 3 to 5 rounds, an adjoining neighbor came out of his house, about 200-300 yards away, and started screaming.  What you doing kinda of stuff.   The guy shot some more, and the screaming neighbor came closer to the property line.  Hosting neighbor confronts screaming neighbor.  Complaining neighbor says this is a residential area, what are you doing is dangerous, its upsetting my pets, and its a nuisance, and blah, blah, blah.  Its actually quite a rural area with house lots on 5 acres type settings, lots of trees and several hundred acres of woods behind the houses.  Both neighbors argued and agreed to disagree.  Wives had to get involved and diffuse the situation.  No police though.  What was funny, about 15 min. later the guy with the friends and BBQ, went inside and pulled a SKS, laid down some waste to the hay.  Not sure if the complaining neighbor came out.  Goes to show, know your neighbors!  Evening news events starts out this way!

[Guest PapaB]

Coincidental topic, this issue came up this weekend with some friends of mine, but ended in a neighbor vs. neighbor feud.  Neighbor had a BBQ and some guys came over.  One had a certain Glock, one of the guys asked to shoot it into a bale of hay.  After a 3 to 5 rounds, an adjoining neighbor came out of his house, about 200-300 yards away, and started screaming.  What you doing kinda of stuff.   The guy shot some more, and the screaming neighbor came closer to the property line.  Hosting neighbor confronts screaming neighbor.  Complaining neighbor says this is a residential area, what are you doing is dangerous, its upsetting my pets, and its a nuisance, and blah, blah, blah.  Its actually quite a rural area with house lots on 5 acres type settings, lots of trees and several hundred acres of woods behind the houses.  Both neighbors argued and agreed to disagree.  Wives had to get involved and diffuse the situation.  No police though.  What was funny, about 15 min. later the guy with the friends and BBQ, went inside and pulled a SKS, laid down some waste to the hay.  Not sure if the complaining neighbor came out.  Goes to show, know your neighbors!  Evening news events starts out this way!

 

I wouldn't consider a bale of hay to be a sufficient backstop for any caliber.

[peejman]

I wouldn't consider a bale of hay to be a sufficient backstop for any caliber.

 

Works good for my son's Red Ryder....  ;)

[Guest PapaB]

Works good for my son's Red Ryder....  ;)

 

Although it is a size measurement, I don't consider "bb" to be a caliber.

[Patton]

Was it a round bale of hay?

[Mike.357]

I live in Corryton and have range out in my woods.  When I decided to shoot out there I called the Knox Sheriff office.  I was told something along the lines that you cannot shoot towards a building or dwelling where people are or anywhere that people may be gathering.  There is no noise ordinance here,  I have shot every gun I own out there, but now tend to only shoot .22's just to be considerate of people who live around here.  I am not adverse to shooting a few rounds of larger caliber for testing purposes.  I have never had the cops show up or anyone approach me about the noise.   One neighbor has told me that I am not hurting anything by doing what I do.

 

I have a decent sized dirt pile and it sits at the base of a hill.  Nearest dwellings are a long ways off.  I would not shoot towards my house no matter how big a dirt pile is in front of it.  I can about guarantee that is an accident waiting to happen.

 

The nearest house (not my own) to my range is about 75 yards away and is not visible from where I shoot.

 

I say you are legal to shoot on your land but you might rethink shooting towards your house.

 

and FWIW I hear gunfire around here all the time, so it ain't just me shooting.

 

Just re-read the OP and am not clear on where exactly his house sits.  Is your back to the house or would you be facing it?   And I misread the part about shooting into a bank not a dirt pile.  I can promise you have rocks in the bank and ricochets may well result.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Mike.357