Thread: Police react to someone shooting on their own property

Originally Posted by Cyclist

Why is everybody assuming the neighbour "panicked" and he wasnt just pissed off that the annoying twat next door was banging away again - we only have one side of the story

I find it surprising that people think that is is OK to be shooting that close to another person’s home while they are in it, or that the rules are somehow different in the country. Walk 80 metres up your street (measure it), look back and think if you would like someone you dont know or trust shooting an SKS or shotgun that close.

We hear shots from people illegally spotlighting in our river boundary every couple of weeks, anwhere up to a km away up the valley is easily loud enough to wake us up - is that OK and we should "expect it" because we live in the country?? Its a cunt of a thing actually, dumb asses obviously havent taken the time to look at a map and realise that there are 5 houses + untold stock units right along the banks where they are shooting centerfire rifles into the dark. I guess Im just a moaner for thinking its a wee bit annoying though?

I think you're comparing apples with oranges. Yea, what you have going on would be annoying. But what you are describing is a completely different situation.

This guy was firing in the middle of the day. On his own land.

No one has said there was anyone in the house that was 80 meters away. It's obviously a lifestyle area. That might be his next door neighbour that he mentioned wasn't home.

Yea sure if there was someone home in a house 80 meters away I would be annoyed also. That's very close to have shooting going on and to not be fore warned. The article said neighbours 40 metres away had not heard the shooting. Which is surprising. One would hope he had let people that close by know about it.

Unfortunately we do not know all the details, so it is hard to know what to think.

If the police really did contact him and 15 minutes later the AOS showed up, they need to work on their communication.

This is what the arms act says

48 Discharging firearm, airgun, pistol, or restricted weapon in or near dwellinghouse or public place
Every person commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or to both who, without reasonable cause, discharges a firearm, airgun, pistol, or restricted weapon in or near—

(a) a dwellinghouse; or

(b) a public place,—

so as to endanger property or to endanger, annoy, or frighten any person

The words reasonable cause and annoy are the key ones here , all you have to do is tell the police that you were annoyed by the noise ,

Unfortunatly there is no definition of "Near"
a public place is defined as

public place means a place that, at any material time, is open to or is being used by the public, whether free or on payment of a charge, and whether any owner or occupier of the place is lawfully entitled to exclude or eject any person from that place; and includes any aircraft, hovercraft, ship or ferry or other vessel, train, or vehicle carrying or available to carry passengers for reward

I guess I'm in the clear because the dwelling owners have invited me on to their land to eliminate the possums and rabbits, mice, rats and hedgehogs plus any wild cats around. Their land is 4000 acres but most of those beasties are in the couple of acres around the buildings.

I know one young guy who fired a shot about 150m from his anti gun neighbours , nearly 3 years and thousands and thousands of dollars later he go off , but at a cost to his parents and himself both financially and emotionally . It only cost the neighbours a few dollars in gas to go and watch the court case.

Later they complained to the Police that a Neighbour was shooting a pistol , it turned out to be a nail gun , they were told to stop wasting Police time .

Also I believe it is now Police policy to respond with the AOS to any firearms related complaint .