Thread: What do you think and where do I stand?

Originally Posted by ebf

So I guess you'd be ok with an unknown person discharging firearms at or near your house, maybe when your kids are running around the garden... ?

Rather safe than sorry mate, could just as well have been Aramoana v2, all it takes is one nut job with a gun...

Media style fear-mongering doesn't help anyone though does it? After a while 'rather safe than sorry' can become more of a 'boy who cried wolf' situation, the police might not bother turning up if the fireworks false alarm person calls them again.

Police responses seem to vary a lot between areas too, I remember there was a case a couple of years ago in Waihola where a bloke called the police to tell them someone was taking pot shots at his fence/garage/house (newspaper had photos of the bullet holes) and they didn't even send a car out from Dunedin because it was saturday night and they were too busy scraping up drunk students and giving tickets to boyracers.

Somewhere in between wild over-reaction and uninterested non-response is a sensible medium ground, where we hope they are most of time.

Good luck Tristan. The tennants below us are moving out next month,I hope the next lot like big bangs day and night. Gonna be careful here too!

Sounds like the responding officers were extremely pissed that they got called out to reported gunshots to find it was a bunch of people shooting clays, then acted accordingly. Lol at the "secure lock up in a vehicle". Where is that even in the arms act? What a cunt of situation. I hope you get everything back.

By some of the logic here just about every duck shooter should be inspected this season, every parent who's kid has a bruise should be reported to cyfs and evey person who drives should be inspected on suspicion of being drunk, all because we don't know for sure so we should assume the worst and call the police constantly, ffs really! This is getting out of hand!

Prick of a situation.

I would tell my neighbours if I was going to be shooting clays (or anything) within hearing distance. If there was going to be a lot of gunfire for example.

If I owned a farm i'd guess neighbouring farms would be used to the odd shot, but i'd probably still let them know when I first met them that they might hear the odd shot and it'd just be me picking off rabbits/hares/etc.

If they weren't receptive to it or asked that I not do it and I considered my property to be more than large enough for it to be safe....well. I'm not sure what i'd do in that situation. However I do think you have to give them the knowledge first of what you're doing. That immediately cuts down whatever assumptions they'll make when hearing shots. And you can also honestly tell the cops that you had warned the neighbours or discussed it with them. That alone would go a long way i'd think.

Imagine you're inside having a cup of tea and your kids are outside playing. In one scenario the neighbour has told you that him and some mates will be shooting clay pigeons, but aiming directly away from your house. In the other scenario, you just suddenly start hearing gun shots. Which situation is going to go better for the neighbour do you think ?

I can understand why the cops aren't receptive to you calling and letting them know you will be shooting. You're thinking it'll mean they can ignore complaints or something like that. Look at it from a more sinister point of view though. Imagine if you were going to shoot the place up and purposefully told the cops you were going to be clay shooting, just to try and delay their response time. They have to consider things like that.

Originally Posted by MattyP

Imagine you're inside having a cup of tea and your kids are outside playing. In one scenario the neighbour has told you that him and some mates will be shooting clay pigeons, but aiming directly away from your house. In the other scenario, you just suddenly start hearing gun shots. Which situation is going to go better for the neighbour do you think ?

In any situation when in a rural area why would you think that's there's something wrong when hearing gunshots?
I can certainly understand if you lived in town, but when in a rural area ask yourself, is this really something I shouldn't be expecting where I am?

Originally Posted by Jexla

In any situation when in a rural area why would you think that's there's something wrong when hearing gunshots?
I can certainly understand if you lived in town, but when in a rural area ask yourself, is this really something I shouldn't be expecting where I am?

Well it's hard for me to be objective having never lived in a rural area - im a city dweller. But perhaps hearing the odd rifle shot is normal, but hearing a whole heap in rapid succession (people getting carried away with clays) may be a bit different? I don't know. It could just annoy you not being told, and that's enough.

Either way I just wouldn't want to risk the drama and would have let the neighbours know. Right or wrong, this whole thread is an example of what can happen if you do just risk it.

Originally Posted by MattyP

Well it's hard for me to be objective having never lived in a rural area - im a city dweller. But perhaps hearing the odd rifle shot is normal, but hearing a whole heap in rapid succession (people getting carried away with clays) may be a bit different? I don't know. It could just annoy you not being told, and that's enough.

Either way I just wouldn't want to risk the drama and would have let the neighbours know. Right or wrong, this whole thread is an example of what can happen if you do just risk it.

I agree about reducing the risk, but fuck me are some people precious.

Originally Posted by MattyP

Well it's hard for me to be objective having never lived in a rural area - im a city dweller. But perhaps hearing the odd rifle shot is normal, but hearing a whole heap in rapid succession (people getting carried away with clays) may be a bit different? I don't know. It could just annoy you not being told, and that's enough.

Either way I just wouldn't want to risk the drama and would have let the neighbours know. Right or wrong, this whole thread is an example of what can happen if you do just risk it.

Alexandra over Easter sounds like the Somme

Originally Posted by Kscott

Alexandra over Easter sounds like the Somme

Southland on the opening weekend of duck shooting is about the same, you can even hear it living in town!

Originally Posted by Kscott

Alexandra over Easter sounds like the Somme

Yep, its all on here. Have heard of a couple of nice heads been taken. I'm not up the hill today yet cos of the mad moron rush as it does get dodgy with so many people in the wilds. Not even sure that the stags are roarin yet, shouldn't be far from it if they'e goin to as the farm deer have been going for a couple of weeks.

But a lot of townies now move out to rural areas, and bring their urban "attitudes" with them.

Moral of the story?

Invite your neighbours to your bomb-ups. My next door (300m next door) neighbours son shot his first rifle two weeks ago off my deck. He's hooked now. He is considering a licence to go hunting and his non-shooting parents are fully supportive, keen to get him outdoors a bit more

A little bit of PR goes a long way. Last week we were parked at a lookout on a highway, re-arranging two deer carcasses on the ute tray. An elderly couple pulled up at the lookout, but didn't see what we were doing. When they did see us all camo'd up and shuffling animal body parts, the looks on their faces wasn't good. Slightly worried. A quick wave, hello and a conversation about their trip eased their minds. Under the publics gaze, we have to do our best to be seen as responsible, normal people. PR is the keyword here

so a bit of an update, went to court monday morning, talked to the lawyer, he looked at all my measurements and also where we were from the google earth images i produced, nearly instantly he said not guilty and stated that is the plea he would give, so he put in my not guilty plea, he spoke with the prosecutor, who was looking into it and stated that it would get withdrawn, today i got a phone call to state that the case has been withdrawn

Have you got your licence and firearm back?