What do you think and where do I stand?

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Originally Posted by Sidney

How do people know that you are shooting safely on your property?

Why should people assume that you are being safe when they don't actually know? What would you suggest that the person do if not call the police - jump the fence onto your property and come over to see if everythings OK?

If somebody entered your property and was shooting on it unlawfully, would you be happy that the neighbours rang the police then? If that person was shooting at you maybe?

How would you expect them to know the difference if the shooting was not advised or was infrequent or uncommon?

The difference between bird scarers and rifle shots is that bird scarers can't kill anybody... bird scarers are not infrequent or uncommon and people expect to hear them in areas around orchards etc..

You may find less people report gun shots when there are bird scarers around...

Frankly.. you maybe would fit better in a less complex world, lower population density, less mass shootings, a lower urban and a rural population familiar with a simpler time. Or maybe you could adjust, and start being more cognisant of the time that you now live in... or just keep on shooting without thinking about the issues and see how long you get to keep your firearms for?

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A tad patronising...re birdscarers...most gas guns which are either set wrong, malfunction or have corrupted light sensor covers which can cause them to continue to go off during the night are not reported to the police but to either the council or the manager/owner of the vineyard...there can be little or no confusion regarding the difference between a gunshot and a gas gun...

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so he put in my not guilty plea, he spoke with the prosecutor, who was looking into it and stated that it would get withdrawn, today i got a phone call to state that the case has been withdrawn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?

that is getting sorted out at the mo and should have it all back by the end of the week

Good result mate, maybe a good lesson learnt though ay? Make sure those neighbours know whats happening when there is going to be gunshots :)

Maybe a good lesson for the Police too.
Tristan was the victim here.

Glad to hear you got a decent lawyer mate.

Good outcome. Glad to hear.

now go back and do exactly the same and tell them to piss of next time

I guess learning isn't your strong point :D

this is where you are wrong we have been putting up with this shit for more than 20 years the more you do it the better .

just like here we are not allowed to transport a firearm in a way as to alarm the public soooo it's been so long since they

have seen a gun when they do it's on the phone to the ignorant cops .

the more the public see and hear guns the better .

now i for one would be talking to a solicitor and taking action for their ignorance and overreaction .

Well apart from the minor fact that you live in Australia and have your own laws that aren't applicable here in NZ, going back and repeating the exact circumstances of the event solely to prove a point - have your firearms confiscated, spend a couple of months in limbo on waiting for Police and court action - just doesn't seem to be the smartest thing to to IMO.

Legal action against the original complainant - bugger all you can do.
Legal action against the Police and Crown prosecutor - less than bugger all you can do. PCA wouldn't touch it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sidney

How do people know that you are shooting safely on your property?

Why should people assume that you are being safe when they don't actually know? What would you suggest that the person do if not call the police - jump the fence onto your property and come over to see if everythings OK?

If somebody entered your property and was shooting on it unlawfully, would you be happy that the neighbours rang the police then? If that person was shooting at you maybe?

How would you expect them to know the difference if the shooting was not advised or was infrequent or uncommon?

The difference between bird scarers and rifle shots is that bird scarers can't kill anybody... bird scarers are not infrequent or uncommon and people expect to hear them in areas around orchards etc..

You may find less people report gun shots when there are bird scarers around...

Frankly.. you maybe would fit better in a less complex world, lower population density, less mass shootings, a lower urban and a rural population familiar with a simpler time. Or maybe you could adjust, and start being more cognisant of the time that you now live in... or just keep on shooting without thinking about the issues and see how long you get to keep your firearms for?

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going on that theory I should ring the police EVERY TIME I see a car on the road as it may be a drunk driver........

ringing police station BEFORE you start shooting lets them log it in which stops a neighbours call there and then, if they get call and decide its not a good idea for you to continue they have option to phone you and save all the BS that would otherwise follow.

Yeah, Section 48 of the Arms Act definitely applies. It's the one section of the Act that ALL shooters must make themselves familiar with!! Some people don't approve of firearms and shooting- we can't afford to upset them. We need to be aware that as gun owners, owning and using a firearm these days is a privilege, not a right. Go and talk to the neighbours who are going to be affected by your use of a firearm.

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