Can't believe it. I just had a visit from the city police. They had a complaint that I was shooting a bow and arrow in the city limits. We have a little over an acre on a hillside. Our backyard is completely surrounded by a retaining wall higher than my head. I checked with the ordnance enforcement office and there is a city ordnance against discharging any kind of weapon - BB gun, bow, slingshot, you name it. I can't even legally shoot my air pistol in my basement. Ask me if I'm upset! It was so nice to take a break when working on the check book or some other tedious task and walk out the back door and shoot a dozen arrows.

The officer was very pleasant about it. We discussed my new bow, the new bow he is planning to get and his upcoming moose hunt in Canada, but bottom line is I gotta take my hobby elsewhere. I can shoot at our gun  club anytime, and the good news is that I can set up at any reasonable (or unresonable) distance, but it's a 20 minute drive from here. Call me TOTALLY bummed out.

Unbelieveable!

I've typed 3 differnet rsponses and none even come close to describing my anger, sadness and trepidation.

The king is dead, long live the King.

I'm sorry to hear that.  It's a bit annoying that someone would report you rather than simply come over and talk to you about it first.

I should probably look into my city ordinance on this as I like to take some shots in the backyard a few times a week.

I know who reported me. It's our neighbor lives on the hill above us. Believe it or not, his complaint was the excessive noise of my field points hitting my bag target. He works nights and it bothers him when he's trying to sleep. 75 yds away with the windows closed! I said the same thing; "Why in the world didn't you ring my doorbell instead of the dispatch office. I would have changed to a different type of target". Turns out he's anti-hunting and was just wanting to make things difficult for a hunter.

Yep I had that happen in the golf course community that I lived in.  Totally enclosed backyard with a 6 ft rockwall and a 6 ft fence on top.  Neighbor complained and I got shotdown.

Same guy stands on his front yard and hits golfballs across the street to his buddy.

I sold the house and moved to the country.

You might petition the city counsel for a waiver.

Mike

Bummer.

Out town council just about did the same thing. I was unable to attend the meeting, but I emailed them a memo (I'll forward it to you.) And then I called around and did some lobbying. It worked!!!!

They excluded bow and arrow from the list of weapons.

man thats just wrong sorry to here
i think i might get shut down also but so far im good to go


anti hunters are just ##$%^@(^%*#!)))$^&#??
thats all i can type about this

That really stinks!

Thanks PaddyMac. It' worth a try. Maybe they can ammend it to read "unless a proper backstop is erected to prevent arrows from leaving the area", or something like that. Looking forward to seeing your memo.

They can keep you from shooting in your basement?  Time for cardboard on the windows!

That truly sucks.  Motivation to move out to the sticks for sure.  On our road there are only two families who don't actively hunt and shoot in their yards, and of those one is neutral (just not a hunter/shooter) and I've gotten the husband of the last hold outs thinking he needs a .22 rifle; maybe even a bow.    

Sad news indeed. I've been shooting in a small section of woods, against a hill, that separates 2 marinas where I live.

I'm very discrete, plus it's the end of the marina where the boats not being attended to are, but I'm constantly expecting someone to complain. This is a very liberal area and I wouldn't put it past someone to do it for spite, assuming I also hunt.

I was recently directed to a range only about 10 minutes away by NJLOCO that I didn't know about, so I've been going there instead. I can practice properly there too.

Sorry about your loss. Maybe you could set-up something in the basement for form work between trips to the range. I can get about 6 feet in my boat and am considering working on my floating anchor and release in here this winter, when I get pretty much shut down for several months.

I can't believe in Greenville they have that ordinance!?!?!. Where I work the ordinance states what yours does but they added....."or at an approved range".....Try talking to the Police Chief and ask him or her to inspect your target and the area where you shoot and  maybe he or she would approve it. If that does not work try going to a city council meeting and plead your case there. You might find a sympathetic ear and get wordage added that would alllow you to shoot.  Good Luck!!!

Same here in nassau county long island. No firing a bow in yard.

The chief of police proposed a new weapons ordinance here and he picked one up some boilerplate off of some national web site that included everything from nunchuks to throwing stars to arrows, etc. I got them to leave bows and arrows off the list.

Most towns already have a reckless endangerment provision.

So what I said was don't fix something that isn't broken.

You might just check if the high school has archery in PE class.  Ours does and the city has an ordinance against fire arms and would like to say archery but they have told me until such time as they get a complaint on me it's a non issue.

I had to take a double take on where you live, before reading Michigan. I thought for sure you must be living here in the Soviet state of NJ, this I could understand, but Michigan ! I feel for you brother !

Good luck.

Got your memo PaddyMac. I like it. I will do some editing to address an existing ordnance and also follow up on bluesflb's suggestion. They grant exceptions to all kinds of codes here in Greenville. Maybe I can get some sort of exception for a properly constructed, approved site.

Thanks guys.

Ron

Most likely a neighbor tipped them off.

Don't you love anti hunters that want to impose their views on everybody else? It's too bad that 1. Your city council wrote the ordinance to include bows, and 2. Your neighbor is a jerk.
I just came in from shooting in my back yard and read your post, and gave thanks that so far, my town council has better things to do than enact ordinances like yours. Here's hoping that you will be able to get the ordinance amended.

I think the FOR SALE sign would be up at my place before nightfall.