By an edhat reader
Where is it legal to shoot BB/pellet guns? Do I need to go all the way to the real shooting ranges or can I plink cans in the backyard?
BB Gun Rules?
sacjon
May 19, 2020, 1:19 am
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Written by sacjon
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Sacjon – if you were my neighbor, I would totally plink at cans with you! When we did archery with kids, we used a stack of straw bales with pictures on them. You could do the same, but probably not as satisfying as plinking cans off a board. Unless you’re closing your eyes and spinning while firing, I seriously doubt you are in jeopardy of wounding a neighbor or killing a mountain lion. .22’s are impressively damaging…. BB’s, not so much.
It is unlawful to shoot, fire or discharge, or cause or permit to be shot, fired or discharged, any firearm, airgun or spring gun within one hundred fifty yards of any house or place of human habitation without the express permission of the owner or person in possession of such house or place of human habitation.
SB1 – so I can shoot in my backyard if I get my neighbors’ permission?
I doubt the neighbors permission will allow you to fire anything other than air, or bb guns in any city. Sadly all the gun ranges are still closed. I would check with your local gun shop to find out for sure.
From what I understand you can use an air gun in the city limits. In fact, the city issued air pistols to the animal control officers to use if they need to euthanize an animal in the city as its not lawful to fire a firearm in the city limits… Yup, you read that right. The powers that be are so naive that they issued pellet guns to try and put down a poor animal. As if that will do the job! If you get a rifle, you may want one with a silencer though as Santa Barbara people are prone to overreaction and are quite easily frightened.
Shoot indoors. use a couple of phone books as a backstop or maybe use a couple of hundred rolls of toilet paper.
Don’t shoot it in your yard, go somewhere unpopulated. You run the risk of hurting a person or an animal, really not a good risk if you’re in a neighborhood. BB’s aren’t as potent as bullets, obviously, but they can still cause harm.
When my boys were younger, I got a sheet of plywood with a thick moving pad over it and I put it against the fence in my back yard. I would then placed targets on a bucket in front of it. Super safe and super fun for them.
That was with a cheapo BB gun BTW. I wouldn’t do it with a pellet gun or anything powerful, obviously.
Get Over it – yeah, I have a super powerful, “vintage” pellet pistol (Crosman MK-1) which I wouldn’t want to shoot back there, but a rinky bb gun would be fun!
The Smart/Educated/Know-it-All’s of the world say things like: “The powers that be are so naive that they issued pellet guns to try and put down a poor animal. As if that will do the job!” ………….Ohhhhh, where does I start? Whoever does not know about .22 cal air rifles, please raise your hand? Now, those of you who raised your hand, please perform an internet search for this pellet gun. Unless it’s for a bear, elephant, steer, milk cow, this air gun will take down a full-size buck, and most likely a cougar/puma/mountain lion as well.
Sac – Yeah, definitely wouldn’t shoot that in my backyard! It’s basically an “actual” gun. I think it’s either a friend with a ranch around here or the gun club, unfortunately. Unless you have a hunting license, then anywhere in the mountains.
You’ll put your eye out kid.
yeah im pretty sure its fine in your backyard. I did it as a child on my backyard. never had an issue. course I live up above mission ridge. so maybe thats why. but overall, this isnt a “firearm” its similar to a paintball gun in operation. which those are completely fine to use within city limits. So I would say, unless you are shooting at a neighbors house, or a neighbors backyard. you would be ok. but within urban density, I would say shooting in your backyard isnt “illegal” but isnt quite the best neighborly things to do.
GETOVERIT – yeah, not shooting the MK-1 in the yard. I did years ago in the garage with an old foam pad and some cardboard – it put a pellet through all that, the garage drywall and into a wood fence outside. Lesson learned! Sticking to weak bbs or airsoft in the yard!
Where I grew up there were gun racks, with guns in them, in the rear windshields of pickup trucks, even at school. If I did that and drove down State St. I wonder how many counties would send their SWAT teams for back up.
One if my brothers had his tooth knocked out by a bb gun pellet shot, an adult tooth and is teeth had been healthy. Backyards in typical SB neighborhoods are risky.
What is the point of this rhetorical question? When I was a boy white folks would burn torches in front of black people’s homes. Wonder why we can’t do that anymore?
OMG. You actually think a .22 pellet will take down a Buck? It will barely kill a squirrel with a point blank shot to the skull!, You must be one of the idiots who mandated the Animal Control use these toys. The officers literally LOLd when they were handed out… the sad irony is that the poor animal and the officer will have to suffer while they shoot four or five pellets at point blank into the skull of the poor animal…. Man people are such idiots. The internet has eaten our brains…
Please keep in mind that some pellet guns and air rifles are not toys and can be used for taking down deer. Taken from an article entitled ‘The 7 Best Air Rifles For Deer Hunting’: “The question that many amateur hunters advancing into the big hunt game face is that can a deer be killed using a pellet gun?…..blah….blah…..blah…..”…..then the first item on their list: Gamo® Urban PCP Air Rifle (.22 cal).
Most states require a high power center fire rifle for big game hunting like deer. So even a rim-fire such as a .22 is illegal. It is also unethical to wound an animal with an under powered weapon just to have it run off and suffer. The idea of deer hunting with a pellet/air rifle is laughable.
Maybe you could think of something more constructive, less risky to do.
Never confuse the police/sherif department with the legal aid society. Getting legal advice from cops can result in some really bad outcomes.
People seem to love speculating or offering opinions when a simple search can answer the question. Here is code for the city of Santa Barbara:
SB Municipal Code:
9.34.010 Guns – Air, Spring and Bow.
No person shall discharge upon any public street or in any public place in the City, any gun by means of which any missile is projected by means of a spring, bow or compressed air. (Ord. 3763 §2, 1975)
That sounds to me like if you have a back yard that is compatible with bb/ pellet gun shooting, and so long as no projectiles leave your private property, you’re good to go.
RHS, thanks, but I should have mentioned I’m in the city of Goleta. I imagine its the same as SB for this, but I’m thinking in my backyard (not a public place). Thanks though!
7:29 – thanks, but I won’t be hunting, just plinking a couple cans with a low powered bb gun, if legal.
There are some ‘loopholes’ in this SB City ordinance it seems. First, CO2 weapons are not the same a ‘compressed air’ weapon. Are CO2 weapons not covered? And, I agree that the ‘public place’ language is ambiguous. Generally, as I recall, a public place must be open to the public in general. Back yards are almost by definition not open to the public without invitation. And be careful not to assume that Goleta or County law is the same as that of the city.
I had an a-hole ex husband that thought it was funny to shoot me in the butt with the bb gun. EX with a capital X.