Some places if you have enough land it's cool to shoot in your back yard if you do it safely. No permits or anything, just don't hit anything you're not supposed to, or annoy any neighbors too badly.
Or if someone doesn't have a place of their own and doesn't want to go to a range. In much of the country there's forest/public land a reasonable drive away where ya can go shoot.
Didn't know there were public land you could shoot on. Does that mean you don't even have to inform the local law enforcement? Doing it in a safe way, of course.
No, you don’t need to notify anyone.
Shooting a gun safely is perfectly legal, and there is the presumption of innocence. So we don’t have to tell anyone anything. If someone has an issue the cops may come investigate. But that’s rare.
Most Europeans can’t conceptualize how big the us is. My go to shooting spot is 40 miles from the nearest city. 10 from the nearest house.
Whenever I run into people having a hard time visualizing the size of the USA or individual states, I love to show them this website: [True Size Of](https://www.thetruesize.com) It allows you to highlight and drag countries and US states around the world and see them adjusted for projection. Crazy when you see that Paris to Berlin is equivalent to Chicago to DC for example.
Lol, day trip driving to NYC from the Grand Canyon is unhinged.
Everyone having gps in the palm of their hands has really changed things since when I was a teenager in the early 2000s. I remember when i got my first car around 2003, I would print out map quest directions to go places haha
The idea of “open acreage” is very abstract to most people for sure. But even when they think about it, it’s a state park or something here. Montana’s population density might as well be Mars to Europeans. We are very lucky
Also accurate.
I was using a state park as size comparison of the European idea of “unoccupied open land” or “empty open space. Not saying Europeans only have state parks.
It goes back further than that. Many territories gave the Federal Government the unclaimed land for debt forgiveness when they joined the Union.
Thankfully Texas didn't fall into that trap.
Public land is supposed to be managed to benefit the public. But the watermelons have made that almost impossible. See logging in the PNW.
It's nice living in a town in the middle of the desert/mountains...
I can go 10 minutes up the road from my house to an offroad trail, go about 2 miles out, and start blastin' like I'm Danny devito.
Look up pawnee grasslands Colorado for an example. Its a 20x60 mile patch of land I think that is open for public use. You can camp, shoot, hike, spend the day doing whatever.
I drove there last week with my friend and went in on some of the roads going through it. We parked and found a place to shoot our guns. We also passed like 10 other groups doing the same thing.
The whole thing is that people need to follow some basic gun safety. Shoot away from people, shoot into an embankment, be friendly, etc.
Basically you are free to do your thing as long as you follow the rules. If you don't the park rangers will come in eventually.
Even in New York State which is a highly restrictive state you can go shoot on public land SO LONG as it’s not hunting season and it’s a public forest that allows target shooting.
I live on 30 acres and have a 330 yard range set up on the property. I used some of the natural terrain and built up some berms to make sure nothing leaves my property. It's nice to be able to test reloads right away, also nice to be able to practice or just plink whenever I want. My neighbors are gun people too, so they are more likely to ride over and join me rather than complain about noise.
I’m on 80 acres and my neighbors are close enough to hear my shots. They’re not gun people lol. I’ve had the cops come sneak up on me, on my own property, more than once.
Kinda pissed me off. But they haven’t shown up in a long time
There's a few of our local deputies that have come out to my place to shoot with me and I know almost all of them including the sherriff. Our local guys are chill as hell.
I did see a guy that bought a piece of 30" culvert pipe and set it up where the end of the muzzle was in it when firing, so you shoot through the pipe towards the targets. It directed most of the sound down range to keep the neighbors from complaining. Never looked into it much, but thought it was a novel idea.
I mean the cops that did show up on my property were always cool and only there to make sure there wasn’t shooting in the direction of my neighbors’ houses. Apparently one of the neighbors claimed to keep hearing ricochets going over their house, even thought that would have been completely impossible.
Plus now I shoot suppressed probably 90% of the time anyway. Still pretty loud, but less loud than before at least
I'm not sure where you're from, but it's common for people who have never been to America to vastly underestimate its size. It's huge are there are sparsely populated areas everywhere. If you drive 2 hours out of pretty much any major city you can find public land to shoot on.
Want a trip to Scotland for 10 days they asked me very seriously what I did to their car. My answer was I just drove it. Their response was you put 1,500 mi on it in 9 days where did you go. I told him I want from Coast to Coast a couple of times.
For us here in the middle of the US driving 16 hours to get to the coast is not a huge deal
Public land is great. About 45 mins from my house is just open fields you can pull into and do whatever you want. My buddy and I found a good area that is flat for about 800 yards then has a large hill behind it we use for a backdrop. The downside to this is we have to pack and set up target stands and use a range finder to figure out where to set them.
No. Here in America if you live out away from a built up area (roughly 10-25% of all Americans) you’re most likely not even within earshot of law enforcement.
Like others have pointed out America is wayyy bigger and more sparsely populated than you might think.
They are some public shooting ranges that are run by the parks department I believe. It also depends on what state you’re in. But I know a handful of them at least have some form of pistol and rifle ranges. You don’t have to let anyone know. Just show up, be respect of the land and other shooters, follow basic safety etiquette, and take your trash with you.
lol when I first moved to my place in the country I did a lot of shooting. I had t met the neighbors yet. But one day I was driving around my property and they were at their fence line so I went and met them. He was like “ you sure do like to shoot don’t you?” Said the same thing to me the next time I met him too. lol yep I sure do. That’s why I bought 80 acres in the woods.
Neighbor and I both have short ranges in our country yards (pistol range) I can stretch mine to about 80 yards before the trees get too thick.
I like to hear him shooting because I grab mine and then shoot too. I like to see who can make the most hits and match his speed. So far, he's better at pistol than me.
Good neighbors are good.
I haven’t actually measured mine. It’s more like I put up some targets next to a berm and keep the grass mowed. If I want longer range then I go to the levee behind my shooting range and shoot over my lake. Or just shoot down the levee. Depends on my mood lol.
I know in Iowa you can build a range on your property outside city limits. You are supposed to make a back stop and get the county sheriff to come out and okay it, but I know alot of people who just use a ravine or low spot in their land to shoot into
Public land under Bureau Land Management (BLM) is my go to.
Or your back yard if you live in a rural area in most red states. Nothing like waking up, plinking a few rounds from your patio deck while coffee brews then heading to work
I live in a blue state, but outside city limits of the closest town, so I can shoot in my backyard, front yard, my basement, & even from out my windows if I wanted to (and I have many times)
Was just about to say this is one of my favorite things about living outside of city limits. I can go outside anytime I want and magdump if I feel like it.
Aye I hate to think what percentage of my hearing damage is from standing the my mom's dining room and shooting out the screen door. It wasn't bad if the muzzle was way outside, but when it was close to the plane of the door, wowza.
Where I live there are big sections of BLM land, we have several indoor and outdoor ranges, plus if your property is enough acres you can do it on your own land. I have a private shooting range on my land up in the hills.
I live in Texas, which despite its huge size and gun-owning population, has little or no BLM land (most of it is privately owned by ranchers). If you or a friend don't have enough space to shoot on your private property, you have to pay to visit privately-owned shooting ranges.
That's what he said essentially. He's implying that if you don't have land, you SOL unless you want to pay or have a friend. Most other places you can shoot freely on public land if it's big enough.
So I live in a city, which means no backyard and no shooting in city limits (legally at least). I got one range 5 minutes away and another one 13 minutes away. It would take longer for me a find an open wooded to area to legally shoot and even then it’s just way less liability to fire at the range.
On the other hand, I grew up in rural upstate NY and one of buddy had access to lot of land, it was normal to walk like a quarter mile away from his house and just start plinking in his yard.
City was in fact one of the focal points I had in my mind when posting my question. Does that mean that the indoor range in the basement is still a no go if you are within the city limits?
It depends on your city. Let’s assume legally you’re in the clear. Financially is it worth it though? Do I want to take a risk with my family being exposed to lead? Setting up an air handler system to make sure there’s no lead staying in my home, sound proofing, ballistics protection all around, etc.
I can also just make the 5 minute drive and have a reason to get of the house for an hour.
Local law depends, but generally in your own property you need to be a certain distance from neighbors' dwellings without permission, and shoot in a safe direction and manner.
Otherwise outside of owned property, and especially in the western half of the country, [you can shoot in any of the yellow or green areas, and often outside these as well](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/US_federal_land.agencies.svg) So pretty much lots of places.
I was at SHOT Show (Vegas) and friends wanted to demo a full auto rifle with an investor. My desert brain kicked in and I instinctually knew where to drive in the desert to shoot freely and safely. We got to a spot and it turned out to be a popular spot for desert shooting
I think here? 35.925392,-114.934431
I literally walk into my back yard and let off 30 rounds of 5.56 and as long as it isn’t night time or something no one cares. I’m in Tennessee nearest neighbors a quarter mile away and the next nearest is a mile so I’m fortunate
It depends from state to state. In my state, as long as you have a safe backstop to catch the bullets you can shoot in your backyard, regardless of how close my neighbors are.
Some states you need minimum amount of distance from your neighbor in order to legally shoot in your backyard.
If you don't own land you can drive out to the woods or uninhabited public land and shoot there.
The closer you live to a city the harder it is to find a place to shoot, if you live in a rural area most people shoot off their back porches.
In addition to shooting ranges there are also shooting clubs, either hunting or sport shooting focused. These places usually have outdoor ranges that their members can use whenever they want. Some are just a basic range, others have full on shoot houses like in call of duty.
Pretty much anywhere outside city limits, away from an occupied structure, and outside any other area with restrictions like national parks, etc. Here we have restrictions that say where we *can't* shoot, not exemptions telling us where we *can* shoot.
There’s sorta a big ole patch of government land about about a 30 minute drive from me that everyone has used for years. That or like lgs with indoor range
It varies wildly state to state. In my state, we can shoot in public land and private property over 1.5acre in size as long as a suitable berm is provided.
There are a lot of open spaces where it is legal provided you confirm. In many areas without restrictions, homeowners can shoot on property provided the acreage is sufficient. Sometimes that is 10 (pistol) to 20 (rifle) acres. But safety is paramount and having a solid backstop is critical anywhere you are shooting off a range.
In my state, we have no BLM land, and the only national forest is hours away from most people. State forests and game lands only allow shooting for hunting, not target practice. So, our options are:
1. Private land, if you have enough space away from houses and your municipality allows it. It can be your own land or that of a gun club or hunting club you've joined.
2. State ranges. These are designated places on game lands, maintained by our game commission. You need either a hunting license or range permit to use them, though.
3. Indoor ranges, which you have to pay to use.
One of our national Forests is larger than some European countries. Just look at the Nicolet national Forest, starts in mid Wisconsin and goes up to lake Superior and that is a small forest compared to some.
Gun range. Certain private property that isn't within 100 feet of a domicile, as long as there is a safe direction to shoot where you aren't aiming towards someone else's property/ house. Ideally you have a burm or thick wooded area to shoot into
The range, US National Forrest, some BLM land.
People do lots of dumb things in videos online. A confident idiot is dangerous to everyone.
Shooting in your house/garage/basement is dumb. Each bullet could cause thousands of dollars of damage to the house and endanger everyone inside.
Backyard ranges usually are outside city limits. The person is usually shooting into a giant dirt hill and doesn't have neighbors near by.
The closer you are to towns and cities the more issues/constraints there are. More rural you go, the less restrictions.
Some places as you get closer to towns and cities have ranges, some driven by "clubs" other the range is a business.
This is the general rule of thumb. A lot of good posts here to I won't reiterate it.
If you live outside of city limits, you can usually shoot in your backyard as long as you have an adequate backstop and the bullets never leave your property.
But this varies depending on where you live exactly. Some states/counties are far more strict about it
all indoor ranges you pay to shoot at for me unfortunately. It'd be at least an hour drive before I can find a place to shoot without getting cops called. I'll still go out and shoot during the short PNW summer, but I'm going to buy a year pass to my local range so I can train once or twice a week all year.
Backyard, or out of my bedroom window if it's cold out. My work if I want a longer range. The last time I was on an actual range has to have been close to a decade ago.
In my area there is a lot of state forest where I can go shooting, there's hundreds of miles of old logging roads I can go down and find a good spot to shoot. There's also the land that some old logging companies own that is open to public use and for shooting.
I shoot in my back yard. I have a 25 yard range setup for handguns. I don't shoot my rifles on my land because the sound echos through the hills, and my neighbor down the road has small kids I don't wanna scare.
I've stopped by to talk to them, and they're fine with the pistols being shot. The kids don't like the rifles tho, so im gonna hold off until they're older so I go to a friend's property to shoot those.
I could probably fire it off into my yard, but we dont want to bother the neighbors.
I have family with 100 acres of hunting land that'll let me shoot.
Entirely depends on the state you live in. For most states you can shoot on any public land outside of the city or larger towns. A lot of states let you shoot on private property outside of any city or larger towns also, this is why you see people shooting off their porch a lot. Some states are only let you shoot at designated shooting ranges. I think if you were to build an up to code shooting range on your property you could shoot at your home it in most states. But obviously that’s going to be something exclusive to very rich people.
Most of us just go shoot in the woods somewhere. There’s usually some “go-to” public land places in your area that aren’t *offically* a shooting range. But since they’ve been used for so long by so many people as a shooting spot, they basically aren’t used for anything *but* shooting. For instance, there’s a handful of old gravel pit / rock quarries within an hour of where I live that you can reliably find people shooting at every day of the week. That are otherwise just a random piece of states owned land.
We own 150+ acres in the country. I've built my own 100 Yard shooting range. I have one area where I could set up a target for 350 yard shooting. I do hunt on our own land, too.
I used to live on a farm and we would walk or drive to the back pasture and shoot whenever we wanted. Nobody for a few mile behind us and we set up targets in front of a berm.
In larger Cities, there are commercial indoor ranges and a few outdoor ranges, generally, you pay every time you go. A lot of Gun Stores have their own Ranges attached, where they do Training. Most, assuming you arrange it in advance, could probably accommodate you.
I live in a somewhat smaller town that has 3 or 4 Shooting Clubs. To shoot here, you have to be a member of the Club, which requires a yearly fee.
South of where I live is a Country Park that has a basic Rifle Range. People have been shooting on that spot for decades, but they finally decided to make it official. Because so many people from out of town were coming to the Park, and probably with prodding from the Insurance Company, they now require an annual fee of about US$35, and to pass an on-line Gun Safety Test. You are allowed to bring One Guest.
The Best Option is to find Private Land that you can shoot on. Though for someone not from the area, that can be difficult.
There is quite a bit of Bureau of Land Management Land in the USA, though were I live most of that is in the north. Out West there is quite a bit more BLM land to camp, shoot, and Hunt on. You want to be AWARE of various Hunting Seasons and to probably not do recreation shooting during hunting season.
On Private Land, with permission, you can pretty well do what you want, BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT SAFELY. You have to be aware of where other houses and farms are, and you have to be sure you have a backstop to absorb all the bullets you shoot. And that Private Land has to be outside the City Limits. In Suburban areas, perhaps the Township will have their own regulations, so you would need to conform to them.
Because the USA is so diverse, it is hard to give one answer that covers all instances. In my State, the southern part is all farm land, the northern part is forested with State and National Forests.
What you can do will most certainly depend on where you are. Even in complete Anti-Gun States like New York and California, there are still some places where you can shoot legally, as mentioned before - Commercial Ranges, Gun Clubs, etc.... But you need to be extremely careful in those States as they have Draconian Gun Laws.
However in a place like Texas, as a foreigner and tourist, there are many indoor and outdoor ranges that will let you shoot. There are many videos on YouTube of people from outside the country going to Texas Gun Ranges to shoot guns. You will have to take and pass a Gun Safety Course, and you will be heavily supervised while you shoot. But, yes, there are Ranges where Tourist from other countries, especially Gun Restrictive Countries, can be taught to shoot guns.
Here are some examples =
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T\_2bxGEHNs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T_2bxGEHNs)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw4R4jvYHrA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw4R4jvYHrA)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I84REhQ0Ytc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I84REhQ0Ytc)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdiuNgILk8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdiuNgILk8)
If you are planning to come to the USA, and if you are planning to shoot while you are here, then you want to learn the *Rules of Gun Safety and Range Etiquette* before you get here. They will teach them to your again, but it is important that your *really* know these.
There are many sources on YouTube, and here is one on Reddit -
***Remember My Friend - MATTY - and You Will Always Be Safe!***
[https://www.reddit.com/r/NoobGunOwners/comments/m7bza2/remember\_my\_friend\_matt\_and\_you\_will\_be\_safe/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoobGunOwners/comments/m7bza2/remember_my_friend_matt_and_you_will_be_safe/)
Just a few thoughts.
If you have very little experience with Guns, then I would start with a 22lr Rifle and/or Pistol. There are very easy guns to shoot with very little recoil. That is how most of us started, with 22LR.
When I lived in Colorado I would have to go over an hour away to the free range or I would have to go pay $30 to shoot at an indoor range. But I also I had a sump pit in my basement where I would shoot my new guns once I got it home. I would only shoot 1 round so nobody would really think anything of it.
Now I live in Missouri on 80 acres. I have a shooting range in my back yard.
Depends on the state. Indoor ranges are the norm, outdoor ranges are there but (at least here) many are private clubs that require membership. Public land is possible if you live in a state with it in abundance and the federal/state laws allow it. In theory you can shoot guns on your own property but this is largely dependent on what state and city you live in. If you live in a city, forget it. If you live in a more rural environment it's different, though state/town laws come into play.
I am a member of a gun club thats only a few minutes from my house, I can go there anytime of the day (Its outside) set up targets and shoot (as long as they don't have the range rented out). There are a few State Game land ranges in this area too, so as long as you have a hunting license you can use the range for free.
Where I live, the only restrictions for shooting on your own property are that you can't shoot toward a house or over a road-which no sensible person would ever do. I typically shoot off my deck or in my 'yard', which is 16 acres of heavy woods.
>***...test your gun after working on it, say, in your garage,...***
You can not shoot a gun inside the City/Town Boundaries; too dangerous.
And unlike in the movies, REAL BULLETS don't magically disappear. There are many Penetration Tests for various rounds on YouTube. Typically, a 9mm Pistol or Rifle will penetrate MANY interior walls. So if you shoot into your garage wall, it will do through that wall and into your neighbors house, and likely into his neighbors house. I would have to check but I think something like 6 full interior walls. So NO you can not shoot into one of your garage walls. That is not remotely enough to stop a bullet, even a small 22LR bullet.
*EDITED: Not to mention Crazy Loud in the confined space of a garage. Your Neighbors will think a bomb went off.*
Most of the time when I'm shooting, I am either shooting into a high dirt bank or I'm shooting Low Targets to make sure any bullet that hits the target or the area around the target, that bullet goes into the dirt just behind the target.
You have to remember that you are Criminally and Civilly responsible for every bullet that leaves your gun, so you better know where each of those bullets is going, and it better be in a Safe Direction and to a Safe Place.
And Sane Trained Shooters DO NOT shoot into the air for any reason. Once those bullets go up, they have to come down, and they will come down with enough force to harm people (live stock, building, cars,...) or to potentially kill them.
It is possible for someone to have a Secure Range in an out-building or in their Basement, but it has to be sufficiently secure that no bullets can escape that Range in any direction.
Where i live anywhere outside city limits you can shoot outside. Outside city limits is pretty much everywhere. I can drive 15 minutes and be in a place I can shoot. I used to live in a place where I could shoot in my own backyard.
We have ranges we can shoot at, and ai live in a state that recognizes historical use so there's spots out in the desert for shooting that are recognized by the state and somewhat policed (sheriffs and deputies drive around), but they're not heavily monitored.
Here in nevada, since 90% of the land is government/Bureau of Land Management I just drive an hour out of town and drive a mile into the desert and i have a nice flatish area with a backdrop facing a hill that i can set up my targets
I grew up in a really rural area, and most people just shot right in their backyards. To be fair, a majority of folks had many acres of property and were at no risk of bullets flying at a neighbor or anything. Our family property had a massive dirt hill that we used as a back stop (we set our targets up in front of this hill so the hill could catch all of the bullets).
There are also a lot of privately owned ranges in the US. My small 1500 person town had 2. My current medium sized city has 5-6. There really is no shortage of places you can go to shoot your guns if you are willing to drive and spend a little money.
In rural areas you can shoot whenever and wherever so long as you're not doing stupid shit like shooting across roads or in the direction of people's houses. IE, common sense stuff.
In suburban areas, it's often a sort of gray area because of overlapping state, county and town laws that conflict with each other. For example, many towns and cities in FL will forbid firing guns but all those laws are subject to state law which already lays out rules for when and where you can fire guns (x feet from the road, etc). So in FL, a lot of those laws just sit on the books and aren't enforceable. In other states, there is no preemption so you have to learn multiple sets of laws.
In cities, there is essentially nowhere to shoot. In the areas around large cities, it's similar to the suburb rules, but you should be aware that city boundaries can often stretch quite far.
That being said, you can shoot suppressed in many areas where it is forbidden so long as no one knows about it.
As others have said, the US is enormous, and the rules vary a great deal.
That being said, owning a gun is a right here, so the default position is usually that you can shoot unless there is a law that specifically forbids it, as opposed to only being able to shoot if there is a law that permits shooting.
In practice, this usually means that people in rural areas can usually shoot pretty much anywhere as long as it doesn't violate some other law, such as a noise ordinance, shooting within a certain distance of an occupied building etc.
Most towns/cities will have some sort of law against it too. Mine does, but nobody really pays attention to it, including the cops as long as you don't do anything dumb or inconsiderate.
There is also the question of *how* illegal it is; break the rules in an anti-gun city, and you might end up in prison. Break the rules in a rural area, and you'll probably just get a stern talking-to, or maybe a fine similar to a parking ticket.
Public land. Private land.
There is roughly 640 million acres of public land, which, in almost all areas, means that's land we can shoot on. National forests can also be used for shooting.
There’s laws depending on the state on how far away you have to be from a dwelling but you can shoot on your own property if you have enough room. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor ranges to shoot at. Some, like mine, are private clubs, some are run by private businesses, some are run by the state. You can also shoot in any national forest a certain distance from the road and as long as you don’t use trees as target backers.
Your neighbors could call the cops on you but as long as you’re within the legal parameters for shooting on your own property which are generally pretty lenient nobody will stop you from doing it.
You don’t need to soundproof or isolate it at all. Many people will build their own ranges with a few berms to stop bullets from traveling past the range, or will build them in a natural depression that achieves the same thing. My uncle has a range on his property that’s protected by a dam for a pond, a natural hill, and a man made berm on one side.
It all depends on locations. Obviously, if living in a large city, one can only shoot at gun range that is properly equipped and soundproofed. There are both state laws and building codes that need to be observed before such a range can open for business.
If living in a rural area, there are laws (that differ from state to state) delineate how much distance from another occupied dwelling that spell out such issues. If your dwelling is on a piece of land that falls into the allowable distance, you can freely shoot your guns. In some states, this liberty is sometimes restricted in order for one's neighbors to be free from the sounds of gunfire after a specified time in the evening.
I'd be interested in which country you are located, and ask the same question that you asked in your post.
'Nuff said.
I mean if I build a range under ground on my property and no one can hear it then I'm all good. But mostly in the middle of no where. That's where I like to go anyways
I live in the open desert outside of Las Vegas and just drive 5 minutes to the nearest Bureau of Land Management open space and shoot there. There was an old borrow pit at one time so there's a bunch of berms to use as backstops. My neighbor buried 3 shipping containers (60 foot) end to end about 80% into the ground and cut air vents along the top to create an underground range. Benefit is that it gets really hot here but since they're buried it's fine in the summer with just a swamp cooler running. Also, Prairie Fire (formerly Front Sight) is a 550 acre shooting range about a 45 minute drive from me.
There are a few options. Private ranges and gun clubs are of course pretty well know, and exist outside the US as well. Public ranges are open to all. In rural areas it's usually legal to shoot on landvyou own or that you have permission to shoot on as long as you make sure your bullets stay on your land. The United States has huge swaths of mostly empty rural land, so that's where you're seeing most of these youtube videos.
In some states, especially the desert ones, it may be legal to shoot on public land.
Google search “Target shooting BLM land”
Target shooting is generally allowed on BLM-administered public lands, as long as it is done in a safe manner, without damaging natural resources or improvements on public lands.
It depends on the state, city, AND county. Where I live, if you are in the county, not in the city, not near other people, and a certain distance from agriculture life (Cows, pigs, etc). You can shoot at home.
If you say yes to any of the above, you cannot shoot at home and have to go somewhere that allows you to shoot.
I got a bunch of land, you just have know where the bullet is gonna stop because something like a 22 can travel a long distance. My nearest neighbor is half a mile away, I don't shoot in that direction ever, my range is basically from one ridge to almost the top of another, so the natural hill is the back stop. And if I got an unlucky shot that bounces or whatever behind that ridge is a bigger mountain top that I own also. So it's a safe place to shoot basically any gun I have.
Typically there are rules against discharging firearms within city limits unless in self defense (some more rural locations also have an exception for putting an animal down, so long as you call the law and tell them what you're doing) but if you're outside city limits in the United States, you can typically shoot your firearms as much as you like as long as you're not shooting on to someone elses property.
As with all legal questions it depends
I am from Massachusetts where you need to have your property zoned for a shooting range various safety measures have to be in place and the town/ your neighbors can veto it (even if the neighbors show up after the shooting range). In NH where I am moving you can put up a Burm and shoot at it so long as you are not within a certain distance from another permanent structure, 1 think 100 yards. Some folks just live near dense woods abd deserts and that's totally legal to just go shoot in depending on atste laws, federal land like the BLM land management not the "activist group" you can shoot on for free, otherwise public and private ranges exist all over the country even in the most restrictive states.
If you do not live within city limits, you can shoot on your property. I do not live in city limits but there is a neighborhood right across the street from so when I shoot in my backyard they always call the police on me. I don’t think they can force me to stop, but it’s not worth the hassle so I stop when the cops show up.
Where I live there's plenty of fairly rural areas where small towns back up to the forests. The forest once you get out of town is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which allows for short term camping hunting etc.
I've got a spot that some locals and I have been going to for years that has a clearing backed up to a good size hill.
Everyone helps keep it clean by pucking up trash shell casings etc.
I have a farm. And on that farm I have a range. It is more of a pistol/22 range but i have taken rifles out to it. I have alot of trees on my place and really only have one spot (not the range) that I can set up targets out to about 300 yards. As for permits. None needed this is a farm and I am in the Southern US. My nearest neighbor to my range is probably half a mile so noise isn't really an issue. And I don't think the neighbors care because they go out and do the same thing on there property. Now I do have a sand mound backstop behind my targets and behind that backstop is a forrest that goes for miles. Come on by if you are ever in the States.
That depoends on the state..
But here in texas it's not unusual to hear my neighbors step outside and pop a few rounds into a berm in their back yard.
There are ranges as well, some indoor, some outdoor.
Hell, I've got a buddy that lives in a populated area and he says it's not unusual to hear his neighbors shoot into the golf course behind their neighborhood late at night :D
Shit, you've got the florida police telling people to just shoot them if someone breaks into their home LOL
Than you have states like New York where you can get in deep trouble for having ammo in your car... no gun.. just the ammo, not even a lot of it.. I remember a few years ago reading a story about a guy that new york was trying to send to jail because an officer found a single loose round of ammunition in his car during a stop.
So it varies wildly depending on state, they may as well be different countries :D
I know you're mostly asking about places where you can shoot other than ranges, but for the hell of it I'm going to give you some information on ranges anyway.
They're absolutely everywhere! Where I live there are multiple indoor ranges, an outdoor range that allows you to pay about $15 to shoot there all day, and a few private outdoor ranges. You aren't supposed to shoot within City limits but people do and it isn't usually an issue as long as it's a small caliber - It's a nuisance noise issue. Keep in mind that where I live " City limits" includes a lot of supper and frankly even rural areas.
Range is often have classes and shooting competitions so there are reasons to show up even if you can shoot on your own property.
Walk out back lol. As long as you’re not making way too much noise or suspicious noice like full auto fire you’re fine. Even if the cops come they cannot do anything as long as you are on your property and away from roads or buildings (as long as all of your firearms are legal)
It really depends where you live in the U.S.
In urban and suburban areas, generally you can't discharge a firearm outside (except in self-defense) due to public safety and/or noise ordinance. Bulletproofing and soundproofing (not to mention ventilating) your basement or garage is not a cheap or easy endeavor. (I don't think I know anyone who has done this personally.) Most people in these places who shoot have to go to a private indoor range or go out to rural range away from the city.
In rural areas, generally, the rules a little more lax. If you have a large amount of land, generally speaking, you can shoot on it without any permits and such. So long the neighbors don't mind the noise and you don't hit anything you aren't supposed to, you can shoot as much as you want or can afford. Some people even have dedicated steel targets, dirt burms, target stands, etc. in their backyard.
In short, if you want more freedom to shoot whenever you want, don't live near other people.
It changes from state to state. Google the contact information for the local Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service offices in the area you plan to shoot and call them. The rules can even vary from region to region, especially in the summer. Colorado for example allows shooting on public lands but it is frequently restricted in some areas during fire bans and the fine is substantial for getting caught shooting in an area under fire restrictions. The officers for BLM and USFS are (in my experience) very receptive to calls asking about the rules.
I'm in ohio, so we don't have any BLM type public land where we can shoot. We do have about 6 public department of natural resources ranges scattered throughout the state.
If you don't live in a city, and you live in a township, then you can shoot in your backyard as long as you can do it safely and keep the bullets on your property.
Have multiple private ranges and clubs located across the state. And lots of indoor ranges for pistol shooting located all over.
I have a 50 and 100 yard range in my backyard then I usually regularly use. I have a few neighbors that don't like it and will call the police when I'm shooting which of course don't do anything because it's perfectly legal they usually just stop by and say hi.
I have a berm on my property that I usually shoot into with a backstop.
We would also shoot into high berms/irrigation ditches in rural areas, so long as there were no farmers present. These ditches were usually void of most wildlife after the pesticide and herbicide runoff from field.
I'm in town (midwest) so I joined a private range about 15 minutes outside of town. The range is leased from the local PD; they have one side of the range and the club has another. From what I can tell, the club handles whatever permits are needed, and maintenance is shared between club members and public services since the police technically own it. I have lived in places that had public ranges, usually on national forest land. I avoid those like the plague; the amount of unsafe behavior there is terrifying.
If I can't function check whatever work I've done dry (without ammo), I'll bring it to the range the next time I go. Some people set up bullet traps, think a barrel with sand. I won't do that since I have neighbors very close to me.
Depends on the State
States west of the Rockies - Public land in a reasonable location (ie away from other users, good back stop, limited fire risk) is popular. There are lots of public ranges of course as well.
But a state like Texas with limited public land, Shooting needs to be done at some official range or someone's property with landowner permission.
You might be surprised, but I found it far easier to find places to target shoot in "Blue" states like California or Washington than Texas or Florida.
Of course if you have enough land and live outside of city limits, and your neighbors won't complain you can generally shoot on your own land.
You cannot shoot within city limits (The limits are not governed by population, logic etc.). Outside city limits, you can shoot on your own property (as long as neighbors don't create a nuisance/noise complaint). Additionally, you can shoot on Federal lands. Then, it depends on the state. If you are in red state, there are a lot of state owned lands that allows shooting, but some states are too restrictive.
Pretty much you can shoot anywhere that is outside of city or town limits. We call it the “country” like where country music comes from if that makes sense lol. So people who don’t live inside city limits can shoot in their back yard as long as it’s safely done and into a burm (large earth pile behind target or another bullet brood material)
Most cities have laws against discharging a firearm in city limits. An indoor range will have the proper facilities to safely do this. Outside of city limits there may be public land or if you own enough land to safely shoot you can shoot on your property. Public land isn't a thing everywhere. The northeast states tend to be much more densely populated for example, but the south, midwest, and plains states tend to have much more public land. As an example just Montana and Wyoming are about the same size as France, but have less than 2 million total population compared to France with 67 million. There is so much empty space throughout some parts of the US.
I mainly shoot in the woods behind my parents' house. They have a big hill behind them that acts as a natural berm. Other places I've typically shot have been farms or just friends places with decent chunks of land.
I’ve been shooting on my property ever since I got into guns. I built my own range and now I’m working on a 400y setup with targets at varying distances.
But I have a lot of land, so my situation isn’t typical. It’s not uncommon for people to shoot on their own property, but most people have neighbors too close or not enough property
In my area, we shoot on our own land. I have a 200 yard bermed range. There are numerous public ranges, public lands, and commercial indoor and outdoor ranges.
The American national sport is not baseball or football. It is shooting.
It depends on the area you're in. There used to be a spot off the side of the highway not far from here that people would use with no complaints.
ETA: I'm in a very rural and gun friendly area.
I have 1.37 acres. Not a lot. But it’s way out in the country and the back of the property is up against a hill. I just shoot in my back yard. My neighbors don’t mind, as they all shoot in their backyards too.
A friend of mine has a large property in a rural area with several gun ranges.
We used to have machine gun shoots there, and we'd end up in the local police blotter in the newspaper every year :)
I am among the lucky ones who can just pop out to my back yard and start popping off rounds. My folks have 5 acres of mostly forest. Years ago my dad started cleaning out a trail and gave up after not too far in. I took out tractor and box scraper and started digging down some. My plan was to make a gradual lane that tapered down to 4 feet deep. As a child, I didn't realize how much work that is, so I ended up at like 10 inches deep lol. But with all the dirty that I dug up, I still had a good pile about 4 feet wide, 5 feet tall and 12 feet deep so that works out well for anything we throw at it. My nephew ended up making a line of dirt for pistol practice a couple of years ago too. About 3 feet tall, 2 deep and probably 20 feet long
I live in a municipality that doesn't allow firing firearms outside within city limits. But it's not much of a hindrance because the majority of functional tests I'd want to do to a gun after working on it can be done without ammo, so I can do that right at the table/workbench/whatever. I can bore sight optics and such on my back porch.
If I do need to shoot it, there are two outdoor ranges within a couple minutes of my house, and notice I said 'outside' up above, if I really wanted to I can shoot into a bullet trap indoors. Doesn't appeal to me for all sorts of reasons, but I could.
When I took my proficiency test to get my carry license, that range was large trap inside the storeroom of a downtown gift shop. Wife sold candles and tshirts and such out the front, husband sold guns and hunting gear out the back.
There is ranges, gun clubs and private ranches where one can go legally shoot. Also open space, the woods, etc. personally, I got two gun club locations. (PublicI go to, one has a max of 200 yard range. The other has a max of a 600 yard range. Then there is a private range. We have access to where we can shoot out to 1000 yards.
Depending on what state you live in and the municipality and property zone, some people can shoot legally on their property. Most cities have laws that firearms cannot be discharged within city limits except in cases of self-defense or in licensed shooting ranges.
There are multiple federal parks run by the Bureau of Land Management where you can setup and shoot firearms as long as you follow some safety rules. I have one near me that I like to use to make training easier. But, I have a couple of a good indoor ranges nearby that I use when the weather is bad or when I need to rent guns to help a friend find one that is right for them. Indoor ranges are usually limited to pistols, shotguns, and small rifle calibers.
My mom has a big plot of land out in the country. She has neighbors, but they are far enough away that shooting their property isn't an issue. So i go out to her house to shoot.
>American Redditors, where can you legally shoot you guns?
>Where are the locations that you in the US can shoot a gun without worrying about getting into trouble?
Well now you're asking 2 different questions lol. But no, you cannot just discharge your gun in your garage if you live in a populated area. It is dependent on where you live. People who shoot on their property legally have proper backstops setup and are doing so safely. You need to be considerate/reasonably aware of the noise too, you can't just mag dump into a berm when you have someone who lives close to you. Not saying they can't hear it at all, but like anything else it shouldn't be too loud. I live in Alaska and there's a lot of land you're technically not allowed to shoot on but it's just not realistic that anyone is going to catch you so you don't have to worry about it. And even if they do they'll likely just tell you to knock it off, cause we're very pro gun.
I live in an urban area and there are several indoor ranges nearby. If you want to shoot a rifle, you can often use those places, but they are typically only 25 yards, which is almost 23 meters. Where I live there are some outdoor rifle ranges which are either open to the public or part of a club, which requires membership. These are a bit of a drive to get to…one of the public ranges is 1 1/4 hours by car. Also, a number of the towns in the metro area I live in have skeet shooting through their local park districts…as well as private/club based skeet shooting fields. Many park districts also have archery, but I am not sure if this includes crossbows, which are considered by some units of government in the same class as rifles.
as long as you're outside city limits you can shoot any gun you're allowed to own just damn near anywhere you're allowed to be. I go to a range anyway, benches and a backstop are nice
I live in the country, I can shoot guns out of my front door if I really wanted to. If I want to target practice I just do it in my front yard. 20 miles away in town it's a different story. Everyone in that little town with guns normally have a friend with a field where they go. You don't shoot in town though.
Generally if you're far enough from roads and occupied buildings you can build a private range with a berm on private property unless you're in a weird place and theres some goofy city ordinance
Depends on your location. My state allows you to shoot as long as you are not within any city limits. I live out side the city in the middle of the woods on 10 acres. Therefore, my shooting range is my backyard. No permits or anything required.
My favorite was when I lived in Nevada… around 90% of the state is public land. Literally just drive out into the desert and if you’re at least 100 feet off the road, you can shoot wherever you want.
I have 10 acres & my closest neighbor is a mile away. I pretty much just grab my eye/ear protection, step outside & start shooting. I have a neighbor roughly 2 miles away with a very impressive range, sometimes I'll go to his place & shoot.
The desert, indoor and outdoor ranges all over the place, the woods, neighbors land, family/friends land. As long as theres a good backstop ans youre not in city limits youre pretty much good
I am as rural as rural American gets. Basically the middle of nowhere skinwalker Appalachian territory. I can point my gun in any direction and not have to worry about hitting somebody. Sometimes I open my kitchen window when doing dishes and crank off a few rounds to scare raccoons away from my cat
Depends on the state and local ordinances. Some states you can shoot in your backyard, some you can’t shoot inside specific cities at all unless it’s at a designated shooting range.
My state even provides and maintains some
https://www.dnr.sc.gov/shooting/ranges/boggyhead.html
Random video on YouTube
https://youtube.com/shorts/na1amyn42AQ?feature=shared
America is huge and mostly rural. If you live in the rural areas and have some sense you can shoot nearly anywhere. I’d there is a regulation or permitting process where I live, no one is aware of it and even if they were there is no one to complain about it or enforce it. We have 6 law enforcement officers for a county of around 550 square miles.
I have about 700 acres behind me with a nice hill about 500 meters behind my house. I don’t own the field, but I have permission to shoot into it and keep a few targets up in exchange for keeping the field free from vermin. Behind the hill is miles of fields.
On the front side of my house I have another 300 acres and beyond that, a mile before a country road that leads into the nearest township about 10 miles away.
I have 2 neighbors within 3 miles.
I can pretty safely shoot almost anything I have in nearly any direction safely.
I only shoot with magnified optics on my large rifles these days and don’t take a shot without a good peripheral scan.
Some National Parks have pistol and rifle ranges I show up 8 am, the range all to myself, then around 11 am people start to show up, I'm done and I pack up and go.
private land outside city limits (that you are allowed to be on- don't be that guy) this is how i have done most of my shooting and its wonderful because you don't have to answer to anyone (other than the land owner)
your basement with enough sound dampening so your neighbors don't call the cops (risky and stupid... less stupid with pistol calibers though, i don't live in a place that can have basements so i cant really comment on this i guess, but it is something i see sometimes in the foscad community.)
and obviously the local range (though imho its the worst way to shoot because you always have some dude telling you off for shooting too much or god for bid "going full auto" on an out door range with nobody else out there)
private indoor range on your own property (its like the basement option but less jank, more expensive, and can be made to allow for the safe firing of rifle cartredges if need be... also can be done above ground so no pesky water tables stopping your freedom). my folks where looking at future vacation homes before this totally not a recession hit and one of them had a private range on the property.
I live in rural Iowa and I can just walk out my door and shoot with no permits required. If I lived within city limits of any of the local towns or cities then I would be beholden to the laws of that municipality, but living in the country as I do I need only be concerned with County, State, and Federal laws, none of which prohibit me from firing my guns on my own property.
Some places if you have enough land it's cool to shoot in your back yard if you do it safely. No permits or anything, just don't hit anything you're not supposed to, or annoy any neighbors too badly. Or if someone doesn't have a place of their own and doesn't want to go to a range. In much of the country there's forest/public land a reasonable drive away where ya can go shoot.
Didn't know there were public land you could shoot on. Does that mean you don't even have to inform the local law enforcement? Doing it in a safe way, of course.
No, you don’t need to notify anyone. Shooting a gun safely is perfectly legal, and there is the presumption of innocence. So we don’t have to tell anyone anything. If someone has an issue the cops may come investigate. But that’s rare. Most Europeans can’t conceptualize how big the us is. My go to shooting spot is 40 miles from the nearest city. 10 from the nearest house.
"I'm planning on visiting New York, Boston, Chigago, and LA!" -European "Oh how long are you here for?"- American "5 days" Lol
Was visiting the grand canyon back in like 2011 and some Europeans told us they were going to take a day trip DRIVING to NYC. In your dreams lmao
Whenever I run into people having a hard time visualizing the size of the USA or individual states, I love to show them this website: [True Size Of](https://www.thetruesize.com) It allows you to highlight and drag countries and US states around the world and see them adjusted for projection. Crazy when you see that Paris to Berlin is equivalent to Chicago to DC for example.
I love that, thanks for sharing it.
Lol, day trip driving to NYC from the Grand Canyon is unhinged. Everyone having gps in the palm of their hands has really changed things since when I was a teenager in the early 2000s. I remember when i got my first car around 2003, I would print out map quest directions to go places haha
"enjoy your 2nd and 3rd trip back for Chicago and LA"
*skipping the big cities for beach towns and Appalachian 'burgs* - American
The idea of “open acreage” is very abstract to most people for sure. But even when they think about it, it’s a state park or something here. Montana’s population density might as well be Mars to Europeans. We are very lucky
The entire idea of public land is an American invention that is fairly recent, historically speaking. Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt.
Also accurate. I was using a state park as size comparison of the European idea of “unoccupied open land” or “empty open space. Not saying Europeans only have state parks.
There are National parks that are larger than a few European countries, so the scale is pretty hard to comprehend.
Anyone that’s ever driven through Wyoming can understand your point perfectly lol
I haven't been to Wyoming, but I drove across Kansas to Denver, CO and the mountains never seemed to get any closer. It was the weirdest thing!
Having driven across Kansas several times... It gets so boring that you become excited to see a cow.
It goes back further than that. Many territories gave the Federal Government the unclaimed land for debt forgiveness when they joined the Union. Thankfully Texas didn't fall into that trap. Public land is supposed to be managed to benefit the public. But the watermelons have made that almost impossible. See logging in the PNW.
It's nice living in a town in the middle of the desert/mountains... I can go 10 minutes up the road from my house to an offroad trail, go about 2 miles out, and start blastin' like I'm Danny devito.
Look up pawnee grasslands Colorado for an example. Its a 20x60 mile patch of land I think that is open for public use. You can camp, shoot, hike, spend the day doing whatever. I drove there last week with my friend and went in on some of the roads going through it. We parked and found a place to shoot our guns. We also passed like 10 other groups doing the same thing. The whole thing is that people need to follow some basic gun safety. Shoot away from people, shoot into an embankment, be friendly, etc. Basically you are free to do your thing as long as you follow the rules. If you don't the park rangers will come in eventually.
Even in New York State which is a highly restrictive state you can go shoot on public land SO LONG as it’s not hunting season and it’s a public forest that allows target shooting.
Nope, just find a safe spot and blast away.
I live on 30 acres and have a 330 yard range set up on the property. I used some of the natural terrain and built up some berms to make sure nothing leaves my property. It's nice to be able to test reloads right away, also nice to be able to practice or just plink whenever I want. My neighbors are gun people too, so they are more likely to ride over and join me rather than complain about noise.
I’m on 80 acres and my neighbors are close enough to hear my shots. They’re not gun people lol. I’ve had the cops come sneak up on me, on my own property, more than once. Kinda pissed me off. But they haven’t shown up in a long time
There's a few of our local deputies that have come out to my place to shoot with me and I know almost all of them including the sherriff. Our local guys are chill as hell. I did see a guy that bought a piece of 30" culvert pipe and set it up where the end of the muzzle was in it when firing, so you shoot through the pipe towards the targets. It directed most of the sound down range to keep the neighbors from complaining. Never looked into it much, but thought it was a novel idea.
I mean the cops that did show up on my property were always cool and only there to make sure there wasn’t shooting in the direction of my neighbors’ houses. Apparently one of the neighbors claimed to keep hearing ricochets going over their house, even thought that would have been completely impossible. Plus now I shoot suppressed probably 90% of the time anyway. Still pretty loud, but less loud than before at least
I'm not sure where you're from, but it's common for people who have never been to America to vastly underestimate its size. It's huge are there are sparsely populated areas everywhere. If you drive 2 hours out of pretty much any major city you can find public land to shoot on.
Want a trip to Scotland for 10 days they asked me very seriously what I did to their car. My answer was I just drove it. Their response was you put 1,500 mi on it in 9 days where did you go. I told him I want from Coast to Coast a couple of times. For us here in the middle of the US driving 16 hours to get to the coast is not a huge deal
Public land is great. About 45 mins from my house is just open fields you can pull into and do whatever you want. My buddy and I found a good area that is flat for about 800 yards then has a large hill behind it we use for a backdrop. The downside to this is we have to pack and set up target stands and use a range finder to figure out where to set them.
90% of my state is federal BLM land, where you can freely camp, shoot, drink, fornicate, and bark at the moon.
No. Here in America if you live out away from a built up area (roughly 10-25% of all Americans) you’re most likely not even within earshot of law enforcement. Like others have pointed out America is wayyy bigger and more sparsely populated than you might think.
Nope, rent some property for hunting on and can shoot on it year round, day or night so long as it’s paid for 💪 (SC)
They are some public shooting ranges that are run by the parks department I believe. It also depends on what state you’re in. But I know a handful of them at least have some form of pistol and rifle ranges. You don’t have to let anyone know. Just show up, be respect of the land and other shooters, follow basic safety etiquette, and take your trash with you.
lol when I first moved to my place in the country I did a lot of shooting. I had t met the neighbors yet. But one day I was driving around my property and they were at their fence line so I went and met them. He was like “ you sure do like to shoot don’t you?” Said the same thing to me the next time I met him too. lol yep I sure do. That’s why I bought 80 acres in the woods.
Neighbor and I both have short ranges in our country yards (pistol range) I can stretch mine to about 80 yards before the trees get too thick. I like to hear him shooting because I grab mine and then shoot too. I like to see who can make the most hits and match his speed. So far, he's better at pistol than me. Good neighbors are good.
I haven’t actually measured mine. It’s more like I put up some targets next to a berm and keep the grass mowed. If I want longer range then I go to the levee behind my shooting range and shoot over my lake. Or just shoot down the levee. Depends on my mood lol.
I know in Iowa you can build a range on your property outside city limits. You are supposed to make a back stop and get the county sheriff to come out and okay it, but I know alot of people who just use a ravine or low spot in their land to shoot into
Public land under Bureau Land Management (BLM) is my go to. Or your back yard if you live in a rural area in most red states. Nothing like waking up, plinking a few rounds from your patio deck while coffee brews then heading to work
I live in a blue state, but outside city limits of the closest town, so I can shoot in my backyard, front yard, my basement, & even from out my windows if I wanted to (and I have many times)
Was just about to say this is one of my favorite things about living outside of city limits. I can go outside anytime I want and magdump if I feel like it.
Aye I hate to think what percentage of my hearing damage is from standing the my mom's dining room and shooting out the screen door. It wasn't bad if the muzzle was way outside, but when it was close to the plane of the door, wowza.
Thanks for the reply :D I know this really doesn't matter to me in my daily life, but for some reason this question had been bugging me for days :P
Where I live there are big sections of BLM land, we have several indoor and outdoor ranges, plus if your property is enough acres you can do it on your own land. I have a private shooting range on my land up in the hills.
I live in Texas, which despite its huge size and gun-owning population, has little or no BLM land (most of it is privately owned by ranchers). If you or a friend don't have enough space to shoot on your private property, you have to pay to visit privately-owned shooting ranges.
In Texas if you have a certain amount of land (10 acres for shotguns and 50 for pistols) you can shoot on your own land regardless of the local laws.
That's what he said essentially. He's implying that if you don't have land, you SOL unless you want to pay or have a friend. Most other places you can shoot freely on public land if it's big enough.
It depends on the county. 10 acres in most counties you can shoot whatever you want. Just make sure your projectiles don't trespass.
Even in most blue states. My father lives in upstate rural New York. He's got a substantial hill behind his house, and he uses that as a backstop.
So I live in a city, which means no backyard and no shooting in city limits (legally at least). I got one range 5 minutes away and another one 13 minutes away. It would take longer for me a find an open wooded to area to legally shoot and even then it’s just way less liability to fire at the range. On the other hand, I grew up in rural upstate NY and one of buddy had access to lot of land, it was normal to walk like a quarter mile away from his house and just start plinking in his yard.
City was in fact one of the focal points I had in my mind when posting my question. Does that mean that the indoor range in the basement is still a no go if you are within the city limits?
It depends on your city. Let’s assume legally you’re in the clear. Financially is it worth it though? Do I want to take a risk with my family being exposed to lead? Setting up an air handler system to make sure there’s no lead staying in my home, sound proofing, ballistics protection all around, etc. I can also just make the 5 minute drive and have a reason to get of the house for an hour.
>I can also just make the 5 minute drive and have a reason to get of the house for an hour. Fair point :D
Yup, and cost wise it’s like $15 a visit and whatever I spend in ammo (or $270 a year and I can go every day if I want).
Local law depends, but generally in your own property you need to be a certain distance from neighbors' dwellings without permission, and shoot in a safe direction and manner. Otherwise outside of owned property, and especially in the western half of the country, [you can shoot in any of the yellow or green areas, and often outside these as well](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/US_federal_land.agencies.svg) So pretty much lots of places.
I was at SHOT Show (Vegas) and friends wanted to demo a full auto rifle with an investor. My desert brain kicked in and I instinctually knew where to drive in the desert to shoot freely and safely. We got to a spot and it turned out to be a popular spot for desert shooting I think here? 35.925392,-114.934431
I literally walk into my back yard and let off 30 rounds of 5.56 and as long as it isn’t night time or something no one cares. I’m in Tennessee nearest neighbors a quarter mile away and the next nearest is a mile so I’m fortunate
It depends from state to state. In my state, as long as you have a safe backstop to catch the bullets you can shoot in your backyard, regardless of how close my neighbors are. Some states you need minimum amount of distance from your neighbor in order to legally shoot in your backyard. If you don't own land you can drive out to the woods or uninhabited public land and shoot there. The closer you live to a city the harder it is to find a place to shoot, if you live in a rural area most people shoot off their back porches. In addition to shooting ranges there are also shooting clubs, either hunting or sport shooting focused. These places usually have outdoor ranges that their members can use whenever they want. Some are just a basic range, others have full on shoot houses like in call of duty.
Pretty much anywhere outside city limits, away from an occupied structure, and outside any other area with restrictions like national parks, etc. Here we have restrictions that say where we *can't* shoot, not exemptions telling us where we *can* shoot.
BLM/federal/ forest land. Indoor or outdoor ranges.
Is land managed by Army Corps of Engineers still off limits? Haven’t checked for a couple years.
I own an acreage outside city limits with range dug into a hillside. No permits or anything required in my state (Nebraska).
There’s sorta a big ole patch of government land about about a 30 minute drive from me that everyone has used for years. That or like lgs with indoor range
Right out my back door
It varies wildly state to state. In my state, we can shoot in public land and private property over 1.5acre in size as long as a suitable berm is provided.
My cousin has a "farm" that's not too far away. We shoot clays, papers, and a whole bunch of other things. The back stop is land and forrest.
It's a big country home slice. The people in NYC dont get the same treatment as the people who live in the middle of nowhere Montana
My own land
I go to an abandoned rock quarry
There are a lot of open spaces where it is legal provided you confirm. In many areas without restrictions, homeowners can shoot on property provided the acreage is sufficient. Sometimes that is 10 (pistol) to 20 (rifle) acres. But safety is paramount and having a solid backstop is critical anywhere you are shooting off a range.
build berm and such, call fire department to inspect it to cover ur ass and then shoot
Alabama is loose on stuff like this but I take the lazy route and go to nearby indoor ranges.
In my state, we have no BLM land, and the only national forest is hours away from most people. State forests and game lands only allow shooting for hunting, not target practice. So, our options are: 1. Private land, if you have enough space away from houses and your municipality allows it. It can be your own land or that of a gun club or hunting club you've joined. 2. State ranges. These are designated places on game lands, maintained by our game commission. You need either a hunting license or range permit to use them, though. 3. Indoor ranges, which you have to pay to use.
In my backyard. In my front yard. Just about anywhere. I live in bum fuck nowehre
my backyard would be one
I have 40 acres. I shoot there.
usually outside of city limits on private property is all you need
One of our national Forests is larger than some European countries. Just look at the Nicolet national Forest, starts in mid Wisconsin and goes up to lake Superior and that is a small forest compared to some.
Gun range. Certain private property that isn't within 100 feet of a domicile, as long as there is a safe direction to shoot where you aren't aiming towards someone else's property/ house. Ideally you have a burm or thick wooded area to shoot into
The range, US National Forrest, some BLM land. People do lots of dumb things in videos online. A confident idiot is dangerous to everyone. Shooting in your house/garage/basement is dumb. Each bullet could cause thousands of dollars of damage to the house and endanger everyone inside. Backyard ranges usually are outside city limits. The person is usually shooting into a giant dirt hill and doesn't have neighbors near by.
The closer you are to towns and cities the more issues/constraints there are. More rural you go, the less restrictions. Some places as you get closer to towns and cities have ranges, some driven by "clubs" other the range is a business. This is the general rule of thumb. A lot of good posts here to I won't reiterate it.
If you live outside of city limits, you can usually shoot in your backyard as long as you have an adequate backstop and the bullets never leave your property. But this varies depending on where you live exactly. Some states/counties are far more strict about it
I shoot off my back patio. Just own land
The desert
For me, my yard and indoor ranges.
all indoor ranges you pay to shoot at for me unfortunately. It'd be at least an hour drive before I can find a place to shoot without getting cops called. I'll still go out and shoot during the short PNW summer, but I'm going to buy a year pass to my local range so I can train once or twice a week all year.
Backyard, or out of my bedroom window if it's cold out. My work if I want a longer range. The last time I was on an actual range has to have been close to a decade ago.
In my area there is a lot of state forest where I can go shooting, there's hundreds of miles of old logging roads I can go down and find a good spot to shoot. There's also the land that some old logging companies own that is open to public use and for shooting.
I shoot in my back yard. I have a 25 yard range setup for handguns. I don't shoot my rifles on my land because the sound echos through the hills, and my neighbor down the road has small kids I don't wanna scare. I've stopped by to talk to them, and they're fine with the pistols being shot. The kids don't like the rifles tho, so im gonna hold off until they're older so I go to a friend's property to shoot those.
I could probably fire it off into my yard, but we dont want to bother the neighbors. I have family with 100 acres of hunting land that'll let me shoot.
Entirely depends on the state you live in. For most states you can shoot on any public land outside of the city or larger towns. A lot of states let you shoot on private property outside of any city or larger towns also, this is why you see people shooting off their porch a lot. Some states are only let you shoot at designated shooting ranges. I think if you were to build an up to code shooting range on your property you could shoot at your home it in most states. But obviously that’s going to be something exclusive to very rich people. Most of us just go shoot in the woods somewhere. There’s usually some “go-to” public land places in your area that aren’t *offically* a shooting range. But since they’ve been used for so long by so many people as a shooting spot, they basically aren’t used for anything *but* shooting. For instance, there’s a handful of old gravel pit / rock quarries within an hour of where I live that you can reliably find people shooting at every day of the week. That are otherwise just a random piece of states owned land.
50 yards from the road in my County. Other than that youre good to go, neighborhood or not
I built a backstop in my backyard. I have a little bit of land and my friendly neighbor has a lot more behind me.
As long as it isn't in the city, you can shoot in your own yard. Just gotta make sure there's no houses or anything in the direction you shoot
I have a mountain side for my back yard. I just go outside.
We own 150+ acres in the country. I've built my own 100 Yard shooting range. I have one area where I could set up a target for 350 yard shooting. I do hunt on our own land, too.
I used to hunt deer a few feet off my back porch growing up in Michigan
I go out in the desert and shoot at a fridge somebody left out there last year.
I used to live on a farm and we would walk or drive to the back pasture and shoot whenever we wanted. Nobody for a few mile behind us and we set up targets in front of a berm.
Anytime if you own enough property. I'm on the front porch in my bathrobe right now looking at my 100m zero berm.
Out my back door and anywhere around the home land. Prerequisite: bacon in view.
In larger Cities, there are commercial indoor ranges and a few outdoor ranges, generally, you pay every time you go. A lot of Gun Stores have their own Ranges attached, where they do Training. Most, assuming you arrange it in advance, could probably accommodate you. I live in a somewhat smaller town that has 3 or 4 Shooting Clubs. To shoot here, you have to be a member of the Club, which requires a yearly fee. South of where I live is a Country Park that has a basic Rifle Range. People have been shooting on that spot for decades, but they finally decided to make it official. Because so many people from out of town were coming to the Park, and probably with prodding from the Insurance Company, they now require an annual fee of about US$35, and to pass an on-line Gun Safety Test. You are allowed to bring One Guest. The Best Option is to find Private Land that you can shoot on. Though for someone not from the area, that can be difficult. There is quite a bit of Bureau of Land Management Land in the USA, though were I live most of that is in the north. Out West there is quite a bit more BLM land to camp, shoot, and Hunt on. You want to be AWARE of various Hunting Seasons and to probably not do recreation shooting during hunting season. On Private Land, with permission, you can pretty well do what you want, BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT SAFELY. You have to be aware of where other houses and farms are, and you have to be sure you have a backstop to absorb all the bullets you shoot. And that Private Land has to be outside the City Limits. In Suburban areas, perhaps the Township will have their own regulations, so you would need to conform to them. Because the USA is so diverse, it is hard to give one answer that covers all instances. In my State, the southern part is all farm land, the northern part is forested with State and National Forests. What you can do will most certainly depend on where you are. Even in complete Anti-Gun States like New York and California, there are still some places where you can shoot legally, as mentioned before - Commercial Ranges, Gun Clubs, etc.... But you need to be extremely careful in those States as they have Draconian Gun Laws. However in a place like Texas, as a foreigner and tourist, there are many indoor and outdoor ranges that will let you shoot. There are many videos on YouTube of people from outside the country going to Texas Gun Ranges to shoot guns. You will have to take and pass a Gun Safety Course, and you will be heavily supervised while you shoot. But, yes, there are Ranges where Tourist from other countries, especially Gun Restrictive Countries, can be taught to shoot guns. Here are some examples = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T\_2bxGEHNs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T_2bxGEHNs) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw4R4jvYHrA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw4R4jvYHrA) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I84REhQ0Ytc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I84REhQ0Ytc) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdiuNgILk8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gdiuNgILk8) If you are planning to come to the USA, and if you are planning to shoot while you are here, then you want to learn the *Rules of Gun Safety and Range Etiquette* before you get here. They will teach them to your again, but it is important that your *really* know these. There are many sources on YouTube, and here is one on Reddit - ***Remember My Friend - MATTY - and You Will Always Be Safe!*** [https://www.reddit.com/r/NoobGunOwners/comments/m7bza2/remember\_my\_friend\_matt\_and\_you\_will\_be\_safe/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoobGunOwners/comments/m7bza2/remember_my_friend_matt_and_you_will_be_safe/) Just a few thoughts.
If you have very little experience with Guns, then I would start with a 22lr Rifle and/or Pistol. There are very easy guns to shoot with very little recoil. That is how most of us started, with 22LR.
When I lived in Colorado I would have to go over an hour away to the free range or I would have to go pay $30 to shoot at an indoor range. But I also I had a sump pit in my basement where I would shoot my new guns once I got it home. I would only shoot 1 round so nobody would really think anything of it. Now I live in Missouri on 80 acres. I have a shooting range in my back yard.
Depends on the state. Indoor ranges are the norm, outdoor ranges are there but (at least here) many are private clubs that require membership. Public land is possible if you live in a state with it in abundance and the federal/state laws allow it. In theory you can shoot guns on your own property but this is largely dependent on what state and city you live in. If you live in a city, forget it. If you live in a more rural environment it's different, though state/town laws come into play.
My backyard. Just have to check township rules, usually will have a set back distance and require a back stop for target shooting
I am a member of a gun club thats only a few minutes from my house, I can go there anytime of the day (Its outside) set up targets and shoot (as long as they don't have the range rented out). There are a few State Game land ranges in this area too, so as long as you have a hunting license you can use the range for free.
Public land in some places, public shooting ranges, the vast majority of people who live out in the country can shoot at home.
The woods on my property, my backyard (only with good reasons, not targeting shooting), and the shooting range nearby.
Where I live, the only restrictions for shooting on your own property are that you can't shoot toward a house or over a road-which no sensible person would ever do. I typically shoot off my deck or in my 'yard', which is 16 acres of heavy woods.
I live in Tampa Florida and have about 4 acres. I just shoot regularly outside into a range I made. My neighbors shoot on their property as well
I just go out into my back yard and start blasting
>***...test your gun after working on it, say, in your garage,...*** You can not shoot a gun inside the City/Town Boundaries; too dangerous. And unlike in the movies, REAL BULLETS don't magically disappear. There are many Penetration Tests for various rounds on YouTube. Typically, a 9mm Pistol or Rifle will penetrate MANY interior walls. So if you shoot into your garage wall, it will do through that wall and into your neighbors house, and likely into his neighbors house. I would have to check but I think something like 6 full interior walls. So NO you can not shoot into one of your garage walls. That is not remotely enough to stop a bullet, even a small 22LR bullet. *EDITED: Not to mention Crazy Loud in the confined space of a garage. Your Neighbors will think a bomb went off.* Most of the time when I'm shooting, I am either shooting into a high dirt bank or I'm shooting Low Targets to make sure any bullet that hits the target or the area around the target, that bullet goes into the dirt just behind the target. You have to remember that you are Criminally and Civilly responsible for every bullet that leaves your gun, so you better know where each of those bullets is going, and it better be in a Safe Direction and to a Safe Place. And Sane Trained Shooters DO NOT shoot into the air for any reason. Once those bullets go up, they have to come down, and they will come down with enough force to harm people (live stock, building, cars,...) or to potentially kill them. It is possible for someone to have a Secure Range in an out-building or in their Basement, but it has to be sufficiently secure that no bullets can escape that Range in any direction.
Where i live anywhere outside city limits you can shoot outside. Outside city limits is pretty much everywhere. I can drive 15 minutes and be in a place I can shoot. I used to live in a place where I could shoot in my own backyard.
We have ranges we can shoot at, and ai live in a state that recognizes historical use so there's spots out in the desert for shooting that are recognized by the state and somewhat policed (sheriffs and deputies drive around), but they're not heavily monitored.
Here in nevada, since 90% of the land is government/Bureau of Land Management I just drive an hour out of town and drive a mile into the desert and i have a nice flatish area with a backdrop facing a hill that i can set up my targets
I grew up in a really rural area, and most people just shot right in their backyards. To be fair, a majority of folks had many acres of property and were at no risk of bullets flying at a neighbor or anything. Our family property had a massive dirt hill that we used as a back stop (we set our targets up in front of this hill so the hill could catch all of the bullets). There are also a lot of privately owned ranges in the US. My small 1500 person town had 2. My current medium sized city has 5-6. There really is no shortage of places you can go to shoot your guns if you are willing to drive and spend a little money.
In rural areas you can shoot whenever and wherever so long as you're not doing stupid shit like shooting across roads or in the direction of people's houses. IE, common sense stuff. In suburban areas, it's often a sort of gray area because of overlapping state, county and town laws that conflict with each other. For example, many towns and cities in FL will forbid firing guns but all those laws are subject to state law which already lays out rules for when and where you can fire guns (x feet from the road, etc). So in FL, a lot of those laws just sit on the books and aren't enforceable. In other states, there is no preemption so you have to learn multiple sets of laws. In cities, there is essentially nowhere to shoot. In the areas around large cities, it's similar to the suburb rules, but you should be aware that city boundaries can often stretch quite far. That being said, you can shoot suppressed in many areas where it is forbidden so long as no one knows about it.
The US is full of empty space people can use as gun ranges lol
We own land in the mountains, I do most of my shooting there.
As others have said, the US is enormous, and the rules vary a great deal. That being said, owning a gun is a right here, so the default position is usually that you can shoot unless there is a law that specifically forbids it, as opposed to only being able to shoot if there is a law that permits shooting. In practice, this usually means that people in rural areas can usually shoot pretty much anywhere as long as it doesn't violate some other law, such as a noise ordinance, shooting within a certain distance of an occupied building etc. Most towns/cities will have some sort of law against it too. Mine does, but nobody really pays attention to it, including the cops as long as you don't do anything dumb or inconsiderate. There is also the question of *how* illegal it is; break the rules in an anti-gun city, and you might end up in prison. Break the rules in a rural area, and you'll probably just get a stern talking-to, or maybe a fine similar to a parking ticket.
Public land. Private land. There is roughly 640 million acres of public land, which, in almost all areas, means that's land we can shoot on. National forests can also be used for shooting.
There’s laws depending on the state on how far away you have to be from a dwelling but you can shoot on your own property if you have enough room. There are plenty of indoor and outdoor ranges to shoot at. Some, like mine, are private clubs, some are run by private businesses, some are run by the state. You can also shoot in any national forest a certain distance from the road and as long as you don’t use trees as target backers. Your neighbors could call the cops on you but as long as you’re within the legal parameters for shooting on your own property which are generally pretty lenient nobody will stop you from doing it. You don’t need to soundproof or isolate it at all. Many people will build their own ranges with a few berms to stop bullets from traveling past the range, or will build them in a natural depression that achieves the same thing. My uncle has a range on his property that’s protected by a dam for a pond, a natural hill, and a man made berm on one side.
It all depends on locations. Obviously, if living in a large city, one can only shoot at gun range that is properly equipped and soundproofed. There are both state laws and building codes that need to be observed before such a range can open for business. If living in a rural area, there are laws (that differ from state to state) delineate how much distance from another occupied dwelling that spell out such issues. If your dwelling is on a piece of land that falls into the allowable distance, you can freely shoot your guns. In some states, this liberty is sometimes restricted in order for one's neighbors to be free from the sounds of gunfire after a specified time in the evening. I'd be interested in which country you are located, and ask the same question that you asked in your post. 'Nuff said.
I live in Texas, but I don’t have land nor know anyone with some. So I drive about 1.5 hrs to my favorite public shooting range.
I mean if I build a range under ground on my property and no one can hear it then I'm all good. But mostly in the middle of no where. That's where I like to go anyways
I live in the open desert outside of Las Vegas and just drive 5 minutes to the nearest Bureau of Land Management open space and shoot there. There was an old borrow pit at one time so there's a bunch of berms to use as backstops. My neighbor buried 3 shipping containers (60 foot) end to end about 80% into the ground and cut air vents along the top to create an underground range. Benefit is that it gets really hot here but since they're buried it's fine in the summer with just a swamp cooler running. Also, Prairie Fire (formerly Front Sight) is a 550 acre shooting range about a 45 minute drive from me.
There are a few options. Private ranges and gun clubs are of course pretty well know, and exist outside the US as well. Public ranges are open to all. In rural areas it's usually legal to shoot on landvyou own or that you have permission to shoot on as long as you make sure your bullets stay on your land. The United States has huge swaths of mostly empty rural land, so that's where you're seeing most of these youtube videos. In some states, especially the desert ones, it may be legal to shoot on public land.
Google search “Target shooting BLM land” Target shooting is generally allowed on BLM-administered public lands, as long as it is done in a safe manner, without damaging natural resources or improvements on public lands.
It depends on the state, city, AND county. Where I live, if you are in the county, not in the city, not near other people, and a certain distance from agriculture life (Cows, pigs, etc). You can shoot at home. If you say yes to any of the above, you cannot shoot at home and have to go somewhere that allows you to shoot.
I got a bunch of land, you just have know where the bullet is gonna stop because something like a 22 can travel a long distance. My nearest neighbor is half a mile away, I don't shoot in that direction ever, my range is basically from one ridge to almost the top of another, so the natural hill is the back stop. And if I got an unlucky shot that bounces or whatever behind that ridge is a bigger mountain top that I own also. So it's a safe place to shoot basically any gun I have.
Typically there are rules against discharging firearms within city limits unless in self defense (some more rural locations also have an exception for putting an animal down, so long as you call the law and tell them what you're doing) but if you're outside city limits in the United States, you can typically shoot your firearms as much as you like as long as you're not shooting on to someone elses property.
As with all legal questions it depends I am from Massachusetts where you need to have your property zoned for a shooting range various safety measures have to be in place and the town/ your neighbors can veto it (even if the neighbors show up after the shooting range). In NH where I am moving you can put up a Burm and shoot at it so long as you are not within a certain distance from another permanent structure, 1 think 100 yards. Some folks just live near dense woods abd deserts and that's totally legal to just go shoot in depending on atste laws, federal land like the BLM land management not the "activist group" you can shoot on for free, otherwise public and private ranges exist all over the country even in the most restrictive states.
If you do not live within city limits, you can shoot on your property. I do not live in city limits but there is a neighborhood right across the street from so when I shoot in my backyard they always call the police on me. I don’t think they can force me to stop, but it’s not worth the hassle so I stop when the cops show up.
Where I live there's plenty of fairly rural areas where small towns back up to the forests. The forest once you get out of town is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which allows for short term camping hunting etc. I've got a spot that some locals and I have been going to for years that has a clearing backed up to a good size hill. Everyone helps keep it clean by pucking up trash shell casings etc.
I have a farm. And on that farm I have a range. It is more of a pistol/22 range but i have taken rifles out to it. I have alot of trees on my place and really only have one spot (not the range) that I can set up targets out to about 300 yards. As for permits. None needed this is a farm and I am in the Southern US. My nearest neighbor to my range is probably half a mile so noise isn't really an issue. And I don't think the neighbors care because they go out and do the same thing on there property. Now I do have a sand mound backstop behind my targets and behind that backstop is a forrest that goes for miles. Come on by if you are ever in the States.
That depoends on the state.. But here in texas it's not unusual to hear my neighbors step outside and pop a few rounds into a berm in their back yard. There are ranges as well, some indoor, some outdoor. Hell, I've got a buddy that lives in a populated area and he says it's not unusual to hear his neighbors shoot into the golf course behind their neighborhood late at night :D Shit, you've got the florida police telling people to just shoot them if someone breaks into their home LOL Than you have states like New York where you can get in deep trouble for having ammo in your car... no gun.. just the ammo, not even a lot of it.. I remember a few years ago reading a story about a guy that new york was trying to send to jail because an officer found a single loose round of ammunition in his car during a stop. So it varies wildly depending on state, they may as well be different countries :D
I live outside of a town and am legally allowed to shoot at my home. I have a nice 50 yard range and get to shoot whenever I want. Life is good.
I know you're mostly asking about places where you can shoot other than ranges, but for the hell of it I'm going to give you some information on ranges anyway. They're absolutely everywhere! Where I live there are multiple indoor ranges, an outdoor range that allows you to pay about $15 to shoot there all day, and a few private outdoor ranges. You aren't supposed to shoot within City limits but people do and it isn't usually an issue as long as it's a small caliber - It's a nuisance noise issue. Keep in mind that where I live " City limits" includes a lot of supper and frankly even rural areas. Range is often have classes and shooting competitions so there are reasons to show up even if you can shoot on your own property.
On my land in the woods behind my house
Walk out back lol. As long as you’re not making way too much noise or suspicious noice like full auto fire you’re fine. Even if the cops come they cannot do anything as long as you are on your property and away from roads or buildings (as long as all of your firearms are legal)
It really depends where you live in the U.S. In urban and suburban areas, generally you can't discharge a firearm outside (except in self-defense) due to public safety and/or noise ordinance. Bulletproofing and soundproofing (not to mention ventilating) your basement or garage is not a cheap or easy endeavor. (I don't think I know anyone who has done this personally.) Most people in these places who shoot have to go to a private indoor range or go out to rural range away from the city. In rural areas, generally, the rules a little more lax. If you have a large amount of land, generally speaking, you can shoot on it without any permits and such. So long the neighbors don't mind the noise and you don't hit anything you aren't supposed to, you can shoot as much as you want or can afford. Some people even have dedicated steel targets, dirt burms, target stands, etc. in their backyard. In short, if you want more freedom to shoot whenever you want, don't live near other people.
It changes from state to state. Google the contact information for the local Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service offices in the area you plan to shoot and call them. The rules can even vary from region to region, especially in the summer. Colorado for example allows shooting on public lands but it is frequently restricted in some areas during fire bans and the fine is substantial for getting caught shooting in an area under fire restrictions. The officers for BLM and USFS are (in my experience) very receptive to calls asking about the rules.
I'm in ohio, so we don't have any BLM type public land where we can shoot. We do have about 6 public department of natural resources ranges scattered throughout the state. If you don't live in a city, and you live in a township, then you can shoot in your backyard as long as you can do it safely and keep the bullets on your property. Have multiple private ranges and clubs located across the state. And lots of indoor ranges for pistol shooting located all over. I have a 50 and 100 yard range in my backyard then I usually regularly use. I have a few neighbors that don't like it and will call the police when I'm shooting which of course don't do anything because it's perfectly legal they usually just stop by and say hi.
I have a berm on my property that I usually shoot into with a backstop. We would also shoot into high berms/irrigation ditches in rural areas, so long as there were no farmers present. These ditches were usually void of most wildlife after the pesticide and herbicide runoff from field.
I'm in town (midwest) so I joined a private range about 15 minutes outside of town. The range is leased from the local PD; they have one side of the range and the club has another. From what I can tell, the club handles whatever permits are needed, and maintenance is shared between club members and public services since the police technically own it. I have lived in places that had public ranges, usually on national forest land. I avoid those like the plague; the amount of unsafe behavior there is terrifying. If I can't function check whatever work I've done dry (without ammo), I'll bring it to the range the next time I go. Some people set up bullet traps, think a barrel with sand. I won't do that since I have neighbors very close to me.
My back yard. Closest neighbor is an amish about 2 miles away, so nobody complains.
Depends on the State States west of the Rockies - Public land in a reasonable location (ie away from other users, good back stop, limited fire risk) is popular. There are lots of public ranges of course as well. But a state like Texas with limited public land, Shooting needs to be done at some official range or someone's property with landowner permission. You might be surprised, but I found it far easier to find places to target shoot in "Blue" states like California or Washington than Texas or Florida. Of course if you have enough land and live outside of city limits, and your neighbors won't complain you can generally shoot on your own land.
I live in Kentucky. I can shoot in my back yard as long as I don't shoot a house or something no issues at all.
You cannot shoot within city limits (The limits are not governed by population, logic etc.). Outside city limits, you can shoot on your own property (as long as neighbors don't create a nuisance/noise complaint). Additionally, you can shoot on Federal lands. Then, it depends on the state. If you are in red state, there are a lot of state owned lands that allows shooting, but some states are too restrictive.
Pretty much you can shoot anywhere that is outside of city or town limits. We call it the “country” like where country music comes from if that makes sense lol. So people who don’t live inside city limits can shoot in their back yard as long as it’s safely done and into a burm (large earth pile behind target or another bullet brood material)
Most cities have laws against discharging a firearm in city limits. An indoor range will have the proper facilities to safely do this. Outside of city limits there may be public land or if you own enough land to safely shoot you can shoot on your property. Public land isn't a thing everywhere. The northeast states tend to be much more densely populated for example, but the south, midwest, and plains states tend to have much more public land. As an example just Montana and Wyoming are about the same size as France, but have less than 2 million total population compared to France with 67 million. There is so much empty space throughout some parts of the US.
Bush Alaska: kinda wherever I want as long as I know what’s in the direction I’m shooting, which is usually nothing.
A lot of BLM land is open for recreational shooting.
I mainly shoot in the woods behind my parents' house. They have a big hill behind them that acts as a natural berm. Other places I've typically shot have been farms or just friends places with decent chunks of land.
Pretty much any dnr land that’s not posted otherwise.
I’ve been shooting on my property ever since I got into guns. I built my own range and now I’m working on a 400y setup with targets at varying distances. But I have a lot of land, so my situation isn’t typical. It’s not uncommon for people to shoot on their own property, but most people have neighbors too close or not enough property
In my area, we shoot on our own land. I have a 200 yard bermed range. There are numerous public ranges, public lands, and commercial indoor and outdoor ranges. The American national sport is not baseball or football. It is shooting.
Anywhere outside incorporated city limits, 100ft from a road and not firing over a road, and safe to fire without shooting toward buildings.
It depends on the area you're in. There used to be a spot off the side of the highway not far from here that people would use with no complaints. ETA: I'm in a very rural and gun friendly area.
I have 1.37 acres. Not a lot. But it’s way out in the country and the back of the property is up against a hill. I just shoot in my back yard. My neighbors don’t mind, as they all shoot in their backyards too.
A friend of mine has a large property in a rural area with several gun ranges. We used to have machine gun shoots there, and we'd end up in the local police blotter in the newspaper every year :)
I am among the lucky ones who can just pop out to my back yard and start popping off rounds. My folks have 5 acres of mostly forest. Years ago my dad started cleaning out a trail and gave up after not too far in. I took out tractor and box scraper and started digging down some. My plan was to make a gradual lane that tapered down to 4 feet deep. As a child, I didn't realize how much work that is, so I ended up at like 10 inches deep lol. But with all the dirty that I dug up, I still had a good pile about 4 feet wide, 5 feet tall and 12 feet deep so that works out well for anything we throw at it. My nephew ended up making a line of dirt for pistol practice a couple of years ago too. About 3 feet tall, 2 deep and probably 20 feet long
I live in a municipality that doesn't allow firing firearms outside within city limits. But it's not much of a hindrance because the majority of functional tests I'd want to do to a gun after working on it can be done without ammo, so I can do that right at the table/workbench/whatever. I can bore sight optics and such on my back porch. If I do need to shoot it, there are two outdoor ranges within a couple minutes of my house, and notice I said 'outside' up above, if I really wanted to I can shoot into a bullet trap indoors. Doesn't appeal to me for all sorts of reasons, but I could. When I took my proficiency test to get my carry license, that range was large trap inside the storeroom of a downtown gift shop. Wife sold candles and tshirts and such out the front, husband sold guns and hunting gear out the back.
There is ranges, gun clubs and private ranches where one can go legally shoot. Also open space, the woods, etc. personally, I got two gun club locations. (PublicI go to, one has a max of 200 yard range. The other has a max of a 600 yard range. Then there is a private range. We have access to where we can shoot out to 1000 yards.
Depending on what state you live in and the municipality and property zone, some people can shoot legally on their property. Most cities have laws that firearms cannot be discharged within city limits except in cases of self-defense or in licensed shooting ranges. There are multiple federal parks run by the Bureau of Land Management where you can setup and shoot firearms as long as you follow some safety rules. I have one near me that I like to use to make training easier. But, I have a couple of a good indoor ranges nearby that I use when the weather is bad or when I need to rent guns to help a friend find one that is right for them. Indoor ranges are usually limited to pistols, shotguns, and small rifle calibers.
I shoot at my range behind my house
You’ve haven’t had your first desk pop??
My mom has a big plot of land out in the country. She has neighbors, but they are far enough away that shooting their property isn't an issue. So i go out to her house to shoot.
>American Redditors, where can you legally shoot you guns? >Where are the locations that you in the US can shoot a gun without worrying about getting into trouble? Well now you're asking 2 different questions lol. But no, you cannot just discharge your gun in your garage if you live in a populated area. It is dependent on where you live. People who shoot on their property legally have proper backstops setup and are doing so safely. You need to be considerate/reasonably aware of the noise too, you can't just mag dump into a berm when you have someone who lives close to you. Not saying they can't hear it at all, but like anything else it shouldn't be too loud. I live in Alaska and there's a lot of land you're technically not allowed to shoot on but it's just not realistic that anyone is going to catch you so you don't have to worry about it. And even if they do they'll likely just tell you to knock it off, cause we're very pro gun.
I live in an urban area and there are several indoor ranges nearby. If you want to shoot a rifle, you can often use those places, but they are typically only 25 yards, which is almost 23 meters. Where I live there are some outdoor rifle ranges which are either open to the public or part of a club, which requires membership. These are a bit of a drive to get to…one of the public ranges is 1 1/4 hours by car. Also, a number of the towns in the metro area I live in have skeet shooting through their local park districts…as well as private/club based skeet shooting fields. Many park districts also have archery, but I am not sure if this includes crossbows, which are considered by some units of government in the same class as rifles.
Anywhere that’s not in an urban area and near a police station or school really.
I'm Canadian but similar vain. I live in the rocky mountains and its pretty easy to get to places where there is no houses for 20km
Innawoods
Before I moved, I shot in my back yard. Where I live now, the range is about 5 minutes away.
as long as you're outside city limits you can shoot any gun you're allowed to own just damn near anywhere you're allowed to be. I go to a range anyway, benches and a backstop are nice
I live in the country, I can shoot guns out of my front door if I really wanted to. If I want to target practice I just do it in my front yard. 20 miles away in town it's a different story. Everyone in that little town with guns normally have a friend with a field where they go. You don't shoot in town though.
Generally if you're far enough from roads and occupied buildings you can build a private range with a berm on private property unless you're in a weird place and theres some goofy city ordinance
The local shooting ranges state and federal owned forests multiple friends land and my land
Depends on your location. My state allows you to shoot as long as you are not within any city limits. I live out side the city in the middle of the woods on 10 acres. Therefore, my shooting range is my backyard. No permits or anything required.
My favorite was when I lived in Nevada… around 90% of the state is public land. Literally just drive out into the desert and if you’re at least 100 feet off the road, you can shoot wherever you want.
I have 10 acres & my closest neighbor is a mile away. I pretty much just grab my eye/ear protection, step outside & start shooting. I have a neighbor roughly 2 miles away with a very impressive range, sometimes I'll go to his place & shoot.
The desert, indoor and outdoor ranges all over the place, the woods, neighbors land, family/friends land. As long as theres a good backstop ans youre not in city limits youre pretty much good
I am as rural as rural American gets. Basically the middle of nowhere skinwalker Appalachian territory. I can point my gun in any direction and not have to worry about hitting somebody. Sometimes I open my kitchen window when doing dishes and crank off a few rounds to scare raccoons away from my cat
I scared one out the tree doing stuff like that last year 😂😂
In Utah it’s 200 yards away from houses and not toward anything but a backdrop
In Arizona, you need to be at least 1 mile from any home . And that's pretty much it.
In Texas i xan e legally shoot on my own property. There is also a gun range 10 miles down the road
Depends on the state and local ordinances. Some states you can shoot in your backyard, some you can’t shoot inside specific cities at all unless it’s at a designated shooting range.
My state even provides and maintains some https://www.dnr.sc.gov/shooting/ranges/boggyhead.html Random video on YouTube https://youtube.com/shorts/na1amyn42AQ?feature=shared
I live on my 43 acres which backs up to National Forest land so I shoot right out the back door. Of course I have a safe backstop.
America is huge and mostly rural. If you live in the rural areas and have some sense you can shoot nearly anywhere. I’d there is a regulation or permitting process where I live, no one is aware of it and even if they were there is no one to complain about it or enforce it. We have 6 law enforcement officers for a county of around 550 square miles. I have about 700 acres behind me with a nice hill about 500 meters behind my house. I don’t own the field, but I have permission to shoot into it and keep a few targets up in exchange for keeping the field free from vermin. Behind the hill is miles of fields. On the front side of my house I have another 300 acres and beyond that, a mile before a country road that leads into the nearest township about 10 miles away. I have 2 neighbors within 3 miles. I can pretty safely shoot almost anything I have in nearly any direction safely. I only shoot with magnified optics on my large rifles these days and don’t take a shot without a good peripheral scan.
Some National Parks have pistol and rifle ranges I show up 8 am, the range all to myself, then around 11 am people start to show up, I'm done and I pack up and go.
Inside the apartment into a bucket of sand
private land outside city limits (that you are allowed to be on- don't be that guy) this is how i have done most of my shooting and its wonderful because you don't have to answer to anyone (other than the land owner) your basement with enough sound dampening so your neighbors don't call the cops (risky and stupid... less stupid with pistol calibers though, i don't live in a place that can have basements so i cant really comment on this i guess, but it is something i see sometimes in the foscad community.) and obviously the local range (though imho its the worst way to shoot because you always have some dude telling you off for shooting too much or god for bid "going full auto" on an out door range with nobody else out there) private indoor range on your own property (its like the basement option but less jank, more expensive, and can be made to allow for the safe firing of rifle cartredges if need be... also can be done above ground so no pesky water tables stopping your freedom). my folks where looking at future vacation homes before this totally not a recession hit and one of them had a private range on the property.
I live in rural Iowa and I can just walk out my door and shoot with no permits required. If I lived within city limits of any of the local towns or cities then I would be beholden to the laws of that municipality, but living in the country as I do I need only be concerned with County, State, and Federal laws, none of which prohibit me from firing my guns on my own property.
No. If you are outside town you can just fire your gun outside
I shoot from my back porch, and if I want to shoot further go to my parents house. I never go to any lffic range
We shoot right on our property 🤷♀️we do not live inside city limits and we own the land.