Shooting air rifle in the garage

[sungazer]

Personally I think you could justify and be allowed to have an air gun range in your garage. I know a guy that used to shoot 10m air pistol and had his own indoor range. I dont know if it was signed off on by the LRD or not. it was quite some time ago. Not sure you would be able to shoot pistol at home these days but Rifle perhaps as long as there was no way pellets could leave the building and not ricochet back to the shooter. which sometimes happens at professional pistol ranges.
If It was just mine dont know which way I would go notify the authorities or keeps it all completely hush, hush.

As far a rural property goes. I think constructing a significant backstop and other earth works to protect your neighbors both physically and from noise is acceptable. In these cases I think it is always best to involve and explain things to your neighbors get them on side. Sow a seed that you could do this and that to minimize impact to them. If they go for it and take it on as their idea or a favor you are doing for them. Then you are not going to get any complaints at least you would be told first if they had any concerns. Dont go inviting friends to shoot every weekend all day sort of thing stuff that is outside what is in the regs.

[bladeracer]

How would they differentiate an air-rifle from other firearms? A local smallbore range in Traralgon shoot .22LR in the middle of the town. They're not enclosed in a building, just an unroofed grassed area in back of a small building, a brick wall behind the targets, and corrugated steel walls down both sides. Bullets could certainly leave the range through the side wall or over the top. Being an approved range they would be licenced in compliance with a range template only allowing .22LR. Could a private person apply for such a template approval though?

[sungazer]

A private person could apply for a Range and be certified. It would mean going through all the council permits for all the other stuff relating to just a building as well or first.

There are private pistol ranges within the suburbs of Melbourne that you would only learn about by private invitation. Totally Legal ranges and clubs.

I was just giving what I may do not offering advice to anyone re doing anything. IMHO there is a big difference between an air rifle and say a 22LR at least the Air Rifles that I used to have. I may not have the same opinion of modern high power air rifles. Also as much about the noise as anything else. If it were my garage and I was setting up my own private range though it would be able to contain the pellets from any and all directions.

[elnino]

SA has no specific retrictions on where you can shoot, unlike other states. But it does have a weird law that basically states if you scare someone or HAVE THE POTENTIAL to scare someone, you can be charged. It does not matter where you are, rural or not. I have set up my own 10m air range in the house before for testing but generally shoot at the range or a relatives place (20 acres) 20 mins drive away but thier neighbors will not even tolorate rimfire other than the occasional shot. No way i can go up there and plink for an hour or two.

[bladeracer]

SA has no specific retrictions on where you can shoot, unlike other states. But it does have a weird law that basically states if you scare someone or HAVE THE POTENTIAL to scare someone, you can be charged. It does not matter where you are, rural or not. I have set up my own 10m air range in the house before for testing but generally shoot at the range or a relatives place (20 acres) 20 mins drive away but thier neighbors will not even tolorate rimfire other than the occasional shot. No way i can go up there and plink for an hour or two.

We have the same law in Vic, and I would expect all states have it, it's what I was referring to about doing everything according to the law but still being charged.

Does SA not have any restriction on discharging firearms in populated or public places?

[elnino]

Not that i have seen and i have spent a lot of time going over the act.

Essentially it would be covered by the other law anyway.

EDIT: I found this..

51—Throwing missiles
(1) A person who, without lawful excuse, throws a missile intending to—
(a) injure, annoy or frighten any person; or
(b) damage any property,
is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: Imprisonment for 2 years.
(2) A person who, without lawful excuse, throws a missile and who is reckless as to
whether that act—
(a) injures, annoys or frightens, or may injure, annoy or frighten, any person; or
(b) damages, or may damage, any property,
is guilty of an offence.
Maximum penalty: Imprisonment for 1 year.
(3) In proceedings for an offence against this section, it is not necessary for the
prosecution to establish that a person was, in fact, injured, annoyed or frightened or
that property was, in fact, damaged (as the case requires) by the defendant's act.
(4) In this section—
reckless—a person is reckless as to whether an act injures, annoys or frightens, or may
injure, annoy or frighten any person, or damages or may damage any property, if the
person—
(a) is aware of a substantial risk that the act could injure, annoy or frighten any
person or damage any property; and
(b) does the act despite the risk and without adequate justification;
throw includes to discharge or project by means of any mechanism or device.

The bold bit I assume includes firearms.

[rc42]

Just to clarify regulations regarding license conditions as they apply to LAFOs in Queensland.

A&B licenses here obtained for sports and target shooting generally always come with license conditions SC1, SC2 and RE1 which are defined in the Queensland Weapons Regulations 2016.

Those definitions are:
SC1
The licensee is authorised to possess and use registered category A and B weapons for sports or target shooting at an approved shooting range.

SC2
This licensee must maintain financial membership of an approved shooting club

RE1
The licensee is authorised to possess and use registered category A and B weapons for recreational shooting on rural land with the express consent of the owner of the land.


Use of a firearm anywhere other than an approved range or rural zoned land is a breach of license conditions which would leave the licensee subject to prosecution and firearm confiscation.

Category H handguns (including air pistols) do not come with an RE1 condition so can only be used at approved ranges (PC1 condition), to use them on rural land you need a primary producer (PP1) condition.


Rules will likely vary in other states

[FNQ]

Technically speaking it would be illegal in suburbia is my take on the law

Some even argue that shooting targets on rural properties is legal which I disagree with

Say you created a safe range in your garage and it was out of sight which only you knew about....

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

[rc42]

I've seen posts from people in other states claiming that when hunting in state forests they can fire sighting shots but not perform target shooting, not sure which states or how true that is but it certainly doesn't apply to Queensland as recreational shooting can only be on private rural land (without size restriction as long as no projectile leaves the property) and with the owner's express permission.

The term 'recreational shooting' isn't really defined anywhere but it would be reasonable to assume that it includes anything that you can legally shoot at such as pest animals, wood, metal or plastic targets, tin cans etc, in fact just about any inanimate object including paper targets.

As mentioned above, shooting in QLD is only allowed at approved ranges and on rural land, nowhere else, for 'suburbia' you still need to check the council zoning, if it is anything other than 'rural' then you can't legally discharge any firearm whether it's in the garden, the garage or in your living room inside the fish tank. If anyone does then they have violated their weapons license conditions, the penalty would be loss of license, all of your firearms and ammunition and likely a large fine.

Would you be caught? Almost certainly not, especially with air guns but what if the police were just about to knock on your door about another matter or after a neighbor report of hearing guns or during a safe inspection or maybe visiting after a break-in they saw the shooting area or marks form where it was?


If I didn't live on rural property I'd never discharge any firearm in or around my home and I'd certainly encourage others in QLD to do the same.

[elnino]

It is going to be a gamble.
It depends on your neighbours, how much you intend to shoot etc.

I have a paslode (combustion) nail gun which is easily 2x louder than my nitro .22 CFX and have been on that for hours at a time with no issues and sort of sound similar.

However people will only assume its an air rifle if they know you have one. Most of the public have thier heads in the sand and think guns in australia are rare.

I am on the edge of rural so not really an issue for me.