The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post

QCBrob · December 17, 2011, 09:44 AM

Hello all.

Looking for a bit of feedback regarding an ongoing safety issue in the neighborhood.

I live in a very steep, hilly neighborhood where, most often, the neighbor directly behind you is ALSO above (or below) you.

Since this summer, the resident BEHIND and ABOVE my across-the-street neighbor (and whose house is "level" with mine) has taken to walking out onto his back deck and rapid-firing one or two magazines (12 or so shots each) directly into the ground, then walking back in. I've watched him do it several times from my own front porch and I have no idea why he is doing it. I thought maybe at first he was testing out a trigger job or something but now he does it every couple days and doesn't seem to be "testing" anything.

Our neighborhood USED to be a rock quarry, so of course the ground is somewhat rocky (and hell on lawnmowers!). I feel that the risk of ricochet is a legitimate concern, especially with the kids playing outside.

Last night I was bringing out the trash to the curb when the guy stepped out onto his back porch and did the rapid-fire thing once again, only THIS time i heard something whack a tree close by along with the BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM of the guy's pistol. Could have been a pice of rock kicked up, or a bullet, or something totally unrelated, but this time I DID call the sheriff, as soon as I hustled my kids back inside.

i was told that, since we live in the county, what he is doing is NOT illegal. Now, there are several houses within 100 feet of his back deck, with people living inside them, working and playing outside, etc. One of my neighbor's dogs also get a little crazy with the sound of gunshots, and his dogs have damaged his home in their reactions to the shooting neighbor.

I have spoken to my neighbors about the situation and they shared similar concerns and experiences. FWIW, one of my neighbors spoke to him once before about an unrelated matter (a fallen tree) and described the guy as "kind of obtuse", a single, middle-aged guy living alone. MY only other experience with him was several years ago when he hit a natural gas line digging post holes which ultimately resulted in half a dozen emergency services vehicles on site to manage the resulting mess. So I'm not really certain that this gentleman is the "thinking" type.

Doesn't seem as if there are many options aside from me walking over to this guys house (actually in a different neighborhood that backs up to mine) and politely sharing my concerns with him. That said, I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with it very well if he continues his rapid-fire exercises afterward, and I suspect that he would.

What do you guys think?

December 17, 2011, 09:44 AM	#1
QCBrob Member Join Date: April 16, 2009 Posts: 22	Irresponsible neighbor Hello all. Looking for a bit of feedback regarding an ongoing safety issue in the neighborhood. I live in a very steep, hilly neighborhood where, most often, the neighbor directly behind you is ALSO above (or below) you. Since this summer, the resident BEHIND and ABOVE my across-the-street neighbor (and whose house is "level" with mine) has taken to walking out onto his back deck and rapid-firing one or two magazines (12 or so shots each) directly into the ground, then walking back in. I've watched him do it several times from my own front porch and I have no idea why he is doing it. I thought maybe at first he was testing out a trigger job or something but now he does it every couple days and doesn't seem to be "testing" anything. Our neighborhood USED to be a rock quarry, so of course the ground is somewhat rocky (and hell on lawnmowers!). I feel that the risk of ricochet is a legitimate concern, especially with the kids playing outside. Last night I was bringing out the trash to the curb when the guy stepped out onto his back porch and did the rapid-fire thing once again, only THIS time i heard something whack a tree close by along with the BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM of the guy's pistol. Could have been a pice of rock kicked up, or a bullet, or something totally unrelated, but this time I DID call the sheriff, as soon as I hustled my kids back inside. i was told that, since we live in the county, what he is doing is NOT illegal. Now, there are several houses within 100 feet of his back deck, with people living inside them, working and playing outside, etc. One of my neighbor's dogs also get a little crazy with the sound of gunshots, and his dogs have damaged his home in their reactions to the shooting neighbor. I have spoken to my neighbors about the situation and they shared similar concerns and experiences. FWIW, one of my neighbors spoke to him once before about an unrelated matter (a fallen tree) and described the guy as "kind of obtuse", a single, middle-aged guy living alone. MY only other experience with him was several years ago when he hit a natural gas line digging post holes which ultimately resulted in half a dozen emergency services vehicles on site to manage the resulting mess. So I'm not really certain that this gentleman is the "thinking" type. Doesn't seem as if there are many options aside from me walking over to this guys house (actually in a different neighborhood that backs up to mine) and politely sharing my concerns with him. That said, I'm not sure I'll be able to deal with it very well if he continues his rapid-fire exercises afterward, and I suspect that he would. What do you guys think? Last edited by QCBrob; December 17, 2011 at 09:51 AM.