Lake county, IN prohibiting discharge of firearms....

[semperfi211]

If the law reads " for target practice".

I have several friends out a couple times a year to do some skeet shooting then we throw some burgers and brats on the grill and have a couple beers after the guns are put away. We have a real good time and this 1000 feet from my own home law really ticks me off.

Now if everyone shooting were to pay a 2 dollar entry fee and we keep a tally of hits and misses for our "skeet tournament", and our winner gets the pot. We are not practicing, this is a tournament with no practice shots allowed do to the county law.
Could that work in getting around the law?

 

[jedi]

Here is the PDF that the OP had.

www.geocities.com/jedi_agh/LCF.pdf

1) So what exactly does this mean?
2) Does it apply to gun ranges (like Deb's)
3) Does it apply to clubs like the Griffith Skeet SG Club?
4) Who the heck are those people that signed it
5) Was there no public comment period
6) Is this valid due to state law that trumps this per another post?

 

[Jubbie]

Maybe they worded it so loosely so that police officers could interpret it however their mood decided that day. Some days an officer will stop someone who is open carrying, but won't stop every car that comes by. Both are completely legal in Indiana, just depends on how the cop is feeling that day.

 

[melensdad]

I'm trying to attach the PDF, no luck. Anyway it was passed June 9, 2009. No discharge of a firearm in lake county "for target practice" within 1,000 feet of any residence.

Here is the PDF that the OP had.

www.geocities.com/jedi_agh/LCF.pdf

1) So what exactly does this mean?
2) Does it apply to gun ranges (like Deb's)
3) Does it apply to clubs like the Griffith Skeet SG Club?
4) Who the heck are those people that signed it
5) Was there no public comment period
6) Is this valid due to state law that trumps this per another post?

1- it appears to outlaw shooting ranges in people's yards?
2- given the wording, it would appear to outlaw all gun ranges, as it give NO PROVISIONS for exemptions of existing ranges
3- see #2
4- they are the members of the county council
5- I dunno, I'm in Florida on vacation, have no clue if there was a public debate
6- as I read the state pre emption clause, that clause does NOT apply to this action

Well I live in south Lake county. Across the river from my land is a shooting preserve. I purchased my land specifically so that my family could shoot. We have been shooting on this land for nearly 20 years, which is many years longer than we have lived here. My property is only about 550 feet wide (measured at the road frontage) and is roughly 1500' deep. The only way I can shoot and stay 1000' away from a home is to go to the back of my property and shoot TOWARD the house

My shooting range is probably 250' behind my home, shooting mostly across my property into a hillside that runs perpendicular to the road. I have no neighbors to my west (for 1 mile) but do have neighbors to my north (500') and my south (350').

I will not stop shooting on my land.

My shooting is safe. To alter my shooting location would require me to shoot in a less safe manner. That is not going to happen.

 

[jedi]

<<dial, dial, dial>>
A. Caller: Yes I6BO national security police hotline. Oh great I got in on the first try. Yes I would like to report a gun-owner that is not following the Lake County Ordinance and get the $500.00 Wal-Mart Gift card please.

I6BO NSP: Hold please...

---
melensdad be on the look out for the I6BO NSP.

So who are the people that signed this? Was there no public comment time? How come the Hammond Times did not have an article on this? Does the sherrif know?

 

[melensdad]

So who are the people that signed this? Was there no public comment time? How come the Hammond Times did not have an article on this? Does the sherrif know?

There are actions taken by the county council all the time and The Times will not publish a report. Essentially they can view this as a non-event that does not merit using space in the paper. There are probably dozens, perhaps hundreds of various actions that are not published.

 

[semperfi211]

Will violating this get you locked up and the gun confiscated? Or will you get a ticket. The ordanance reads penalty for violation is fine not less than 25$ not more than 500$. Does a judge determine if it is 25 or 500? So that would mean a court date?

 

[Jubbie]

I guess this was just a 'proposed' ordinance. They are still working on the wording.

Lake Council wants to trigger lock off-range gun practice

 

[jedi]

rambone you being our "local protest guy" I think we need to make our voice hear and that as many as we can if the vote is on 12 AUG. Can someone please confirm! We need all of LAKE COUNTY gun onwers there specially those in the SOUTH who this will affect!!!!

 

[semperfi211]

I will be sending the Council a respectful e mail voicing my concerns as soon as possible, and I deleted my facebook post calling them communists.

 

[rambone]

I'll definitely come protest. We all should be "up in arms" over this. This is outrageous.

What vote happens on August 12? I am not a Porter County resident but I am not happy to hear this.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

I'll definitely come protest. We all should be "up in arms" over this. This is outrageous.

What vote happens on August 12? I am not a Porter County resident but I am not happy to hear this.

There is a county council meeting on Aug 12 for discussions about the proposed ordinance. And its a Lake Co. not Porter Co.

 

[melensdad]

Where does the County Council have its meetings?

 

[rambone]

I'm interested to hear where the meeting is. I can provide an extra voice even though I'm a Lake County neighbor.

 

[danmdevries]

I'm going to bring this back up from the dead.

I am closing this week on a 4 acre property in unincorporated Lake Co with a Schererville mailing address.

The property is ~200ft wide, 950ft deep. Behind the property according to google earth is 1500ft to the next property but of that 2450ft, 2000 is heavily wooded. The property slopes upward to an elevation change of ~20ft across my property. I feel it would be safe to build a sand and dirt backstop at the back of my property.

I've heard conflicting reports about what happened to this law. My cousin who has a similar plot of land hunts on his property during deer season but IIRC hunting is exempted from this new law, it's only for the purpose of target shooting. He claims that the law changed to 350ft from a residence. Another person says hunting or target shooting, doesn't matter you can't do it. Hearsay isn't the best source of legal advice obviously but a google search didn't turn up much info and I'm not very good at digging through the codes online.

There aren't many places in Lake Co where you're not within 1000ft of a residence. Where I would/could shoot would not be 1000ft from a residence. I've got neighbors to either side of me but nothing to the rear for a half mile.

Blanchard said the preliminary draft of the ordinance would have prohibited target practice within 1,000 feet of a residence. He said it will be amended before any vote to shorten the prohibited distance and to change the language from "residence" to subdivision. He said they don't want to affect anyone living in a rural isolated area from target practicing in their backyard.

Not sure if my property would be considered "rural" either. It's In-town but unincorporated, not "rural isolated area" like you'd find further south Lake Co.

Any new updates on this law?

 

[semperfi211]

I'm going to bring this back up from the dead.

I am closing this week on a 4 acre property in unincorporated Lake Co with a Schererville mailing address.

The property is ~200ft wide, 950ft deep. Behind the property according to google earth is 1500ft to the next property but of that 2450ft, 2000 is heavily wooded. The property slopes upward to an elevation change of ~20ft across my property. I feel it would be safe to build a sand and dirt backstop at the back of my property.

I've heard conflicting reports about what happened to this law. My cousin who has a similar plot of land hunts on his property during deer season but IIRC hunting is exempted from this new law, it's only for the purpose of target shooting. He claims that the law changed to 350ft from a residence. Another person says hunting or target shooting, doesn't matter you can't do it. Hearsay isn't the best source of legal advice obviously but a google search didn't turn up much info and I'm not very good at digging through the codes online.

There aren't many places in Lake Co where you're not within 1000ft of a residence. Where I would/could shoot would not be 1000ft from a residence. I've got neighbors to either side of me but nothing to the rear for a half mile.



Not sure if my property would be considered "rural" either. It's In-town but unincorporated, not "rural isolated area" like you'd find further south Lake Co.

Any new updates on this law?

The 1000ft. rule was the original proposal that was revised after many of us heard about it and voiced our feelings. There was a article in the Post Tribune about the new revised ordinance. The link to that article doesn't work anymore. I had made a few copies of the article in case I would need it in the future. I scanned one and put it on photobucket so I could paste it here. Hope this helps you.

 

[danmdevries]

Thank you!