No problem, it was pretty abstract about Fight Club anyway. You mentioned about it being such an industrial area, and that reminded me about that house being nothing but industrial surrounding it.
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I obviously struck a nerve with Chief X. I found out in December that his house is within ear shot of my target shooting property.
Although it is OK that the township police shooting range is within earshot of several hundred homes doesn't matter.
Just speculating.....
Good luck to everyone and happy shooting.
Having the second amendment should be something not only to hold, but to use.
I'm really interested in hearing the outcome of this. I work in Canonsburg and have a few friends down there . It would be interesting to find out if they can set up ranges down there. I need plaves to shoot lol
This is the first I've ever heard of getting hassled about shooting on your own property. I know alot of people that do just that with no problems of any kind. Of course we don't know what this property looks like and how close in proximity other residences are. We're all just speculating here but you did the right thing by getting a lawyer and you'll find out soon enough who is right and who is wrong. I will still bid you Good Luck though!
Thanks for the encouragement.
As far as I know, no one has ever been arrested in the township for target shooting.
According to the local district magistrate (Weller), he doesn't recall a case that has come before him in which anyone has been charged for anything related to target shooting.
I think this is a matter of a local LEO stubbornly trying to get his own way.
Do you have any proof that you were threatened with jail time?
I'm just curious as to how this would go down.
"Officer, did you threaten to arrest Mr. D for shooting on his own property?"
"No."
Case dismissed?
This is the "standing" issue that I mused about, that he needs to have been personally threatened. If he has months of correspondence that back him up, then he has a shot. But the dockets have been littered with people who challenged criminal statutes in the absence of a nexus between enforcement and themselves, and they often have their suits dismissed for lack of standing.
In this case, he appears to be challenging the Chief of Police, in the absence of any statute. So all he has to complain about is the Chief's threats. If those are too intangible, the case goes away. If he has letters or emails, maybe he's got something.
It would be a better case if he had a shooting party and was cited, at noon, on a weekend, with safe protocols being observed. Especially if the local DJ seemed human. Too many small towns are allied against the citizens, too many DJ's are rubber-stamps for whatever the local cops write down. I've had some good experience, too, there are some excellent DJ's in PA who know the laws cold, or they look them up before deciding cases. It's a crap shoot.
I agree 100%. I don't want to take any chances with a criminal prosecution at the local level, so I can wait patiently while this is sorted out in the federal courts.
I honestly don't think this is what the chief had in mind when he threatened
"We'll let a court of law decide".