I Shot My Hangun on a friends property and the cops came.. I have questions.

[A.Billetta]

Hows everyone doing. I am new to owning a handgun and i have a concealed carry permit. Im still learning the laws day by day of where you can and cant have them, but recently came into contact with an entire police department for shooting my handgun with my friend and his mom. Here is our story...

So a few days ago it was my friend David's father's birthday. So he invited me over to have some beer and shoot our guns. His father was not home at the time (he was at work) so in the meantime we were gonna shoot off a few rounds, just us two. His mom came out and shot a few rounds with us also. Mind you they have lived on the property for 22+ years and have always shot guns there (pistols, shotguns for hunting, etc.)
So we were out there around 3-4 in the afternoon for an hour or two. Around 4-5 o'clock my friend and his mother heard a faint "heyyy!"
I on the otherhand heard nothing.
We shot a few more rounds, and it happens again... "hey!!!"
So we all heard it that time.
We take our ear protection off and David yells bacl "hey!!"
nothing for 10-15 seconds
So were looking up the mountainside ( which is what we were shooting into at phone books and cans)
and see nothing
we look behind us down the hill at his driveway and there is 2 cops cars racing up it..
My friend panics and hides his gun and tells me to do the same.
I go to hide my gun and quicklky think in my head "wait thats a bad idea so i set my gun in the holster down on a bench next to his shed.
As soon as the cop car got to the top of the driveway we here "GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!
So we are looking up the mountainside we were shooting into and there are three cops coming down at us with weapons drawn. to our right the cop that gets out of the car has an ar15 assault rifle pointed 6-8 inches from us
then another cop comes from behind us with his handgun pointed at us as well.. and then the final cop appears when we are already being detained and handcuffed. he runs at us with his ar15 and points it 4-6 inches from my friend davids head.
So they handcuff us and ask us what were doing and if weve been drinking etc/
I say yes i had 2 beers about an hour or two ago but im fine and my friend says he just had one
my friends mom was freaking out at the cops as they cuff her saying what are you doing we didnt do anything wrong this is way over the top etc etc...
they check to see our guns belong to us and that they arent loaded
the father comes home after we are out of handcuffs and sees that we still have assault rifles pointed with their fingers on the triggers.
the dad freaks out and says you already checked them out and we arent bad people..
get your fingers off those triggers now and put them in your cars,
so the cop and the father exchange some words and the days says
"did they do anything wrong"
the cop says not technically, b..
the dad stops him short of finishing his sentence and says yea not technically so what are you doing on my property
the cop says we had a complaint on shots fired
and the dad replies so you show up with 8 cops and assault rifles.
he said theres an ordinance in lower providence township that you cant shoot outside.
the dad goes so your saying i cant shoot my shotgun on my property because ive been doin that for over 22 years now. and we talk a little while longer and the cops leave

My question to you guys after the information i have given you is

Did these cops react out of hand?
Was what they did over the top?
Are they allowed to do what they did?
and is there anything we can do as citizens who have rights to basically have some type of justice brought to these cops.

thank you for reading and i hope to hear back from you soon.

[Shisno]

Holy over reaction Batman!

Have you checked into whether or not there is in fact an ordinance against discharging your firearms in that area?

[louie]

Huh.

Just because they have been doing it (firing their weapons) for 22 years, doesn't make it legal.

What is the local ordinance regarding firing of weapons on private property?

Drinking beers and weapons?
WRONG!
And illegal.

Read and UNDERSTAND the PA Firearms Laws, don't assume!

You are SO lucky.

[hzox221]

Drinking the shooting firearms is a dangerous practice.

[General Geoff]

Huh.

Just because they have been doing it (firing their weapons) for 22 years, doesn't make it legal.

What is the local ordinance regarding firing of weapons on private property?

Drinking beers and weapons?
WRONG!
And illegal.

Read and UNDERSTAND the PA Firearms Laws, don't assume!

You are SO lucky.

There is nothing inherently illegal about shooting guns while intoxicated in Pennsylvania. Bad idea? Yes, but not illegal.

[streaker69]

Huh.

Just because they have been doing it (firing their weapons) for 22 years, doesn't make it legal.

What is the local ordinance regarding firing of weapons on private property?

Drinking beers and weapons?
WRONG!
And illegal.

Read and UNDERSTAND the PA Firearms Laws, don't assume!

You are SO lucky.

Do you have a citation of law that states that shooting while drinking is illegal? I'm thinking the OP isn't the only one that needs to read and understand PA firearms laws. Don't assume!

[Curmudgeon]

Huh.

Just because they have been doing it (firing their weapons) for 22 years, doesn't make it legal.

What is the local ordinance regarding firing of weapons on private property?

Drinking beers and weapons?
WRONG!
And illegal.

Read and UNDERSTAND the PA Firearms Laws, don't assume!

You are SO lucky.

Follow your own advice, louie. Please, cite the law.

OP, I can find no restrictions regarding the discharge of weapons on private property, but have a closer look yourself...

http://ecode360.com/LO0679?needHash=true

However, I did find that Lower Providence is in violation of preemption with their Park Regulations 106-5(c)

§ 106-5 Park regulations.

C. Hunting, shooting, trapping or the carrying of firearms, air rifles, bows and arrows, slings, slingshots, fireworks and any other weapon shall be prohibited.

[A.Billetta]

Ok guys were kinda going off subject here lol.. I thought this was to help/answer my question.. not talk about if it is or isnt legal to shoot and drink lol... that was just a side story.. lets focus on the main point. if it was illegal to shoot and drink they would have done something so does that answer your question. lets move on and answer my question lol

[normanvin]

Huh.


Drinking beers and weapons?
WRONG!
And illegal.

Read and UNDERSTAND the PA Firearms Laws, don't assume!

You are SO lucky.

You will need to prove this one.

[CenterTree]

the cop says we had a complaint on shots fired
and the dad replies so you show up with 8 cops and assault rifles.
he said theres an ordinance in lower providence township that you cant shoot outside.

So, just go INSIDE and shoot next time.

the dad goes so your saying i cant shoot my shotgun on my property because ive been doin that for over 22 years now.

This does NOT seem like a valid dispute. Just because something has been done for a length of time doesn't make it legal.

That's like saying, "well the neighbors do it all the time".

Check the ordinance for your self it should be written quite clear as to firearms discharging.