gun laws-target shooting

Question
i live in ca and i have a neighbor that target  shoots on his property that is five ac we also have five ac and there is five ac between us we have a very nice creek that runs threw the back.i have children who play down there and i was told by law enforcement that they can target shoot.and i need to make the kids come in.now he shoots all the time very day that allot of led being dropped and the noise can get old and I'm a gun owner and i go to a target range to shoot.the only time i shoot at my house is when i have to kill something like a snake.and there are houses and live sock every where and really i want to know my civil rights because the cops change there minds daily around where i live.im scared my kid or cows are going to get hit .and my favorite gun is a 308 so i need a target range. thank you for trying to answer.

Answer
Fawn,

You'll have to rely on the police or your reading of the California code to tell you the law. They are probably correct, though, that if he is shooting on his own property he is entitled to do so. That does not mean that your concerns are unfounded - you don't want to wait until someone or something is hurt before anything can be done. But it does mean that generally people have a right to do on their property what they want.

The issue of lead is a non-issue. Studies have shown that the jacketed ammunition does not leach lead into the soil, and the hard lead alloys of most modern unjacketed projectiles would require multiple thousands of points of it to impact the environment.

My concern when I shoot is that there is a backstop into which the projectiles terminate, so I know the resting place of every one of them. Is there somewhat you can ascertain if he is using a proper backstop (hillside, berm, etc.?). If he knows the resting place of everyone of his projectiles, that should help alleviate your concern.

You don't say what he shoots, rifle or handgun (or both), or why he shoots. Serious IDPA or IPSC pistol competitors will fire upward to a thousand rounds a week in practice.

The range I instruct at ran into a similar problem with neighbors regarding the noise. We took some steps to be good neighbors, but since that is a part of our business in the end we had to appeal to the fact that the noise ordinance requires that shooting not start before 7:00 AM and end by 10:00 PM and that we would be careful to stay within the ordinance. This was not satisfactory to all our neighbors, but it was the best we could do for them.

If you haven't already burned bridges with this person, perhaps you can get together and (if you don't know if there's a back stop or not) tell him of your concerns. Most shooters are only too glad to show you the safety precautions they're taking. If the noise is the issue, you can tell them that you know that he is within his rights to shoot on his own property, but ask him if he would be willing to work out times for some quiet.

I hope it works out for you.