Is paintball allowed on your own property where you live?

[FINFAN]

Can your kid shoot a paintball marker in the yard or is it illegal? If you do ot want to post where you live please PM me. DS is going nuts saying we are the ONLY place that you can't...and he does agree that at actual arenas it is more fun, but it is expensive and sometimes just target practice is fun. Not talking about running all over the property firing willy nilly, but target practice within your own back yard.

Thanks!

 

[Kathi OD]

not sure if it is legal or not, but my boys used to target practice all the time on our own property.

 

[MrsPete]

Just from a practical point of view, I'd think it depends upon how much land you have.

If you live on half an acre, I'd think you're very likely to hit something on your neighbor's property, which would not be okay. On the other hand, if I were out shooting on my 40+ acre farm, I doubt anyone would even know.

 

[dis-happy]

Don't know about paintball but my former next door neighbor had a deer stand in the tree between our houses where he would shoot those power arrow things at a target in the backyard. Life in the south!!!

 

[Rora]

Just from a practical point of view, I'd think it depends upon how much land you have.

If you live on half an acre, I'd think you're very likely to hit something on your neighbor's property, which would not be okay. On the other hand, if I were out shooting on my 40+ acre farm, I doubt anyone would even know.

I have to agree.

I used to live on very small, urban lot and I'm almost positive none of my neighbors would've been cool with us playing paintball in our very tiny yard. I doubt it's allowed in most neighborhoods unless, like MrsPete said, you had tons of land.

 

[msmayor]

In my eyes, even a paintball gun is a firearm and in most communities, discharging a firearm in an area zoned residential is illegal.

I know for a fact that if any one of my neighbors started shooting a paintball gun, even for target practice in the confines of their yard, I'd be on the phone with them first telling them to stop, and then the authorities if they refused.

 

[TaraPA]

Can I ask if it's a state, county or municipal law that you can't? We have 2 acres, 1 fully wooded, and we've hosted numerous paintball parties here. I'm not aware of any restrictions on it. I know others in the same area that also use paintabll markers on their property for target practice or gaming, so I'm guessing we have no ordinance against it.

 

[Disnydad]

Kids behind us used to shoot up my kids tree house all the time with paint balls. I would make them hose it off till their dad got angry at me. So then I just called the cops on them. They are gone now.

 

[MM27]

Don't know what the law says about this here, but the kid that lives behind me was really into it a few summers ago and would have a bunch of friends over all the time. I didn't care, not really my business, until my dog came up to the door with pink paint on her fur. I don't know if they hit her or she just got in the way when it splattered, but I didn't see any other marks on her and I know paintballs can cause bruising and such when they hit. I talked to the kid and he apologized. Never had another problem and their interests seemed to go to other things.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

In my eyes, even a paintball gun is a firearm and in most communities, discharging a firearm in an area zoned residential is illegal.

I know for a fact that if any one of my neighbors started shooting a paintball gun, even for target practice in the confines of their yard, I'd be on the phone with them first telling them to stop, and then the authorities if they refused.

Not a firearm though. No fire it's powered by air, I believe.

Agree with PPs that it probably depends on property size. You probably can't do it within so many feet of your neighbor's property, which would de facto eliminate many small yards.

 

[FINFAN]

I live in Illinois, specifically DuPage county. It looks like most who have posted are in rural areas? Yes, paintball markers are pwered by air. Since it is a professional sport, colleges have teams and even being discussed for the summer olympics I was somewhat surprised at all the negativity connected to it.

 

[smidgy]

not paintball, but in Crystal Lake, IL the city made a family "take down" their ice skating rink they put in the front yard! their own yard!!

 

[FINFAN]

not paintball, but in Crystal Lake, IL the city made a family "take down" their ice skating rink they put in the front yard! their own yard!!

WHY? OK , granted I would have put it in my backyard just becasue of personal privacy but mayeb the front was more level, but legally I do not see the difference in where it goes on your own property....

 

[smidgy]

not sure.. "attractive nuisance" maybe? (like you have to have a fence surrounding your pool).
but in the article the owners said all the neighborhood kids used it, and they loved having the kids over. I would think if there were any injuries, that would be their problem, not the town's.
sheesh. here's parents ,providing wholesome fun for their own kids AND the neighbor hood kids, and they get in trouble!
(my guess is another parnet complained. maybe their kids twisted his ankle, or didn't know how to akte and felt left out, (or didn't have skates, and the parents didn't want to buy them skates, or weren't friends with the lucky kids, or... yada yada).
when my sons were little, there was one family with a swimming pool. she let ANY kid swim there if the mom or dad would come with to watch (and chit chat with the other parents) she didn't want the liability. there was one little boy whose mom would NOT come over. and she was SO mad at the pool owner for letting the other kids swim and not hers!
this all falls under the "no good deed goes unpunished" rule!
hubby thought maybe the city was afraid the ice and activity would ruin the front lawn, and it would look shabby in the summer. maybe they couldn't do it in the back cause they had a pool there. (sounds likely, since they sound like the kind of parents who want to keep their kids home, having fun!)

 

[ShellRich]

Yes, but I would have him shoot targets only.

 

[TaraPA]

I live in Illinois, specifically DuPage county. It looks like most who have posted are in rural areas? Yes, paintball markers are pwered by air. Since it is a professional sport, colleges have teams and even being discussed for the summer olympics I was somewhat surprised at all the negativity connected to it.

yes FINFAN we are rural where I live. Our whole township is rural & we follow township ordinances. None regarding paintball that I know of!

It's actually CO2 that powers the markers (plus air) so not sure what that makes it - gas-arm?

 

[tink_n_pooh]

Our yard borders a national forest, we have had park rangers here informing us that according to the parks service and the police paint ball guns are considered weapons and it is illegal on the federal land but I'm not sure about private property. BB guns are also air powered and they are illegal as well.

 

[kim929]

I don't know if it's illegal, but my son shoots at a target in our fenced in yard with his paintball gun.

 

[Magic Mom]

Can your kid shoot a paintball marker in the yard or is it illegal? If you do ot want to post where you live please PM me. DS is going nuts saying we are the ONLY place that you can't...and he does agree that at actual arenas it is more fun, but it is expensive and sometimes just target practice is fun. Not talking about running all over the property firing willy nilly, but target practice within your own back yard.

Thanks!

It must be legal here, becase during DS's senior year we (and other senior houses) were "pranked" with paint balls more than once. Fun times..,

As a side note, paint balls are really easy to clean as opposed to eggs which NEVER come off.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

We live in a county that allows REAL GUNS to be shot. I knew that when we moved here in this county. Not uncommon to hear gunfire coming from somewhere. Then again we are in the bluffs so it does echo.

Now the neighborhood we live in has an HOA and probably does not allow guns of any sort to be fired. Although I am not 100% sure on that since I do not have the rules in front of me.