[quote=CA renter]Did it seem like they were favoring you, or?[/quote]
Things are pretty much the same as when I made the same inquiry in 2006. Shooting is against the law near the coasts, restricted as you go out and with some exceptions limited only to what shooters think is safe further out. It is in the PDF’s. The 150 yard distance from structures is a universal minimum as I understand it….many shooters think much less is safe and they get away with it.
The Sheriff’s office said that in 2009 they tried to increase the distance required from structures beyond the 150 yards but failed. I don’t know how that attempt was made or how it failed. I will look into that. I don’t recall a public vote for it.
I do know that you can make a logical math based claim for why a specific property should be condemned for shooting based on the 150 yard rule and that person will not be told by the sheriff to stop recreational non-defense shooting in my area.
Shooting is not supposed to happen in periods of high fire danger, so that could be leverage. Still, I don’t think either standard is going to be enforced based on some complaints about specific acts of shooting that I know about and no change in the frequency of shooting. Of course it would be very controversial to report a neighbor but especially when you personally have to make a big stink to to get action. The charge is probably a misdemeanor anyway, but I am not sure.
I have written back asking the Sheriff to consider places on private property other than structures to be included in the 150 yards, for example kid’s play areas, gardens, easements and driveways. I don’t want to enforce it or call the cops for what are probably considered unworthy infractions , non-emergencies, but I want to remind them of what is going on around here….how it hits home. While the east county is a huge area and sparsely populated there are pockets that are basically suburban within it and there will be more. I also asked them to consider a public awareness and safety campaign annually through the small media outlets that cater to rural parts of the county. I ask for more signage. Anything stating the 150 yard law would be better than what we have, which is nothing. Those request have been referred to branches of the department that handle those kinds of things.
