MartyZ 695 Posted July 11, 2021 So my cousin just bought 50 acres of farm land in southern jersey. Assuming there are no "no discharge" ordinance and I have his full permission to shoot on his land. Can I transport my firearms to his house, and can I shoot on his land? Or does it have to be a designated shooting range? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tagonagy 17 Posted July 11, 2021 My gut feeling is that in the scenario you describe it's fine to shoot on your cousin's property. However, the surest way to find out is to ask the local police. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MartyZ 695 Posted July 11, 2021 I know that he can shoot on his property. My question is more about transporting to his land and me shooting my guns on his property since it's not a "range". With these idiotic NJ laws, I don't want to end up with legal issues. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WP22 1,558 Posted July 11, 2021 I always thought you could because it's a " place of practice". But this place of practice doesn't not meet the legal definition of a "place of practice". So, no you can't transport your guns to your cousin's property. Instead, shoot his guns, replenish his ammo stash and give him some beer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10X 3,298 Posted July 11, 2021 I wouldn't do it with handguns or hollow points. Long guns, maybe, but I'm not a lawyer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
browncollar80 4 Posted July 12, 2021 Do you have a hunting license? If it's a farm he probably has a groundhog problem... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MartyZ 695 Posted July 12, 2021 looks like i'll continue to go to the range. I don't want to shoot his guns, all he has is 22s. I hate NJ. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
1LtCAP 4,264 Posted July 12, 2021 this is nj. chances are good that you're probably gonna still have to stick to within the other (illegal) laws........as in you can't take your pistols there, but rifles are fine. in all honesty though, who the hell really knows? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted July 12, 2021 18 hours ago, MartyZ said: So my cousin just bought 50 acres of farm land in southern jersey. Assuming there are no "no discharge" ordinance and I have his full permission to shoot on his land. Can I transport my firearms to his house, and can I shoot on his land? Or does it have to be a designated shooting range? Does he live somewhere on those 50 acres? Did he build a berm or designate a patch of land as his range? Don't be scared of your own shadow. You wanna chat on the phone to go over this, just hit me with a PM with your phone number & best time to call. There are ways to do this... Rosey 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DirtyDigz 1,812 Posted July 12, 2021 I can relate some personal experience I had, but can't guarantee yours would be the same. I had a friend who was the caretaker of a private facility on private land in NJ. The facility was in a municipality that did NOT have a no-discharge ordinance. This municipality is also extremely wealthy, not what I'd expect to be a "firearm friendly" town. He secured permission from the owners to shoot there, in the form of a letter. A couple of times a year he'd host "group shoots" at the facility. I went to a couple. There was one portion of the property that had a large hill that was used as berm/backstop for an impromptu range. The first time I went the local police rolled up in 3 cars about half an hour after we started shooting. Multiple neighboring homes on the borders of the property called in about all the gunfire. Friend identified himself as the caretaker of the property, explained that he had permission from the owners to shoot there (showed the letter) and that there were no laws/ordinances prohibiting shooting there. Police left without any further action. Pistols and long guns were out and visibly obvious on our "range" tables. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRIZ 3,369 Posted July 12, 2021 Some time ago I used to go shooting in some gravel pits. I believe it was public land. You would pick out an embankment to use as a backstop and shoot handguns and/or long guns. The local police would drive by, check everyone was being safe and leave. Never saw them bother anyone. While this was years ago the same laws were in effect in NJ. Reasonable deviation included stopping at a diner for lunch on the way home. 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRIZ 3,369 Posted July 12, 2021 IANAL but unless there is a specific legal definition in NJ statutes or admin code the common definition would be used. One of which is, "a place for firearms practice". 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MartyZ 695 Posted July 12, 2021 He does live on the land, it's his primary residence, but no berm yet. He just bought it a month ago. I was planning on going down there ahead of time to help him put up a berm. Rosey, I will pm you later with my contact info. I'm a little inundated with meetings today. Thanks. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted July 12, 2021 2 hours ago, GRIZ said: IANAL but unless there is a specific legal definition in NJ statutes or admin code the common definition would be used. One of which is, "a place for firearms practice". What constitutes a legal range is in the books right next to what constitutes a residence for firearms ownership & storage. Don't bother lookin' for it, you'll get a headache cause it's NOT there, lol! Well done @GRIZ 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted July 12, 2021 1 hour ago, MartyZ said: He does live on the land, it's his primary residence, but no berm yet. He just bought it a month ago. I was planning on going down there ahead of time to help him put up a berm. Rosey, I will pm you later with my contact info. I'm a little inundated with meetings today. Thanks. @MartyZ Hit me up when it's good for you. ~R Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRIZ 3,369 Posted July 13, 2021 8 hours ago, Smokin .50 said: What constitutes a legal range is in the books right next to what constitutes a residence for firearms ownership & storage. Don't bother lookin' for it, you'll get a headache cause it's NOT there, lol! Well done @GRIZ I know there isn't a statutory definition. That's why I brought it up!!! 1 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRIZ 3,369 Posted July 13, 2021 Too many overthink things. I've never heard of anyone arrested going to or from their friends farm to shoot for illegal possession of a handgun or hollowpoints. 99.9% of cops (probably less) are not "out to get you". Everything in life is a gamble and I have a bit of experience in that. When you look at the odds you are more likely to be involved in a fiery car crash than arrested transporting guns to their friend's farm or property to shoot. I've said this before in relation to other things but if someone can find an instance of someone arrested for doing what I said in the previous paragraph please educate me. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnnyB 4,325 Posted July 13, 2021 I agree with Griz and Smokin.50.....Stop over thinking it and have some fun in life! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MartyZ 695 Posted July 13, 2021 Ok, thanks everyone, I won't overthink it. Now, how high and how thick should the berm be? will be shooting 9mm, .45, .357 mag, .44 mag, .223, and .308 at it. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRIZ 3,369 Posted July 13, 2021 The height depends on the height of your targets then add a few feet. For thickness refer to FM 5-15, US Army Engineer Field Fortification manual. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Smokin .50 1,907 Posted July 13, 2021 1 hour ago, MartyZ said: Ok, thanks everyone, I won't overthink it. Now, how high and how thick should the berm be? will be shooting 9mm, .45, .357 mag, .44 mag, .223, and .308 at it. How high they need to be is directly dependent upon not only the rounds it needs to stop and where you post your targets (height of posted target), but also the shooting position of engagement (prone, sitting/kneeling, offhand) and DISTANCE from the target stand to the Shooter AND the distance from the target stand to the Berm. Best thing to do would be to have me guest you into Old Bridge to show you what "Cone of Fire" is all about and what our berms look like and why. Controlling "Cone of Fire" is easy once you grasp the concept. It's one of the many things I've learned as a Chief Range Safety Officer. A hands-on lesson in what to do and what not to do would lead you down a path of enlightenment Besides, I can guest non-members into the range now that the CovidCaper is over, and my little Weber grill can make us some cheeseburgers... First pic is USPSA Grand Master Emily Cutts, age 16, at her own private range in a friend's cranberry bog. Pic #2 is my son & I at OBR&PC's 100 yard range. Pic #3 is marinated pork chops on the Little Weber charcoal grill. I've replaced the grill grate since this pic was taken, lol. Thing gets a lot of use Sent you a PM answer too! Rosey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
10X 3,298 Posted July 13, 2021 49 minutes ago, GRIZ said: The height depends on the height of your targets then add a few feet. For thickness refer to FM 5-15, US Army Engineer Field Fortification manual. I can't find my copy right now. But if you are building a dirt berm, I'd imagine that by the time it is high enough, it is also thick enough. Although, being able to point to the manual and say your berm meets US Army specs might be a useful thing if you start getting questions from the town. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites