In home shooting range legal?

[JB357Mag]

Just a question, is it legal to have a shooting
range in your own home in Indiana ?

Jimmy

 

[figley]

Discharge of a firearm is usually regulated by municipalities.

That said, it's not the brightest idea, legal or not.

 

[gvsugod]

I would love to build a range in the basement of my dream house. I dont know why it wouldnt be a "bright" idea if you did it right and took proper precautions. In the event that my soon to be wife doesnt agree with me, I will def have a range on my property somewhere!

 

[Scutter01]

That said, it's not the brightest idea, legal or not.

Why?

 

[LFD102]

Why?

 

[rockhopper46038]

Just check your municipal codes. Plan for great ventilation, too.

 

[scottka]

Just check your municipal codes. Plan for great ventilation, too.

Agreed... Ventilation is very, very important when shooting in a confined area. Obviously a proper bullet trap and other precautions are equally important, but I could see someone overlooking ventilation while being focused on keeping the bullet from going anywhere it's not supposed to be.

 

[dsol]

I always thought it would be neat idea when building a house to add a tunnel out of the basement with a big corrugated metal culvert pipe about 50 feet long and a thick angled steel bullet trap at the end. Pully and rope at the top to pull a target down range and back. Would be nice to have to test out handloads with a chronograph.

 

[Jack Burton]

I always thought it would be neat idea when building a house to add a tunnel out of the basement with a big corrugated metal culvert pipe about 50 feet long and a thick angled steel bullet trap at the end. Pully and rope at the top to pull a target down range and back. Would be nice to have to test out handloads with a chronograph.

Go for a smooth sided one... corrugated has a good chance to bounce a bullet back your way if you hit the side in the wrong spot.

 

[shibumiseeker]

New house I am building has a 100' pistol/small bore rifle range inside.

 

[ryknoll3]

I saw a story on the news showing a home that former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton was selling back in the day. It had a shooting range in the basement. As I recall, the walls were lined with that black acoustic foam stuff that looks like tons of foam pyramids.

 

[wolfman]

I always thought it would be neat idea when building a house to add a tunnel out of the basement with a big corrugated metal culvert pipe about 50 feet long and a thick angled steel bullet trap at the end. Pully and rope at the top to pull a target down range and back. Would be nice to have to test out handloads with a chronograph.

I have had plans drawn up for something like this for years, only mine call for concrete pipe.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I saw a story on the news showing a home that former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton was selling back in the day. It had a shooting range in the basement. As I recall, the walls were lined with that black acoustic foam stuff that looks like tons of foam pyramids.

Sweetness was a major gun nut.

Threshold question: where is your home?

Next: how is your property zoned?

 

[irishhunter]

I know a guy that shoots in his basement into 55 gallon Blue water barrels filled with sand , works good but gets smokey as heck. he has one wall filled with them

 

[ninjab]

would like to build one of these some day. Being in the home I would probably go all out and have a professional install as I wouldn't want to take any additional risks. Outside city limits would it be correct to say zoning and whatnot isn't an issue?

 

[snorko]

New house I am building has a 100' pistol/small bore rifle range inside.

Once again illustrating that shibumiseeker is my hero.

Many years ago I bought a duplex from a guy who was a former LEO. He had constructed a small booth lined with egg crate foam and a double end wall with a shooting port. The basement is 70' in length and he set up a bullet trap at one end for an effective 50' range.

Yeah, no venting or anything else. I sold off the trap but always thought it would be cool to rig up a pellet rifle range for those too hot / too cold days.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Discharge of a firearm is usually regulated by municipalities.

I believe many municipalities have an ordinance against discharging a fire arm inside the city limits. IANAL, but I would imagine that, by itself would not prevent you from having an indoor range, but you wouldn't legally be able to shoot in it.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

New house I am building has a 100' pistol/small bore rifle range inside.

Would love to see some pictures!

 

[MikeDVB]

I believe many municipalities have an ordinance against discharging a fire arm inside the city limits. IANAL, but I would imagine that, by itself would not prevent you from having an indoor range, but you wouldn't legally be able to shoot in it.

There are certainly ranges within City Limits (i.e. in Indianapolis - Indy Trading Post, Pop Guns, etc)... I would presume you would need permits/licensing/etc which may or may not be easy to obtain.

I'm not sure if a residential zone would allow such permits though, it may require commercial zoning.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

There are certainly ranges within City Limits (i.e. in Indianapolis - Indy Trading Post, Pop Guns, etc)... I would presume you would need permits/licensing/etc which may or may not be easy to obtain.

I'm not sure if a residential zone would allow such permits though, it may require commercial zoning.

That too...bet you wouldn't get too many neighbors signing off on a variance for a shooting range within mere feet of their homes.