Shooting in the garden

[5-element]

Neighbours problem:

Our next door neighbours (our house is semi-detached with theirs in an estate), have many unsavoury habits, and are the worst neighbours we have ever had anywhere. They are an extended French family, very "France profonde", who own several buildings around and behave as if they own the neighbourhood. They have been here for yonks and know everybody, and have been ignoring us as much as is humanly possible for the 5 years we have been here, in spite of many  attempts on my part and my OH's part to be a little civilised. This to say they are pretty unapproachable (at least by us, the "etrangers" next door).

In recent months, one of them seems to be shooting what I think is an air rifle, but MOH thinks it is more than that as there was a little smoke residue over the fence after a shot. They do this on Sundays, in their garden which is right next to us - we cannot see themdo it, and have no idea if they are practicing and with what target. It is incredibly noisy and startling.

My point is: does anyone know if

1) it is legal to practice shooting (with blanks, or with an air rifle) in one's garden, in a residential area?

2) is it legal to do so on Sundays - Sundays being a day when I think there is limited use of any machinery.

Mr 5-E got quite apoplectic about it this morning, and rang the gendarmerie to ask what the law is. He was met with the "What is your name,where do you live, who is your neighbour", and the gendarme who answered the phone was very loathe to give any information about what is legal and what is not. However, he did concede at one point "C'est pas normal!".

I will probably go to the Mairie tomorrow and ask about regulations, or the police station. I would like to know what the law is before I try and speak (again) with the neighbours, who have proved utterly unreasonable in the past. Like, because they have about 5 vehicles between them, they find it normal to overlap systematically into our own parking area, so they have more space to manoeuvre. Just like they find normal to put their surplus rubbish in our rubbish bin on the snide, at 5am (I've seen them do it, as I am an early riser!). So I would like to be sure of my ground, as I would hate to start a war!

[oliveau]

Sunday is the day that the whole of rural France dedicates to 'La Chasse'.

No shooting allowed on Wednesdays - no school for children, & that's the day they can wander in the country without being shot!

 

As for 'Les Voisins' - sounds fairly normal in rural France.

[5-element]

Yes, I know about la chasse on Sundays. But la chasse is now officially closed. Funnily enough, here this year, even Wednesdays became  chasse days...

What I would like to know is:

Is it allowed to shoot in a semi-urban environment, as I live in a town, it is all suburban little gardens, not big plots of land....

Does anyone know the (official) regulations?

[chris pp]

You will find a list at the link below to the Regional ONCFS, they are in my experience very helpful and of course know the law inside out, it is part of their job after all.

http://www.oncfs.gouv.fr/contacts/services.php

Chris

[5-element]

Thanks a lot, Chris. It might be exactly what I needed, now I have a phone number to ring in my departement.

[Loiseau]

I think there is a rule about not shooting within a certain distance of an inhabited building - so it would seem odd to be doing it on an estate.  (This might only refer to chasseurs, using shotguns though.)

I certainly thought it was a bit questionable even to run a lawnmower to cut the grass, or to do noisy DIY on a Sunday. 

I think to start with a discreet word at the Mairie would be best.

Angela

[Teamedup]

How did it go CinqE?

[5-element]

No reply at the number for the ONCFS, I will try again tomorrow.

I did find out that theoretically, one is not allowed to shoot for hunting within 500 meters of a house. That is the general rule, but I also find that each prefecture can make their own rule for the departement. Which is why it will be good to speak to someone at the ONCFS.

The trouble is, not being a hunter or a firearms expert at all, I know very little - but I would imagine that a carabine (air rifle?) would have different rules than a "fusil de chasse" and then, live ammo as opposed to blanks... I am pretty sure they are not shooting with live ammo next door, as they have a young child. It is not the shooting I object to per se, just the very close proximity (only a few meters, we are separated by a grillage with a sheet of obscuring green plastic), so that the noise is very disruptive as it is loud and sudden.

As for going to the Mairie, naturally I can do that... to find that Mr. Neighbour is a personal friend of Mr. Adjoint, and maybe even a relative.

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think that I can probably do nothing. Like most small places in France, you only get something done if you know the right person, and Mr. Neighbour knows everybody, he has the council employees come by specially to take away his discarded sofas etc... even when it is not the day for everybody else (jour des encombrants). I think it is very dodgy as I could easily antagonise them and I have no doubt they could make our lives a misery. Nobody else in the lotissement seems to object, so perhaps they know something I don't?

Actually, another neighbour a little way across, has a large garden, and apparently has a small rabbit farm.

He is known (not just rumoured) to have shot and killed many cats in the past, if they wander on his patch.

Although there was proof (a lady who lost her cat, and then found the corpse in this man's dustbin), and the gendarmes went to tell him he was a naughty boy, I don't think it ever became a big deal.  

So it's probably a case of, "Like it or lump it", but I still would like to know what is legal and what is not. Just in case. And I might still go and enquire at the Mairie, without naming names. I'll report back.

 

Angela: lawn-mowing and noisy DIY on Sunday: in theory, not allowed. However, here in my lotissement, they ALL do it. Felling a tree. Cutting tiles. Mowing  lawn, cutting hedges. Fixing  cars/motorbikes.  it. If it has a motor, Sunday is the day for it.

[Teamedup]

I think that I would be phoning the Prefecture to see what local by laws are.

I am sure that they should not be doing this at all. But as you say, that is what happens and when people are in with the people at the Mairie then it gets even harder.

[5-element]

That's an idea, TU. I had not thought of it.

As you say about what you can do when you are a cousin or a schoolfriend of the Mayor or his deputies - so many stories....Hard to compete with the locals for making the law around here! Or just seeing to it that it is applied... I might be better off shooting myself in the foot[+o(] 

[Loiseau]

Oh, just hold your foot above the grillage, 5E, and the neighbour will do it for you!

I did think that your neighbour just might be related to everybody on the conseil municipal, I must say.

And re Sunday noise:  Indeed, everybody in my hamlet gets down to noisy DIY on Sundays - even sometimes to a bit of a motorcycle scramble route for the kids around the field at the back! (Fortunately, across the road from me, rather than next door!) 

Angela