My parents live in the middle of ten acres of woods in a small community in central Alabama [not shown]. Since they moved there, houses have sprung up all around them as people who want to “live in the country” have migrated there from nearby cities. A few years back a developer put a “manufactured housing developemnt” (a.k.a., a trailer park) in a field across the road from them. Enter my brother and his collection of firearms . . .
For years he’s been target shooting whenever he’s visited the ‘rents. There’s a natural berm on the backside of the property where he sets up cardboard targets, cans, or what-have-you to squeeze off a few (hundred) rounds. No one’s seemed to care about this until one fine day this last spring.
On the day in question, he was out there with my father getting in some target practice. A sheriff’s car pulled and a deputy got out. My brother put down the rifle he was shooting and they met him halfway to see what’s going on.
The deputy explained that “someone” had called to report they’d heard gunshots and asked them to investigate “before someone gets killed.” He wanted to know what was going on. They took the officer back to show him where they were shooting and told him that they’d been doing this for years.
So what’s the officer to do? He was there investigating a “shots fired” compaint. He had to confiscate the weapons and arrest them because they were wrecklessly endangering the neighbors’ lives, didn’t he? He had to cite them for disturbing the peace, right?
Wrong on all counts. He said they were doing nothing wrong. He then made comments about how dumb it is for people to move to the country then expect things to be like they are in the city. He told them they had a right to do what they wanted on their own property as long as it wasn’t illegal – and that safely shooting a gun at a target certainly was not illegal. He wished them a good day and left.
Let’s hear it for sane enforcement of the Second Amendment!