Originally Posted by Ghost of the hardwoods

Some of these laws are ridiculous. It sounds like the guy that got caught was breaking many laws (perhaps poaching) Here in Rhode Island, a pellet gun is considered a firearm, and if you live in some of the more "liberal" cities around here, your kids better not be caught shooting cans in your back yard. Believe me, they will get arrested! Cities like Providence, Pawtucket, and Cranston are notorious for this. They made it a big deal on the news about 4 years ago. 2 boys one was 12 the other was 14 where out in there backyard shooting cans when "one of the neighbors" looked out the window and seen the boys. She called the cops and said two men with guns where sneaking around the neighborhood and she thought they where shooting into people's houses. Immediately about 20 squad cars rolled onto the street, closing off intersections and having a standoff with the two "boys" the 12 year old suffered a busted lip that required 7 stitches from being tackled by two officers.

When the news team interviewed the police chief, he said this is the biggest threat to our community and to our officers. Our job is to get as many guns off the street as we can. It also said the boys where arrested and tried as juveniles because they where discharging " a firearm " within 500 feet from a house. ECT.....ECT.....ECT.

When I lived in NY, we used to shoot our pellet guns and bows in our back yards, and NOBODY GAVE A CRAP!!!! But then again, stick bows and red rider BB guns where not considered weapons of mass destruction either.