Should shooting arrows in back yards be legal?

Star Tribune ^ | November 26, 2007 | Jean Hopfensperger

[Sopater]

Lewis Anderson looked out the window of his Roseville home this spring and spotted a couple of teenage boys shooting arrows into a bale of hay next door. Anderson's blood pressure soared: His wife and young son had just been playing nearby. The boys weren't using "some toy archery kit," he said, but fast, compound bows. Anderson walked over and asked them to stop, explaining that shooting bows and arrows was illegal in back yards. But after checking city ordinances, he was shocked to learn it still was allowed.

Not anymore. Roseville recently became one of a growing number of suburbs to ban bows and arrows from back yards, offering a few exceptions for their use. A similar ordinance in Bloomington went into effect last week.

A classic childhood sport is being limited increasingly to school programs and archery ranges as suburbs become more densely populated and bows become more powerful.

"I think that with typical suburban lots, you don't have the length required for safety," said Lewis, whose complaint to Roseville City Hall sparked its ban. "As first-ring suburbs get more populated, they need to adopt the same rules as St. Paul and Minneapolis."

[Sopater]

I grew up shooting my bow and arrow in my backyard as a kid, but it wasn't much more than a toy. Any thoughts on this issue? How many bow & arrow related injuries actually occur in urban areas anyway?

[Tax-chick]

How many bow & arrow related injuries actually occur in urban areas anyway?

Not many, I suspect, and those that occur are likely to be to the shooter or his brother.

My sons do archery and bb shooting in our back yard. It's not against city or county law, but it's against HOA rules. Nobody's complained so far.

[madison10]

There goes another childhood past time...

[Vor Lady]

In Omaha, any projectile that can cross property boundry lines is illegal; up to and including spit balls flung from a spoon, according to a OPD acquaintance.

[Pablo64]

If they were really using compound bows (as the article states) then I don’t think they should have been shooting in their back yard if they are in a neighborhood where houses are all around them. While many young people are very good with their bows if these kids were still learning and practicing, there could be problems. Better to practice somewhere else where there is nothing downrange of where you are aiming just in case of an errant shot.

[Sopater]

In Omaha, any projectile that can cross property boundry lines is illegal

I used to live in Omaha as a child, and my football, soccer ball, frisbee, etc. was always going into the neighbor's yard.

[NativeSon]

Sounds like these kids were using "assault bows" these weapons were desinged to kill and are for military only.
Also, this is another reason to ban all guns... Won't someone think of the children!!!

seriously though, it should depend upon the situation with the parents deciding and supervising. As kids, we made our own bows and used target arrows but left the compound bows inside.

[CholeraJoe]

It’s always fun until somebody loses an eye.

[The Great RJ]

Could have been worse ...the perpetrator could have been smoking while shooting their arrows. (sarcasm)

[massgopguy]

Whiffle Ball?

[ClearCase_guy]

I grew up in a suburb, and we had an archery range on our side lawn. Real bows. No injuries occurred.

Opponents of the Second Amendment get upset with guns as personal defense tools -- they say, "Maybe a rifle for hunting is OK, but let's not go too far ..."

Now we have a bow and arrow and the do-gooders are saying "This recreational device must be banned."

Typically, they want it both ways.

[Vaquero]

I throw a couple of thrown out carpets over an old swing set A-frame and let fly....Twaaaaack! no penetration with target points.....but watch those broadheads....

of course the back of my property abuts at concrete wall for a small strip mall and even if one gets through it is contained.

[Sopater]

Is the issue the bow or is it the arrow? Couldn’t issues be mitigated by using target arrows regardless of the type of bow up to some particular draw weight like 20 lbs or so?

[Tax-chick]

I suspect one-eyed people manage to have fun, too.

[Sam's Army]

Busy-body-ism in full effect.

[TRY ONE]

“Could have been worse ...the perpetrator could have been smoking while shooting their arrows. (sarcasm)..”

Could have been really really worse ....the perpetrator could have been smoking while shooting their arrows while tending to their barbecue grill flipping red meat hamburgers!

[Pistolshot]

What these idiots do not realize is bow-hunting and the use of bows is a time-honored tradition. It's not a frivolous venture, with lots of $$ involved.

Bow-hunters I know are as dedicated to their sport as golfers, shooters, and other sports minded people. Practice is the same for the bow-shooter as it is to the others. It's just easier to setup a backstop in the backyard rather than have to find a place to shoot.

[CDHart]

My husband has two different bows - one is a crossbow. Either would be as lethal at back yard range as a bullet, IMO.

Carolyn

[CholeraJoe]

I’ll let you know, if my cataract surgery next week goes awry. One of my friends reminded me that Pirate was the most popular Halloween costume this year.

[Sax]

I used to have a set up using a large foam block (from a floating dock manufacturer) on the side of the house, it was nice to get home and fire off a dozen shots

Then we moved into a neighborhood with many children and even though the backyard is fenced in, I still can’t justify trying to use the bow. Man, I miss that.

[johnny7]

Javelins were fun...

[jalisco555]

I don’t see why this should be treated differently from any other projectile weapon, e.g. firearm. If there’s a chance that you might hit something you don’t want to hit, such as the neighbor’s kid, you shouldn’t do it. I don’t practice with my handguns in the backyard because, I’m embarrassed to say, sometimes I miss. I’d think the same rule would be true for bow and arrow.

[bboop]

Shocking, just shocking. And throwing rocks should also be illegal in your OWN yard. And probably calling names.

[Cheapskate]

These childern must be taught the proper use of cucumbers instead!/sarcasm

[Niteranger68]

Me thinks the complainer is most likely some sickly little vegan that should be ignored.

[Tax-chick]

Good luck! I hope you’ll be eagle-eyed again in a couple of weeks.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

I just bought a new bag target yesterday and will be heading out the door shortly to practice in the yard. I feel very fortunate.

[Sloth]

of course the back of my property abuts at concrete wall for a small strip mall and even if one gets through it is contained.

Unless you're using those bunker-buster concrete piercing arrows. I heard terrorists can take down a 747 with them.

[Sloth]

Anderson walked over and asked them to stop, explaining that shooting bows and arrows was illegal in back yards. But after checking city ordinances, he was shocked to learn it still was allowed.

Aside from the issue of whether backyard archery is a good idea or ought to be banned... I can't stand officious, meddling turds like this guy who go spouting off about things they don't know, and have an obvious lust to control other people's behavior.

[Dead Corpse]

More bovine scatology from the namby pamby crowd.

I used to shoot, quite safely, in my back yard in Texas. Close in to Austin, the lot was barely 35 paces wide. Bought a decent target from Sportsmen's Warehouse... no problem.

[bvw]

It's a judgment call, one good folks can make on their own and one suitable for regular local police authority to make when a review is needed. A neighbor seeing a case of bad judgment that endangers others should most definitely report same, pronto. This applies not just to bows and arrows -- but any activity. Let the local police officers make the call.

We do NOT need more laws and regulations. We can't stop the list when listing into regulation possible bad judgments a person can make that endangers others, so we need to rely on good observers, caution, and four-square local police.

[Polybius]

I grew up shooting my bow and arrow in my backyard as a kid, but it wasn't much more than a toy. Any thoughts on this issue?

Modern bows can shoot arrows more than 200 yards, at speeds of more than 135 miles per hour. Any bow can be dangerous at any range and should be handled responsibly.

[PeterPrinciple]

What these idiots do not realize is bow-hunting and the use of bows is a time-honored tradition.

---

Didn’t the Indians use bows?

For what it is worth, I have a bow from Mongolia, reminiscent of Genghis Khan................

[CholeraJoe]

Thanks. I’m having the other eye done in January.

[Trailerpark Badass]

The pussification of America continues.

[Tax-chick]

Wow! I’d be nervous, too, but it’s a common and almost-always successful procedure. Take your vitamins!

[Dead Corpse]

Bricks should be handled responsibly. What does that have to do with shooting in my own back yard? If I can do so safely, my liberal neighbor can go take a flyin' leap...

BTW... English long bows could shoot farther than that and used an armor piercing arrowhead.

[NonValueAdded]

I shot an arrow in the air
Where it lands, I do not care ...

I get my arrows wholesale.

     Curly Howard

[stylin19a]

shooting arrows in backyard is fine...just don’t try and play lawn jarts

[r9etb]

Busy-body-ism in full effect.

Dunno 'bout that. The boys were apparently shooting in a subdivision backyard, which means that there were probably yards and houses pretty close and behind their targets.

Seems to me like elementary safety considerations would preclude shooting high-powered bows in that situation.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Well, as long as the serious ammo is still allowed... ;)

[Sopater]

My entire house was always littered with those little discs as a kid. You couldn’t move one piece of furniture without finding some. That was one fun toy.

[org.whodat]

Any thoughts on this issue?

As long as you have a large enough back stop, so that no arrow ever leaves your property, but then you will have fools wanting to shoot them in trailer parks. :)

[massgopguy]

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. That’’s a Pippin’.

[RGSpincich]

My brother shot arrows at a bale of hay in the backyard. Missed quite a bit. Killed the neighbor’s chicken.

[junta]

My subdivision sits the houses on half acres and from my walks there are at least three of us who practice with out bows.

[rwa265]

“Busy-body-ism in full effect.”

It depends. If the guy’s wife and kid were in their own backyard and the arrows were being shot in their direction with the possibility an errant arrow striking them, I can understand his being upset.

[LukeL]

Even though we are both young adults, when my brother and I get together we still do very stupid things. Just this spring he chased me outside and sniped me with a bb gun. About 12 years ago we decided it would be cool to shoot at arrow (no tip) up into the air and try to track it with our eyes. Needless to say we lost track of it and landed in a neighbors yard and went 4 inches into the ground.

People do stupid things, and this kind of thing should be kept to the country or gunclubs.

[Sopater]

People do stupid things, and this kind of thing should be kept to the country or gunclubs.

Would a law against bows & arrows actually protect society from people like you and your brother?

[LonePalm]

The wienies probably would object to this too.

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)