Shooting Airguns at Home By Tony Bruce – Muzzle Loading Section Director

Let me start this article by saying that if you really want to improve your shooting you really need to

invest in a good air pistol and practice lots with it. (This applies to all of the pistol disciplines).

So, a quick quiz for all you keen readers out there….Is it legal to shoot an air pistol at home?

What’s your answer? (Yes or No?)

In actual fact the answer is YES - it is quite legal to shoot air pistols and air rifles in your section or

house; PROVIDING:

- You are over 18, or have a gun licence, or someone over 18 supervises the shooting

- You have a safe area to shoot in.

(you have a safety zone and no-one can be potentially injured by ricochets, and nor can

anyone walk into the shooting zone while you are shooting)

- The pellets are contained within your property (my summary)

ie: you have a suitable impact area or bullet trap

- The neighbours do not feel threatened. (my summary)

You need to make sure that airguns do not get pointed in the neighbour’s direction, and that

any noise is kept to a minimum.

There is a very good pamphlet available from the police arms officers called ’Beginning with Airguns’,

describing the police requirements around airguns. (See below)

I would add here a personal note about the issue of noise. There is a definite ‘thunk’ as each shot is

fired. I shoot in my garage which is under my house. I am quite safe in my shooting, but the noise of

the pellet hitting a bullet trap can travel up through the floorboards and annoy my family - so I have

to use a bullet trap that does not clang or reverberate. ( just something to consider for good family

relationships.) See below for the instructions on how to make a quieter bullet trap.

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The Target Holder and Bullet trap.

When shooting at home you will need a target holder and bullet trap. The trap can be as simple as

an earth bank, to a tree to a cardboard box to a fancy metal catcher (available from many sporting

and gun shops).

Again, the things to always remember is to be safety orientated. Avoid ricochets; consider what’s

behind the target, and having the target at a height that matches your normal shooting position.

An Easy to Make Bullet Catcher.

So, today I will pass on the system I use, which is free, and which will last for years.

I made my bullet catcher from a cardboard box (It is basically just a carton filled with cardboard). I

have made it in 3 sections. The benefit of this design is that it is easily portable, minimises the noise

and I can salvage the lead to be reused later. The carton can be any size, but mine is 300x400x300.

You will need two 8 to 10mm diameter pieces of doweling, old hard wearing material (eg old jean

legs), some sheets of cardboard, and lastly an old oven tray or piece of tin. (The tin is not essential

but is insurance in case the pellets ever shoot a hole all the way through the inner cardboard layers).

I have put the 2 dowels across the inside top of the box. On the front dowel I have draped the denim

legs, then stood 6-8 layers of cardboard, and angled the tin against the back doweling rod.

(See the pictures below)

The pellet basses through the target, through the front cardboard, hits the cloth which moves

backwards and absorbs the energy of the pellet, and the cardboard behind the cloth acts as a weight

to slow the pellet right down.

As a hint, you can use clothes pegs to hold the targets on the end of the box.

And if you get really fancy you can build in holders to slide in the targets.

I have also used an old shallow steel tray on the floor of the box to collect the pellets, ready for

melting down.

Targets:

Depending on what distance you shoot, the options for targets are massive.

In my previous garage I shot over a distance of 5m. I used 25mm black dots on a piece of A4 paper.

I now shoot at PNZ Airgun targets at 10m with the air pistol,

or use 15mm black dots on an A4 page for my rifle practice.

So that’s it….easy and cheap. It cost me nothing, and if the target catcher is well made it can last

forever. My current one is 6 years old and has had 10,000 pellets into it. All I’ve had to do is regularly

replace the end where the targets sit.

Good luck in making your one.

Any questions or suggestions, please contact me at muzzle@pistolnz.org.nz.

Special Message to ParentsSome parents may be dismayed when their child wantsan airgun, but airgun ownership can have a positiverole in developing safe practice with firearms.

An air rifle is preferable to an air pistol. It is an idealfirst gun; a training firearm that a young person canlearn to handle responsibly and safely.

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council offers afree firearm safety lecture. You should contact yourlocal Police Arms Officer for further details.

PenaltiesYou will have to be responsible about how you use yourairgun, otherwise you could face stiff penalties.

Beginning with Airguns

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• If you carry an airgun or even possess it without a lawfulpurpose, you could be fined $4000 and/or imprisonedfor up to 3 years.

• Careless use of an airgun may bring a fine of $4000 and/or up to 3 years in prison.

• Firing an airgun in a way that may endanger, annoy orfrighten anyone or harm property could mean you are fined $3000 and/or are imprisoned for up to 3 months.

• For unlawfully pointing an airgun at someone, you couldbe fined $1000 and/or spend up to 3 years in prison.

• If you sell or supply an airgun to an unlicensed person under 18, you could be fined $1000 and /or imprisonedfor up to 3 months. This could happen when an adult buys a child an airgun as a gift.

The 7 Basic Rules of Firearm Safety1. Treat every firearm as loaded2. Always point firearms in a safe direction3. Load a firearm only when ready to fire4. Identify your target5. Check your firing zone6. Store firearms and ammunition safely7. Avoid alcohol or drugs when handling firearms

Further InformationFor more information concerning airguns and other firearms,please visit the New Zealand Police website:

www.police.govt.nz- on the services menu, under firearms.

What is an Airgun?Under the Arms Act 1983, “airgun” includes air rifles, airpistols, BB guns, soft air pellet guns and paintball guns.Essentially, any weapon that has a gas or compressed airfiring mechanism is classed as an airgun.

Fully Automatic AirgunsPolice have warned people who own fully automatic airgunsthey are breaking the law unless they have a firearms licencewith a Restricted Weapons endorsement. Although the gunsare only air powered, their firing mechanism means theyare restricted weapons.

They fire hundreds of rounds a minute and some will puncha hole in a piece of gib-board in a few seconds.

They are definitely not toys.

If owners modify their weapons to make them semi-automatic, they would not need to take any further action- but if the weapon remains fully automatic, then it is aRestricted Weapon, which means they have to get a firearmslicence with the correct endorsement and have secure storagefacilities.

Paintball AirgunsPolice do not advocate shooting at any person with anairgun. However, in the case of paintball marker gameswhere the object may be to shoot your opponents, strictsafety guidelines must be adhered to.

Organised games and competitions are available in NewZealand, usually at commercial game fields. The operatorsof these fields adhere to a voluntary code of practice,including the application of strict safety measures.

More information is available from the New Zealand PaintballPlayers Association Incorporated.E-mail: info@paintball.gen.nz

Set up a RangeTo get the most fun out of your airgun, in a safe andresponsible way, set up a properly constructed range in yourbackyard or basement. Your range must have a backstoplike a solid fence or wall and no one should be able to walkbetween the target and your airgun while you are shooting.

There should be a “pellet trap”, such as a cardboard boxfull of sand, with the target fixed to it.

Thought should be given to where the pellet will go if itmisses the target or ricochets off paths, walls and otherhard surfaces.

Care NeededThese are all airguns but look like real firearms.

Safe Storage of AirgunsIMPORTANT

An airgun can cause serious injury if used incorrectly.

When you are not using your airgun, it should be lockedaway in a safe place inaccessible to children.

They should never be used in situations where they mightbe mistaken for real firearms.

Use of Airguns• Anyone 18 years of age or older can possess and use

an airgun.

• People under 18 years of age may use an airgun if:• They hold a New Zealand firearms licence* OR• They are under the IMMEDIATE SUPERVISION of a

firearms licence holder or a person 18 years of age or older.

• Anyone under 16 years of age must always be under the IMMEDIATE SUPERVISION of a firearms licence holderor a person 18 years of age or older.

*Note: You must be 16 years of age or older to apply for a New Zealand firearms licence.

“IMMEDIATE SUPERVISION” means that the licensed orolder person is within reach and in control of the personusing the airgun. The person providing the supervisioncannot be in possession or control of another firearm orairgun.

Young Airgun OwnersIf you are 16 or 17 you can see the Arms Officer at a Policestation about getting a licence. The Arms Officer will giveyou a free copy of the Arms Code, which is a book aboutfirearm safety.

You will be asked to give the names of 2 people, one aclose relative. The Police will ask these people if you are asuitable person to use and possess firearms.

You will also be asked to attend a firearms safety lecture.These lectures are run by instructors from the MountainSafety Council. Then you sit a written test and, if you pass,the instructor will issue you a certificate. The results of yourtest will be passed on to the Arms Officer.

If the Arms Officer considers you a fit and proper personthey will issue you with your firearms licence.