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Anyone know the rules about using a pellet gun in Mesquite? Only info I find online is a law about crossing property lines with an air gun (shooting across the street or into someone else's yard). Nothing about sitting in the backyard plinking away at targets or the dang squirrels tearing up my house.

I don't have an answer for your question, however, I have had an experience of shooting a pellet gun in the backyard. Several years ago a good friend and I were in his back yard having a ball putting holes in cans, when a police cruiser pulled up in the ally behind his house, and motioned us over to him. He said that someone had complained (naturally) and said we should not be shooting a pellet gun in such close proximity to the other neighbor's houses. The LEO asked us to stop shooting in the back yard, he was very polite and friendly...we were just kids. Now I don't know if it was actually against the law, or just a policy here in Abilene. It looks like if we had broken any law the LEO would have arrested us and confiscated our guns, or given us a ticket, but he did not. Needless to say, we put up the pellet gun.

Anyway, that just came to my mind when you asked that question. I am sure there are those on here that can give you some good advise and are very familiar with the laws.

Good Luck!
-geo

You'll have to check the municipal code. They virtually all have laws against firing firearms in the city limits with certain exceptions (I'd say they all do, but someone would find one that doesn't to prove me wrong ), but pellets guns are not firearms. Some municipal codes also forbid airguns, but many do not. You'll have to check to see which category Mesquite falls into. Abilene probably has no law against them, but there was a disturbance complaint, so the officer asked Bryang to stop. So also think about what your neighbors might think. (For a second before you do what you want to anyway.)

Here is the code from Mesquite Muni Code

Sec. 10-10. Discharge of air rifle, pellet guns, etc.
It shall be unlawful and an offense for any person to discharge a projectile from an air rifle, pellet gun or other instrument in which the projectile is propelled by compressed air in, upon, across or into a public street, alley or other public thoroughfare or across a property line within the city.
(Code 1960, § 13-4.2)

So, IANAL, but reads like if you contain it inside your property, then you are good to go.

That's the way I read the code also.... as long as I do not shoot beyond my property line, I'm OK. There's no other mention of "air gun" or "pellet gun" in anything I can find for Mesquite.

In other words, make real sure of your backstop. I like the way that law is written. Do things smart on your property and you're okay. Do something stupid and it can become criminally stupid.

I have a friend here in Austin who has recently gotten into airgun shooting in the past year. Austin has no ordinances against shooting on one's own property. He puts large backstops behind his targets, in addition to the 6ft privacy fence that borders his (rented) property.

As will inevitably always will happen, he has a neighbor who is aware of his shooting habits, and that the guns he is firing are air guns. Nonetheless, he has had to deal with multiple complaints from this neighbor to the local PD about his activities. Each time, he is asked what he is firing, and informs them that they are air guns. That is all the cops need from him, as it is perfectly legal to shoot air guns within one's own property. The cops let him know later that they informed the neighbor of the legality of his activities, but he still had a couple of complaints after.

I'm not sure what came of that situation, as he moved a few months later, hopefully to an area with less busybodies.

On a related note, he would occasionally sit outside late at night with red lights illuminating the back yard, and pick off rats as they walked along the center horizontal rails of one of his fences. I'd call that a public service, with some practical shooting practice mixed in!

There are hunting seasons on squirrels,if you are shooting squirrels out of season or without a hunting license you could get in trouble

Hunting any game animal, including squirrel, with an air gun is also illegal in Texas.

There is no season for squirrels in Dallas County, but the rule about no pellet guns??? Don't make sense to me, a good pellet gun is perfect for small game?

SCone wrote:There is no season for squirrels in Dallas County, but the rule about no pellet guns??? Don't make sense to me, a good pellet gun is perfect for small game?

Parks and Wildlife Code, I believe. It states in TPWD hunting / fishing guide - no air guns for game animals. I'm sure that is code somewhere if it is in the guide. OK for non - game. Squirrel is a game animal.

SCone wrote:There is no season for squirrels in Dallas County, but the rule about no pellet guns??? Don't make sense to me, a good pellet gun is perfect for small game?

But, a "bad pellet gun" isn't perfect for small game. Many pellet guns don't have the power for a humane kill and will just wound the animal.

GrillKing wrote:Hunting any game animal, including squirrel, with an air gun is also illegal in Texas.

What if it's a nuisance?

Taxman wrote:

GrillKing wrote:Hunting any game animal, including squirrel, with an air gun is also illegal in Texas.

What if it's a nuisance?

Good question since trapping of game animals is also illegal, but pest control companies (i think) trap squirrels all the time. There may be exceptions for nuisance, but I don't know what they might be.

I have been guilty of busting them out of my Mom's bird feeder with a Red Rider in my youth

I think that there is a nuisance clause, but I haven't read the lastest hunting regs?