Oregon Legality of popping primers in empty case with firearm?

[Yarome]

You can get over preoccupied with the letter of the law and spend days on end trying to weigh the risks, but in more cases then not... applying a bit of common sense, being dicreet and shutting up about it works.

It's not like you're out to brandish, threaten or do anyone any harm... odds are vastly on the side of no one either noticing or caring... the burden is still on "them" to prove you done anything wrong... and you still have the right to remain silent.

Just sayin.... it's good to keep things in their proper perspective and not get all worked up over the "little stuff".


(Side note: Some cities/counties specificy include starter pistols as prohibited. Know before you blow!)

 

[ScatPackLife]

Lets not forget .22 cal nail guns - and they technically fire a projectile - and are often used within city limits.

To my knowledge, those devices are not considered firearms. Yes, it has gun in the name but it is not regulated like a firearm. Just like what I said about the starter pistol earlier.

Like you could put ammo in a pan on the stove, it would eventually go off but a pan is not a firearm. A silly example but it gets the point across, I think

 

[Yarome]

To my knowledge, those devices are not considered firearms. Yes, it has gun in the name but it is not regulated like a firearm. Just like what I said about the starter pistol earlier.

Like you could put ammo in a pan on the stove, it would eventually go off but a pan is not a firearm. A silly example but it gets the point across, I think

They are not considered a "weapon" so firearm regulations don't apply, but purely by the legal definition of a firearm... they are. Some starter pistols are also classed as a firearm.

ATF.gov:
The term "Firearm" means:

1. Any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive

Some starter pistols have solid barrels and single contained chambers, but not all. Common types though are the open barrel plastic plugged multi chamber revolver type. Those can quite easily be converted to fire a projectile.

Some jurisdictions don't class them as a "firearm", but some do. Prohibitions are sometimes hidden not in the firearm related city/county statutes but in the "fireworks" ordinances covering explosives and "cap" guns. How it makes sense... I dunno.

 

[Capn Jack]

As someone else mentioned... that's why God invented garages. Unseen by the ninny's in the neighborhood and you can get away with stuff the woman of the house would make you pay 10 times over for within her domain.

She's pretty smart, that way.

The wife complained about me killing bugs in the house with my "A-SALT-RIFLE" as I was, 'getting salt all over the place."
Now my garage is spider free... '

 

[American123]

Bringing it back to the realm of practicality. Regardless of legality, which isn't my first evaluation criteria anyway - bb guns exist, they are pretty quiet, and you could easily plink in your back yard, or even in your house, with a simple plywood backstop that could even be set up at an angle to trap the BB's for future use again. Why waste primers on not loaded cartridges for actual use?

 

[Saladfarmer]

In Eugene, airsoft and airguns are considered firearms. My kids were brought home in a squad car once for shooting their airsoft guns in a gully near our house. The cop threatened to cite me for discharging a firearm in city limits, because they were minors, but just confiscated the guns instead.

Seriuosly? What kind of Karen cop did you get? do you live in the south hils or near the university or something?
Man, I played with guns all the time when I was a kid.. Cap guns, water guns, nerf guns, we used to make blow guns and use sewing pins and paper cones for the darts and shoot each other. This town is REDICULOUS now. I know Lane County Sherrifs wouldn't do that, pretty sure at least.

 

[arakboss]

Bringing it back to the realm of practicality. Regardless of legality, which isn't my first evaluation criteria anyway - bb guns exist, they are pretty quiet, and you could easily plink in your back yard, or even in your house, with a simple plywood backstop that could even be set up at an angle to trap the BB's for future use again. Why waste primers on not loaded cartridges for actual use?

Some people have been testing primers with a primed case (no powder, no projectile). I have done this at the cabin property where it is legal for me to shoot on. I am wondering if it would be legal to do in a city where discharging a firearm might be frowned upon. Does legally discharging a firearm actually require a projectile to be expelled? Popping a primer would be the same as letting the firing pin strike a snap cap in the sense that know projectile is expelled in either case?

BB guns, and airguns expell a projectile, which is probably why they are sometimes banned by cities. Would they also ban pulling the trigger on charged but empty bb gun, I doubt it?

 

[Yarome]

Some people have been testing primers with a primed case (no powder, no projectile). I have done this at the cabin property where it is legal for me to shoot on. I am wondering if it would be legal to do in a city where discharging a firearm might be frowned upon. Does legally discharging a firearm actually require a projectile to be expelled? Popping a primer would be the same as letting the firing pin strike a snap cap in the sense that know projectile is expelled in either case?

BB guns, and airguns expell a projectile, which is probably why they are sometimes banned by cities. Would they also ban pulling the trigger on charged but empty bb gun, I doubt it?

My bet would be that you could be charged under the "if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck" provision of the law and the burden would be on you to prove it's not really a duck.

(Or that there was not in fact a projectile expelled at the time of discharge)

For practical purposes... if it's not clearly spelled out in the city/county ordinance or not... a discharge is a discharge. Powder and projectile included or not.

I guess you could video tape the entire process and prove it was only a primed case, but even that may not be foolproof if the court finds that a primer only is still a "discharge".

 

[arakboss]

My bet would be that you could be charged under the "if it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck" provision of the law and the burden would be on you to prove it's not really a duck.

(Or that there was not in fact a projectile expelled at the time of discharge)

For practical purposes... if it's not clearly spelled out in the city/county ordinance or not... a discharge is a discharge. Powder and projectile included or not.

I guess you could video tape the entire process and prove it was only a primed case, but even that may not be foolproof if the court finds that a primer only is still a "discharge".

Being as I live in a condo with shared walls, I think I will hold off on testing primers at home and do it at the range or cabin property.

 

[Yarome]

Being as I live in a condo with shared walls, I think I will hold off on testing primers at home and do it at the range or cabin property.

Your better half doesn't have eyes'n'ears too?

Aim it into the crapper if you're worried about primer foulings.

Anyone complains you can always claim you and the wife where getting kinky and you just had to slap that A**ssss!!






(And good luck explaining that one to your wife that you "must" so you wouldn't be lying.)