The issue of target shooting in New York State owned forests (NOT STATE PARKS) came up in one of my threads. I think it is a subject which deserves a thread of its own.
The law regarding target shooting in NYS owned forests can be found in Title 6 (Department of Environmental Conservation) of the NYS Codes, Rules, and Regulations.
The law doesn’t explicitly state what you are allowed to do. Rather, it states what you are not allowed to do.
6 CRR-NY 190.8NY-CRR provides as follows:
(ab) No person shall possess breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons, on State lands and no person shall target shoot at breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons and glass containers, on State lands.
Unless legally engaged in the act of hunting, no person shall discharge firearms on State lands posted or designated as closed to target shooting.
Therefore, unless it is posted, or otherwise designated as closed to target shooting, you are allowed to do so.
Of course, you must also follow other laws and regulations.
For example, Article 11, Section 0931, of the Environmental Conservation Law provides:
4. a. No person shall:
(1) discharge a firearm or long bow in such a way as will result in the load or arrow thereof passing over a public highway or any part thereof;
(2) discharge a firearm or long bow within five hundred feet from a dwelling house, farm building or farm structure actually occupied or used, school building, school playground, or occupied factory or church;
The Environmental Conservation Law applies whether you are hunting or not.
Also, New York State Penal Law Section 265.35 provides:
3. Any person who, otherwise than in self defense or in the discharge of official duty, (a) wilfully discharges any species of firearms . . . , either in a public place, or in any place where there is any person to be endangered thereby, or, in Putnam county, within one-quarter mile of any occupied school building other than under supervised instruction by properly authorized instructors although no injury to any person ensues; (b) intentionally, without malice, points or aims any firearm . . . , at or toward any other person; (c) discharges, without injury to any other person, firearms . . . , while intentionally without malice, aimed at or toward any person; or (d) maims or injures any other person by the discharge of any firearm . . . , pointed or aimed intentionally, but without malice, at any such person, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
General information about NYS owned forests can be found at this Department of Environmental Conservation link:
A list of many of the NYS owned forests can be found at this Department of Environmental Conservation link:
A word of caution. Just because it may be legal to target shoot in a particular part of a NYS owned forest, does not mean it is a good idea to do so. You should use your common sense.
To state the obvious, it would be a bad idea to shoot near a populated area of the forest, or in an area where you do not have a safe backstop. Otherwise, you may invite the scrutiny of a DEC Officer who may cite you for non-shooting violations.
The DEC has nine regional offices listed below. Inquiries should be made at the appropriate regional office before target shooting.
Region 1: (Long Island) Nassau and Suffolk counties
Region 2: (New York City) Brooklyn (Kings County), Bronx (Bronx County), Manhattan (New York County), Queens (Queens County) and Staten Island (Richmond County)
Region 3: (Lower Hudson Valley) Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties
Region 4: (Capital Region/Northern Catskills) Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
Region 5: (Eastern Adirondacks/Lake Champlain) Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties
Region 6: (Western Adirondacks/Eastern Lake Ontario) Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and St. Lawrence counties
Region 7: (Central New York) Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga and Tompkins counties
Region 8: (Western Finger Lakes) Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates counties
Region 9: (Western New York) Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Niagara and Wyoming counties
http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/50230.html
The law regarding target shooting in NYS owned forests can be found in Title 6 (Department of Environmental Conservation) of the NYS Codes, Rules, and Regulations.
The law doesn’t explicitly state what you are allowed to do. Rather, it states what you are not allowed to do.
6 CRR-NY 190.8NY-CRR provides as follows:
(ab) No person shall possess breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons, on State lands and no person shall target shoot at breakable targets, including but not limited to clay pigeons and glass containers, on State lands.
Unless legally engaged in the act of hunting, no person shall discharge firearms on State lands posted or designated as closed to target shooting.
Therefore, unless it is posted, or otherwise designated as closed to target shooting, you are allowed to do so.
Of course, you must also follow other laws and regulations.
For example, Article 11, Section 0931, of the Environmental Conservation Law provides:
4. a. No person shall:
(1) discharge a firearm or long bow in such a way as will result in the load or arrow thereof passing over a public highway or any part thereof;
(2) discharge a firearm or long bow within five hundred feet from a dwelling house, farm building or farm structure actually occupied or used, school building, school playground, or occupied factory or church;
The Environmental Conservation Law applies whether you are hunting or not.
Also, New York State Penal Law Section 265.35 provides:
3. Any person who, otherwise than in self defense or in the discharge of official duty, (a) wilfully discharges any species of firearms . . . , either in a public place, or in any place where there is any person to be endangered thereby, or, in Putnam county, within one-quarter mile of any occupied school building other than under supervised instruction by properly authorized instructors although no injury to any person ensues; (b) intentionally, without malice, points or aims any firearm . . . , at or toward any other person; (c) discharges, without injury to any other person, firearms . . . , while intentionally without malice, aimed at or toward any person; or (d) maims or injures any other person by the discharge of any firearm . . . , pointed or aimed intentionally, but without malice, at any such person, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor.
General information about NYS owned forests can be found at this Department of Environmental Conservation link:
A list of many of the NYS owned forests can be found at this Department of Environmental Conservation link:
A word of caution. Just because it may be legal to target shoot in a particular part of a NYS owned forest, does not mean it is a good idea to do so. You should use your common sense.
To state the obvious, it would be a bad idea to shoot near a populated area of the forest, or in an area where you do not have a safe backstop. Otherwise, you may invite the scrutiny of a DEC Officer who may cite you for non-shooting violations.
The DEC has nine regional offices listed below. Inquiries should be made at the appropriate regional office before target shooting.
Region 1: (Long Island) Nassau and Suffolk counties
Region 2: (New York City) Brooklyn (Kings County), Bronx (Bronx County), Manhattan (New York County), Queens (Queens County) and Staten Island (Richmond County)
Region 3: (Lower Hudson Valley) Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties
Region 4: (Capital Region/Northern Catskills) Albany, Columbia, Delaware, Greene, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Schoharie counties
Region 5: (Eastern Adirondacks/Lake Champlain) Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties
Region 6: (Western Adirondacks/Eastern Lake Ontario) Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and St. Lawrence counties
Region 7: (Central New York) Broome, Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, Oswego, Tioga and Tompkins counties
Region 8: (Western Finger Lakes) Chemung, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates counties
Region 9: (Western New York) Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Niagara and Wyoming counties
http://www.dec.ny.gov/about/50230.html
Comment