Nipped out after work for a quick hour blast. Coming off Norland Moor near Halifax, heading towards the bridleway locally named baby head alley, I passed three lads with air rifles. Didn’t think too much of it, even exchanged a nod with one. Took the right turn onto the bridleway. Next thing a pellet wizzed past me. Can’t say for definitely how close it was but it must have been within ten foot.

I’m no expert on fire arms but they were fairly big rifles. Presumably they had some power.

I spoke to the police within minutes of it happening. To be honest they didn’t seem too bothered.

To be honest they didn’t seem too bothered.

Cutbacks!

why didn’t you whizz round and go and kick the shit out of them? or at least have stern words whilst looking menancing.

Go into the nearest station tomorrow. Someone else may well take it seriously.

Wot slowoldgit said

I have a massive axe, a bike and I live only a couple of miles away.

Would be HTH 😉

The copper I spoke over the phone asked me if I just wanted to log it or if I was making a complaint. I think if I don’t hear anythimg back this evening I will making more of it tomorrow.

Surely this is a fairly serious crime?

I’m no expert on fire arms but they were fairly big rifles. Presumably they had some power.

Yep. You’re no expert…

You’d have been unlucky for them to have done anything other than bruised you, especially through clothing.

B r isn’t much of an expert either with that answer. There’s potential for worse. Depends on the gun, but many people who shoot would probably only be brandishing something that would bruise you or slightly break skin at distance. But someone who was willing to pop shot a person may have also upped the gun a bit through a few methods. Catching you in the wrong place could have done some damage. Report it! It’s not funny and makes hard work for people who shoot responsibly.

tell them you saw some middle eastern looking blokes behaving oddly shortly beforehand…

You’d have been unlucky for them to have done anything other than bruised you, especially through clothing.

So thats ok then ? what if someone turns round and gets blinded by a pellet ? The little shits want locking up

b r – Member

Yep. You’re no expert…

You’d have been unlucky for them to have done anything other than bruised you, especially through clothing.

The most idiotic comment I’ve seen here this year.

The most idiotic comment I’ve seen here this year.

+1

Happened to me about a year ago or so. Riding home from work, middle of nowhere, couple of kids with an air rifle in a field took a few shots at me. I thought about phoning the police but couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.

The little shits want locking up something else to do, a verbal hiding and some serious education.

FTFY

The little shits want locking up something else to do, a verbal hiding and some serious education.

At least they were out in the fresh air.

I also managed to crash on the decent and lost my water bottle.

There’s no doubt that what they did was dangerous, but how dangerous ? should the police be more concerned?

The most idiotic comment I’ve seen here this year.

You’ve not been on here much then. 🙄

I’ve shot airguns all my life and never seen anyone injured by been shot by a pellet.

speckledbob,

Was it a ‘copper’ that you spoke with or a call handler on the main switchboard (not that the service you should receive should be any different)?

Some air weapons are deemed more dangerous than others and are subject to stricter controls. It depends on the kinetic energy of the ‘missile’ they discharge.

The lad that fired the air-rifle could feasibly commit a number of offences under different acts.

I think the best course of action would be to visit the West Yorkshire Police website and Email the local NPT, flagging the incident – requesting they pay passing attention to the area and stop and Q any youths in possession of such weapons, dispensing words of advice where necessary.

Anti-social behaviour is a policing priority for many forces, as set by their respective Chiefs & PCC’s and thus incidents of this nature are progressed with a little more application then may have been the case in the past.

999

999, it’s a firearms offence. With any luck they’ll deploy some firearms officers to tazer them all.

I’ve shot airguns all my life and never seen anyone injured by been shot by a pellet.

Yeah?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4134694.stm

And yet the same pellets will punch through a 2mm aluminium sheet, and that’s at 12ftlb, not the 30ftlb+ That the Theoban Eliminator I used to have had. I’ve also shot air weapons all my life, but never at anyone, so also not seen anyone injured either. Doesn’t mean it’s safe to shoot at someone though does it?

I’d say its sufficient risk to be pissed off.

You’ve not been on here much then.

I’ve shot airguns all my life and never seen anyone injured by been shot by a pellet.

Your verbal dexterity and life experience wins the day; I’m sorry.

Now just stand there whilst I point a .22 at your eye would you?

I’ve shot airguns all my life and never seen anyone injured by been shot by a pellet.

I shot them right through my childhood into my late teens, they could punch through plywood. Still never seen anyone injured but I never shot at anyone.

Deluded, the person I spoke with said they where from the local police station but did not give me a name.

It’s not normal to see lads with air rifles in that area but I have seen others lower in the valley by the old tip and haven’t had any such trouble before.

E-mailing sounds like a good idea. Thanks for the advise.

I’ve been shot in the hand by one at 25 metres, embedded itself between two largest knuckles. Glad it was my hand and nowhere else is all am saying.

**** taking pop-shots with weapons need levelling. How did the operator respond exactly? Did you get a crime number, etc?

I’m no expert on fire arms but they were fairly big rifles. Presumably they had some power.

Yep. You’re no expert…

You’d have been unlucky for them to have done anything other than bruised you, especially through clothing.

I once had to have a pellet removed from my skull by an A&E doctor on a local anaesthetic.

**** taking pop-shots with weapons need levelling. How did the operator respond exactly? Did you get a crime number, etc?

No. It was all pretty shoddy.

^^ What Drac said. Mine could kill rabbits from a fair distance when I was 16 and I don’t doubt that it could cause serious injury if it hit you in the right place.

Struggle to bruise skin? You’re having a larf. Confusing an air rifle with a BB gun, maybe?

speckledbob,

I’m a policeman and I’d be hacked off with that sort of behaviour myself. I’ve every confidence that the Beat Team will pick it up and do something with your report.

I’m not from your neck of the woods, but is it Halifax Central (Sowerby Bridge) – http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/calderdale/halifax-central

Go back with a tommy-gun, that’ll learn em

Not so very long ago, we had a late evening shooting session in the pub, with the landlord’s gun, and a local’s gun, shooting at an impromptu target on the heavy wood kitchen door. The pellets were penetrating nearly a centimetre into the door, so there’s no way I’d want to get hit with one.
Great fun, though.
Not sure what the guns were, but one had a sculpted stock, and a pressurised tank, the other a very heavy break-barrel gun, with muffler and a 40x scope.

Deluded, yes that’s the station. Thanks for the link. I’ll wait and see if anyone gets back to me tonight. If not I’ll e-mail in the morning.

To be honest I did consider going back and confronting them but thought it would be a stupid thing to do.

You’d have been unlucky for them to have done anything other than bruised you, especially through clothing.

The human body has arteries very close to the skin in the neck. An air rifle pellet there can kill you, and indeed, people have been killed this way.

To be honest I did consider going back and confronting them but thought it would be a stupid thing to do.

Wise.

I’ve shot airguns all my life and never seen anyone injured by been shot by a pellet.

I used to shoot air guns regularly (And a variety of proper handguns and proper rifles until the local clubs shut). I also know 3 people who have been injured to varying degrees by them, two just bruised, one had to have the pellet surgically removed.

People like that have no place owning guns and wreck it for those who use them responsibly.

You’d have been unlucky for them to have done anything other than bruised you, especially through clothing.

Assuming it’s some cheapo spanish thing with ha’penny pellets, but if it is tuned which many are and it’s easy to do, then it’s gonna spoil you day!

Assuming it’s some cheapo spanish thing with ha’penny pellets…

I bought a £100 Chinese deathtrap of a rifle to compliment my BSA Lighning XL – I was sick of going plinking and having to wait to get a shot of the rifle.

Turned out that the Chinese rifle was waaaaay over the legal limit, straight out of the box. If you were lucky enough to actually hit a water-filled baked beans can at 20 metres, the pellet would rip straight through both sides and lodge itself in the tree behind. The Lightning was lucky to dent the can at the same range.

Similarly, the Chinese gun would make a hole in a clay plantpot, whilst the XL’s pellets would bounce off it.

As a very naughty boy I once shot a mate with an air rifleafter he shot me with….a black widow.

Guess which left no lasting impression and the one that hurt the most and left a circular puncture wound for life.

What should really happen is that they get a thick ear from the copper and the barrel bent by their dad.
Sadly neither will happen so tell the law.
If you do so make a bloody fuss. No point in going to the law without them doing something so make a big fuss or don’t bother.