Is a Pellet Gun a Firearm?

Factual Questions
1

A close friend of mine lives in a gated community whose association rules strictly prohibit the use of firearms. This friend has a problem with large snakes, and short of firing a 12-gauge shotgun at them, wants to use his .22 caliber pellet gun to shoot them.

Technically speaking, is a pellet gun a firearm? Although it certainly “fires” a projectile, this projectile is propelled by compressed air. No gunpowder is used and, thus, there is no “fire.”

2

The only way to know is to check. In some places, it is illegal to carry a toy gun, even a squirt gun.

Perhaps your friend might try other methods, e.g. http://www.e-bug.net/pests/snake_control.shtml

3

Yeah… I thought that way once.
Then they took the gun away from me and almost kicked me out of college:)
I got off by the skin of my teeth. Just keep in mind, organizations like Owners Associations are usually as anal as possible and tend to interpret rules based on how connected the offendor is.

4

absolutely check with the authorities in the location you’re wondering about. Different locals, institutions, buildings, gated communities etc have differing opinions on ‘what is a gun’. remember, that a child in Michigan was charged under the zero tolerance for weapons for bringing in a 2 inch metal replica of a gun (with no moving parts).

In the Department of Corrections definition (for Michigan) IIRC ( and I aught to, I had to quote it often enough) “possession of a weapon” included the phrase “any object, whose location or use determines that it’s a weapon” -so for example to them a book could be a weapon if it was used to threaten/hit some one… (actually asked specifically about that, although the person had to have their arm crooked back as if to throw - and I wondered "what the hell was I supposed to do at that point? ask them to hold that pose? - but I digress)

5
      • Airguns are not firearms, and are not subject to the same regulations as firearms, but airguns do not enjoy the same constitutional protection as firearms, so many towns have passed local ordinaces banning airguns entirely -even ownership, something they can’t do with firearms. Not that I’ve ever heard any use of search and seizure to recover airguns, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.
  • Homeowners associations can make whatever rules they want and enforce them however unevenly they want, and that can include banning firearm use as well as airgun ownership (although it’s usually just use, for practicality’s sake).
  • I would just ask other people how they handle the problem. … Or, um, -get a quiet airgun: search for one named the Theoben HW-90, US price ~$500-600?. Be sure to specify that you want the silencer included; if a silencer is permanently attached to an airgun by someone who has a Class III permit, it’s legal in all 50 US states and you don’t need any special permit to own it. - MC
6

For the purposes of gun law, pellet guns are usually defined by the fact that the projectile must not have its own propellant, and it must travel slower than a certain number of feet per second. Here in Canada, I can remember a couple of over-the-counter pellet guns being re-classified as firearms because of their high muzzle velocity. You used to be able to buy some pump-type guns that had mechanisms powerful enough that could get the pellet up to a speed similar to a .22 short rimfire cartridge if you were will to pump it up enough times.

But we’re talking about local ordinances rather than BATF definitions, so as the others said, you’d better check with the local authorities. In some cities, all pellet guns are treated as firearms under the law.

7

I don’t see why he feels the need to kill the snakes.

8

Gaahhh… Why am I never the one to have a snake problem? Why is always the kooks with the phobias and death on the mind?
Whammo (your humble herpetoculturalist)

9

A problem with snakes? Where on earth does this person live, the Amazon? :wink:
Just kidding. I grew up around rattlers, and all you gotta do is avoid them guys. Easy.
Peace,
mangeorge

10
      • Co-workers and I were just discussing this “sensitivity” the other day: Locally, some kid got kicked out of school for having a Swiss army knife or something, and though I’m only 31 I can remember back when I was in grade school, kids bringing fireworks to school and lighting them on the playground during recess. They got caught and got in trouble, but I never saw anybody get expelled or even suspended over it.
        ~
        Rather strange, it seems that ghetto schools started out bad, have gotten less strict and have gotten worse since then, and suburb schools started out not bad, and have gotten more strict, but never had the same scale of problems to begin with. The squeaky wheels are not getting the oil here. - MC
11

Allow me to pollute this thread just a little bit more:

      • An aunt of mine has a house bordering on a wooded area. There are smallish (3 ft) black snakes that crawl around in the trees - they can even climb up the trunks by wedging themselves in between the peeling bark. They regularly fall out of the trees, like, several times a day. Like, into the clothes basket, onto the picnic table, into the kid’s sandbox. The lot is heavily wooded and beautiful, but snakes fall out of the trees!!!
        -Her and hubby get rid of 'em however they can, including hatchet jobs, when they can catch them. It’s kinda like swatting mosquitoes, but she says it has made some difference. - MC
12

Are those snakes harmless or not ?

If they don’t pose a threat to you or your property it seems a little sad to be killing them.

I’m sure that they take care of other possible pests such as mice etc.

13

There are some mighty sensitive folks out there these days. Witness this article, which cites numerous instances of zero tolerance in action. Among them:

• Child suspended for drawing a picture of a soldier (actually a relative in the Army; evidently the military is no longer tolerated as a career choice by elementary schools)

• Child charged with “criminal wiretapping” for tape recording her chemistry class without her teacher’s permission

• Suspension for possession of a nail clipper (wonder what you’d get for an eyelash curler)

• Suspension for pointing a chicken finger at a teacher in a gun-like fashion

• Suspension for having a 10-inch chain (“weapon”) attached to her Tweety Bird wallet

• Children charged with “terrorist threats” for playing cops-and-robbers with paper guns

• Dodgeball and musical chairs banned as games that “breed violence”

Y’all might wanna join me in this: sigh…

14

Snakes.
Country Squire’s friend’s having a problem with snakes, not “One Inch Medallions”.
Peace,
mangeorge

15

I’m with you, Whammo. I even like seeing rattlesnakes.