To shout at the men shooting near the house?

[giantmama]

I'm house-sitting for a friend in a very isolated house. She agreed this guy could shoot on her land 2+ years ago and he brings people, who I assume pay him for these trips. She gets nothing but the occasional bird.

A few months ago a man working on her roof yelled at them because they were downhill from the house shooting directly over the house - there were cartridges landing on the roof. When we arrived here this time there were cartridges in the garden - they're making a habit of doing this, and the last time I told my friend where they were shooting from (same place), she said they were too close and shouldn't be down there.

I opened the door and yelled "oi, too close" and I slammed the door. I'm watching them shoot in the vague direction of the house on the side of it that is ALL glass. They're obviously not trying to hit the house, but they are also shooting towards the trees in the garden, where we need to go to get wood for the fire.

I'm scared to go out. They've been shooting near here for two hours (at least another hour after I shouted at them). I don't want a stand-off because the guy's a bit of a weirdo and I'm a bit anxious and I won't cope well. I also don't want to make it awkward for my friend, who has to put up with him the rest of the time (or tell him to get lost). I just think they get carried away when the pheasants take flight and don't care where they're shooting or who's here. They clearly don't care that there's someone up here obviously anxious about what they're doing.

How can cartridges land on the roof? The spent cartridges are in the barrels of the gun until ejected, after which they fall where the person holding the gun is standing.

Dapplegrey I have no doubt remembered incorrectly what the man on the roof said was coming down around him there. Apologies. But I cannot then explain why cartridges were in the garden the other day unless they have actually gone as far as to shoot from right outside the house - definitely not what my friend agreed to.

I have driven to a nearby city. When I say isolated, I mean three miles from the nearest village, a mile up a dirt track and a mile from any neighbours. The city is half an hour away. I need to do some shopping.

there were cartridges landing on the roof.

The cartridges will be wherever the guns were, so this is v unlikely unless they were stood on the roofto shoot.

Cross post!

Impressed that you had enough red clothes to dress all in red.

" When I say isolated, I mean three miles from the nearest village, a mile up a dirt track and a mile from any neighbours. The city is half an hour away."

Ha! That's what most Scots describe as the suburbs

Regardless of various people's opinions on shooting, the fact is that it is an entirely safe, legal and legitimate sport / pastime / means of feeding yourself and the animal welfare standards are generally much higher that that of any farmed meat in this country or abroad.

Seeing as your friend has already given explicit permission for them to shoot there, the main question here is whether what the shooters were doing is safe and within the terms she has set out for them.
Whether they leave spent cartridges on the ground, or shoot too close to the house is not a matter for the law, it is a matter for your friend as the landowner.

The best thing you can do is calmly go out to them (not shouting like some hysterical madwoman) and explain that your friend has requested they move away from the house.
If they refuse then go inside, video them on your iphone and show it to your friend on her return. It is then up to her to go to them and make them move away / stay away on future shoots.

If they refuse then she can then simply terminate their shooting permission on the spot. If they ignore that, they are committing armed trespass which is a very serious offence indeed and can carry a custodial sentence in addition to the revoking of firearms licences.

Why are you so involved in this? You aren't co-owner of your friend's house, are you? She can do whatever she wants with her land. Tell her you think they were a bit close and then let her deal with it as she chooses.

If this man is letting total novices use guns that near to you....I'd stay in! And maybe refuse to house sit again. You can't tell if his friends have ever held a gun before, so I wouldn't go near in case they don't have safety catches on.

Novices (i.e someone without their own gun licence) require supervision by law, even on private land. Unlicensed shooters must have an experienced shooter standing with them. They are also not allowed to own their own guns.

If he's taking groups out and they don't have the correct licences then they are not allowed to own a gun. If they are borrowing / hiring his guns then he, as the licence holder would be breaking the law by lending them to 'unauthorised persons'.

I own land and run a shoot. If anyone wishes to shoot on my shoot then obviously they must have a licence but I also insist on public liability insurance. They must also follow a stringent set of rules I have created and must sign to say they have read and understood them. Any breaking of the rules and they are banned, no ifs, no buts.
The rules are based on BASC's 'code of good shooting practice' and cover points such as observing the law at all times, courtesy to users of footpaths and adjacent landowners, respect for quarry and not causing unnecessary suffering.
Also, I like to ensure that no shot game is wasted so I insist that shooters do not use inappropriate ammunition (too powerful) which would cause meat to be inedible and do not shoot at quarry which is too close - again so that it's not blown to bits and can be eaten.

Perhaps your friend may do well to adopt a similar set of rules to avoid future conflict?