A member of our gun club told that his shotgun would not eject a shell and so he shot it off into the ground. This was in a wooded area and the muzzle was pointed in such a way no one could have been injured. But it was in an area where shooting is restricted.

The argument took place in the clubhouse but the incident took place on private property belonging to the shooter. Shooting is restricted in that general area.

Shooting off the shell was better, he said, than walking with a loaded gun even with the safety on.

A couple of members are arguing whether the firing was 'accidental' or 'deliberate but unlawful'.

Accidentally firing a gun is very bad for a fellow's reputation in the gun club. Fatal.
Deliberate but unlawful is more respectable, if justified.

Please give opinions.

Your first sentences indicates that the firing was deliberate. Whether it was lawful or not would depend on local laws. I suspect that it was a lawful firing, since shooting is allowed on the same property. However, the firing may have been against club rules. It seems, from what you have given us, that it was. But that was not one of the options you gave us.

It wasn't a club issue.

The shooting was on the shooter's private land, not on club property.

It's a legal issue, and as usual there are different viewpoints.

Had this happened in the US, the legal situation would depend on state, county, and local laws. (In most, but not all, cities, it is illegal to fire a weapon, generally speaking; there are exceptions to this, however.) What does Canadian law say regarding this? The position that the firing was accidental is difficult to support, given what you have said. That leaves us a deliberate firing of a weapon. Remember, we have to judge on what few facts you have given us. With what you have given us, I really don't think it is a matter of opinion. I imagine that Canadian law is fairly clear on this.

It's illegal. The law here in Canada says that you can't shoot, even on your own land, within a certain distance from any building. Also within a certain distance from any road or highway. As it happened, the shooter shot close to his own home and a road, but he says safely, into soft earth. To safely empty the gun.

Also your supposed to walk with the action open, showing that no shell is in the chamber. But there was a shell in the chamber. So he says he had to check that the gun would not fire, so he shot into soft earth at close range. This showed that the gun had been dangerous. Shooting it was the best thing to make it safe.

Thing is, he wasn't reported. Maybe no body heard the shot so he's not in trouble with the cops. It's just his reputation as a competent gun-handler. He'd rather be guilty of a crime than careless gun handling resulting in an accident. That's why he says it was deliberate, not an accident.

But a couple of members say it was an accident.

This is a Bobby Brady issue. He went into a comdemned building to save a girls cat. Illegal, yes. Justified, yes. Your friend did the right thing.