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Blanks + New Year = dumb

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Clifford

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Feb 2, 2009
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A friend of mine came to me yesterday with a little request. He had asked if I could make 6-12 blanks for him to "pop off" to ring in the new year. I asked him if he was gonna try this in city limits. He replied, yes.

Now, out here in Arizona it is a felony to discharge a firearm in city limits and I reminded him of that. He didn't think firing blanks would be considered discharging a firearm. Needless to say I refused to help him on his little adventure and warned him that being a "test case" for the limits of any law is a bad idea.

What say you? I say he's a fool for even thinking that shooting blanks in city limits would be a good idea. Personally, I think that shooting blanks could still be considered discharging a firearm.
 
I would also expect that discharging 'Blanks' would still be considered discharging a Firearm.


Not a good idea.
 
Not only is it a bad idea, it's pretty low-class as well.

I mean maybe it's just me, but when I think of people celebrating events with random gunfire, I think of trailer trash, gangsters, or militant tribal idiots.
 
Needless to say, I think you made a wise choice turning him down.

I mean maybe it's just me, but when I think of people celebrating events with random gunfire, I think of trailer trash, gangsters, or militant tribal idiots.
Click to expand...

Plus 2, Absolutely
 
Here in my city, blanks would not be considered discharging a firearm, however, it is considered a public disturbance and "causing a panic". I don't know what people's fixation is with firing off a gun in the air on New Years.
You don't do it any other day of the year, why is it a good idea now?
 
It seems like a wise decision to me. A quick search on the definition of "discharge" includes "To go off; fire". It sure seems like firing a blank is a discharge.
 
I would also expect that discharging 'Blanks' would still be considered discharging a Firearm.
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Best case would be that it isn't "discharging a firearm in city limits" ... but you still annoy the neighbors and get po-po called.
I would not look kindly on a neighbor who pulled such a stunt, in fact I might go out of my way to screw up their new year if they annoyed me up with blanks or live ammo on purpose.
 
Come to think of it, even if it isn't considered discharging it may be considered brandishing a firearm.

JT, a starter pistol may be fine leagally but I wouldn't try it. A girl died years ago here in maricopa county, she was killed by a bullet that some scumbag fired into the air. That death lead caused lawmakers to make discharging a firearm in city limits a felony, Shannon's law.
 
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One of the biggest dangers with shooting blanks is it encourages other people to fire off guns as well, and they have no idea you are using blanks.
They get the impression you are shooting rounds off and are more likely to think it is okay and do it themselves then or in the future.
So even shooting blanks encourages others to shoot more dangerous things.


Blanks are also dangerous if the muzzle is touching anything when the gun is fired. Although many fireworks are dangerous if carelessly used as well.


This is irregardless of the law.
 
Come to think of it, even if it isn't considered discharging it may be considered brandishing a firearm.
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Oh no you don't! Brandishing implies a direct threat to a specific person, don't go bandying the term about like some kind of Brady Bunch drone or I'm striking the word from the language.
 
I'd give him one blank and tell him to do his best Jon-Erik Hexum impersonation.
Capture it on your cell phone and post it on YouTube.

Tongue firmly in cheek, but I have zero tolerance for stupidity.
 
I'd give him one blank and tell him to do his best Jon-Erik Hexum impersonation.
Capture it on your cell phone and post it on YouTube.

Tongue firmly in cheek, but I have zero tolerance for stupidity.
Click to expand...

Tongue firmly in cheek or not, the above misses The High Road standards a bit!
 
I don't think simply having it is brandishing. The officer responding to possible gun shots may think otherwise thou.
 
Happy New Year....

Yeah! ....... We were just outside and got peppered with bird shot!....

Happy New Year neighbors thanks for the bird shot all over me and my truck!
:cuss:

Geez...if over half of the Human race could just use their brains. :mad:

Yeah you were wise to send him on..... go buy some firecrackers dude!

And you know we were just watching 1000 ways to die earlier and one jack ass shot a .45 into the air on 4th of July celebration ... it came down and killed a dude.. went through his shoulder and in to his heart.....dead right there.

And the show reminds everyone...firing a gun into air in United States is a Felony.

And I must live around a bunch of Felons!..... No just Idiots!
 
I'm sure it is unsafe as hell, but firing off guns at the break of the New Year is a tradition possibly older than this country. Families did it when we were kids, it has been done inside and ouside of cities, and when I worked as an officer for an agency in Cleveland, it was SOP to find a deep parking garage when the shooting started, and pray no one got shot. Someone occasionally did (bullet fired at the dangerous arc, or bullet descending straight down, etc). A series of shots drew my attention to the other side of the street one night. I watched a guy in the projects fire a pistol down into the yard, but I was too far away to identify him in the dark. I just shrugged to myself, and went on with my patrol. There were hundreds, maybe thousands in the city that night firing guns. Objectively, firing blanks would have been preferred. Yeah, you can get hurt with blanks, but fired in the air, not so much. Yeah, firing guns annoys the neighbors, but when a large number choose to do it together, separately, laws or not, it's over in a few minutes anyway. I think part of the propensity to shoot at New Years is the result of many firearms owners feeling repressed about living somewhere where they can own guns, but cannot shoot them any other time. To go ouside and crack off rounds along with hundreds and thousands of others insures annonimity, and allows them to defy the law collectively. If you took that away, they would possibly get more repressed, and more dangerous. It might be their way to tell the bureaucracies to "stuff it", no? I don't think any naysayers on this board are going to change things. If this tradition hasn't died in a hundred years, don't get your hopes up. Would you rather hear blanks, or live ammo?
 
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Bad idea. Not to mention the potential for alcohol to be involved.
I'm a big fan of alcohol consuption, but just not when firearms or motor vehicles are included.
 
Sharp.... you make a valuable point...If my neighbors had blanks my truck would not need paint LOL! and Im Sure that city life represses people that love to shoot! :uhoh:

But being a reloader I would not make blanks for someone! They would just have to buy them.

I shot guns in ground on new year in times past but then I learnt about xxxxxx xxxx at the hardware store ...... :) It and a little can can be fun enough.... cheap firecracker!
 
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I mean maybe it's just me, but when I think of people celebrating events with random gunfire, I think of trailer trash, gangsters, or militant tribal idiots.
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... or reenactors.
I thought about firing a blank load out of my Bess to celebrate, but that would mean I'd have had to clean it before I went to bed, so I passed.
But there isn't anything unsafe about it. Revolutionary War, F&I War, and Civil War reenactors shoot blanks when surrounded by crowds of people. Mounted CAS shooters shoot blanks on horseback in arenas. In the Army we even shot blanks at each other. They can be dangerous if you're too close, but they need not be if you exercise even the slightest sense in using them.

Discharging a gun with a blank loads in city limits where you'll get in trouble for it is a bad idea - not because I consider it unsafe (assuming you point it up in the air), but because you'll get in trouble for it.
If you're rural and want to crank off some .45LC blanks from your Peacemaker, I could care less.
 
but when a large number choose to do it together, separately, laws or not, it's over in a few minutes anyway
Click to expand...

Over in a few minutes? I wish. I live way out in the country, and my one and only neighbor insisted on shooting until at least 2 in the morning. At least they were shooting at berms, but it was annoying as hell just the same. They didn't have to get up and work this morning, but I certainly did.
 
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