Shots fired?

[Dmack_901]

Being around the 4th, I know no one would call the cops over what "could" be a gunshot, but what about durring the rest of the year. Just about everyday I hear what "could" be a shot, but I never think much of it. After all, it was just one, maybe two bangs... Right? So my question is, how many of you would, or have, called the cops over a noise?

Of those who would hear 2-3 bangs, I bet most everyone would ignore it. Some would look out the window, check for anything overtly suspicious, but continue on with their day. Really, the people who I am asking are those who've shot a gun on their back yard(or even in you house). Did any of your neighbors call the cops?

My point is, a silencer would only effect a criminals confidence level, not the likelihood of being caught as a result of the noise. I really think that the NRA should do a study on that. If no one's disturbed by a couple pow-pow noises, then theres no reason why suppressors should be illegal. Especially considering their health benifits.

 

[RavenVT100]

I've done it, but this was for a very loud series of M80 blasts that shook my neighborhood. It definitely wasn't supposed to be occurring and those types of fireworks are illegal here. So I figured it was better safe than sorry.

 

[Arc-Lite]

for the last 6 days we have had a mix, or illegal "fireworks" and gun shots.... "zero tolerance" was the focus of the city.... so from the end of the month....till present time....the sky has been full...of everything that goes BOOM.... out of 565 complaints....4 tickets..go figure. Dmack.....in a "no responsibility" "no involvement" society you think we should do WHAT with suppressors ?????? One LARGE questionable jump...from fireworks to suppressors.

 

[pcf]

Dmack doesn't love the children.

I think Dmack's point is that few people recognize gunfire by sound alone (especially a single shot), and even fewer people will take the time to call 911. Even if someone calls the police, it can be difficult to locate the source of gunfire without someone seeing the shooter or being in close proximity.

So if the following were true: gunfire is hard to identify by sound alone, few people are willing to report it to police, and it's difficult to pinpoint the location of gunfire. Why do criminals need to worry about the the sound of gunfire? What's the point of regulating silencers?

 

[Jeff White]

I'm moving this to General Gun Discussions as it's more about why suppressors are regulated then about tactics.

Jeff

 

[Justin]

Very few criminals would actually go to the length to purchase either a pistol set up to accept a threaded barrel, or to modify one so that it could accept a suppressor.

Nor would they be terribly likely to shell out the money for a suppressor, especially since it would make it difficult to carry the pistol.

Suppressors should be completely legal and free to own to anyone. I could even see regulating them as heavily as handguns, but the NFA suppressor regulations are outmoded relics passed into laws in the days of prohibition and Jim Crow. It's high time they were relegated to the historical dust-heap.

 

[TheFederalistWeasel]

Pinpointing gunfire in a residential area is very hard, I’ve been on foot in a city type residential area actively looking for people or a person and have gunfire erupt, think it was in one direction only to find out later it was to my left or behind me.

It’s also different at night than during the day.

We have our share of shots fired calls but we expect them to go up around fireworks time. Mostly its just curmudgeons pissed at the neighborhood kids who are setting off bottle rockets and interrupting the latest rerun of Jeopardy.

This year the whiners wised up and began mixing up large crowds, fights in progress and the shots fired complaints.

Funny, they still want to remain anonymous and with our department policy is we cannot contact an anonymous complainant unless we have an emergency need.

You know, the great War On Some Drugs and all those super duper tip lines…

So these calls put yet another strain on us, already dealing with true fight calls, drunks and other necessary calls for service where you have a legitimate need for a cop, but you have to wait 10, 15 or 30 minutes for me to get their to deal with your traffic accident or stolen car because Willie Mae Jean, or Uncle Festus is mad over the kids popping fire crackers and demand that we take this 11 year old to jail.

The anonymous shots fired call ranks about as high on my radar as the anonymous barking dog call, if it was that serious you would have no problem leaving your info.

"Dispatch, I'm 10-8, Status 4-Negative Contact"


:banghead:

 

[StopTheGrays]

When moving into an apartment on the north side of Milwaukee a few years ago this sort of situation come up. We both heard 3-4 "bangs" off in the distance coming from the south. He said non-chalantly "oh..firecrackers". I said "um...my guess a handgun".


I explained it being early March, 8 PM at night, 15 degrees outside and the north side of Milwaukee there was little chance anyone was outside setting off some firecrackers.

 

[Lennyjoe]

First week in Tucson I heard a string of 10 rounds about 1/8 mile from the house. I didn't call the police but shortly after the shots the ghetto chopper (police) and units arrived to the area. Don't know what happened and didn't see anything in the news.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Not often in my neighborhood.

 

[M99M12]

Or me.

 

[ewb45acp]

I hear them all the time...

When we first moved out of the city into a farming community it was kind of weird. Sitting down to dinner or doing yardwork on the weekend and it would start. pop!....pop!.....pop,pop,pop. Families shooting out behind their barns and such. Now after five years I barely notice.

 

[Gordon Fink]

About two years ago, my suburban neighborhood met with several officers from the local police department to discuss crime rates and watch programs. It was evening, and we were all outside in our community park. During the meeting, we heard gunfire in the distance, three rapid shots. The cops cocked their heads for a moment, as if to listen, but did nothing else.

~G. Fink

 

[WayneConrad]

There's someone in my neighborhood who's firing off mortar-launched fireworks all the time. Another of my neighbors loves firecrackers and bottle rockets. And once or twice a month we hear genuine gunfire at the busy intersection we live next to. My sweetheart likes to guess what caliber it might be. They're usually just shooting into the air, I think, although this week there was a moving gun battle that went past my house. I'm glad for the block wall between my house and that intersection.

With all that, I hardly take notice other than to make sure my sidearm is on my hip where it belongs, and to look out the window to see if there's someone bleeding on the sidewalk.

It really ain't that bad a neighborhood. Lots of popping noises, but I've never seen a body. Mostly just pretty fireworks.

 

[Omni04]

occasionally i hear the odd tank, or some type of cannon.

Every time i call the police they say to move away form fort knox

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I live in a suburb, in a "blue" state. On several occasions I have heard multiple "bangs" that might have been fireworks ... or might not, and therefore I called the PD.

 

[heypete]

Omni: I must apologize for some of the noise I made in tank gunnery about two years ago this coming January.

 

[ny32182]

My apartment sits right next to a plot of private land where people shoot skeet. So... no, I don't call the cops when I hear gunfire.

Even if I thought the gunfire was coming from a direction other than the private land, it wouldn't really occur to me to call the cops.

"Yes officer, I heard loud bangs coming from that direction."

"We'll get right on that. Yeah, pointing over there really narrows the search right down."

Just hearing gunfire doesn't really give you anything useful to tell the cops, even if you do want to call them.

 

[Zach S]

Really, the people who I am asking are those who've shot a gun on their back yard(or even in you house). Did any of your neighbors call the cops?

Dont know, I called them to let them know what was going on, in case one of my neighbors did. They didnt even come out. I'm sure someone else called, since I'm in suburbia.

Of course, in my previous house I had a neighbor that complained about something constantly...

I honestly dont hear anything that sounds anything like gunfire in my neighborhood.

 

[pythonguy]

Dmack_901 said:

but what about durring the rest of the year. Just about everyday I hear what "could" be a shot, but I never think much of it. After all, it was just one, maybe two bangs... Right?

Everyday you hear what could be a shot? Simple, YOU live on a shooting range, get out of there quick!!! :banghead:

 

[magsnubby]

On new years eve 1995 my drunken dumb @$$ neighbor was firing a hand gun into the air. I called 911 and said "My dumb @$$ neighbor if firing a gun into the air. I can identify him and i'll testify" I'm still waiting for the cops to show up.

 

[CajunBass]

My wife and I used to live in a shall we say less than desirable part of town. Gunfire, including full auto fire was a nightly occurnce. We never bothered to call. Figured they'd just say "So?"

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

Did any of your neighbors call the cops?

Yep.

From this thread: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=100809