Gunfire

[scrapquitler]

The shooting finally stopped. We had committed to do a mile challenge where you walk a mile a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We were too afraid to go outside so that was the only casualty. If hunters think it is ok to fire that many shots close to people then how do they make sure they don’t shoot people? My parents have lived here for over 50 years and we have never heard anywhere that number of shots. Just wondering how to protect ourselves.

Wear fluorescent orange when you walk in rural areas at this time of year. It's hunting season and you want to make sure you won't be mistaken for a deer, moose, bear or whatever the targets are where you are.

That said, there's a shooting range about 3 miles from where I am, and I sometimes hear the shots from there depending on the wind direction and type of cloud cover there is at any particular time. Sound can carry far and might not be anywhere near as close as you think it is.

 

[ols386]

The shooting finally stopped. We had committed to do a mile challenge where you walk a mile a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We were too afraid to go outside so that was the only casualty. If hunters think it is ok to fire that many shots close to people then how do they make sure they don’t shoot people? My parents have lived here for over 50 years and we have never heard anywhere that number of shots. Just wondering how to protect ourselves.

I saw just today on FB an article about a hunter who shot a woman who he mistook for a deer. Now, having said that, I do realize that some of the stories on FB aren’t exactly believable.

 

[Missy1961]

I saw just today on FB an article about a hunter who shot a woman who he mistook for a deer. Now, having said that, I do realize that some of the stories on FB aren’t exactly believable.

It's true: http://www.newsweek.com/woman-deer-mistake-killed-722143

 

[okeydokey]

Can you call the authorities? I’m so sorry, it stinks to live in fear in your own home.

 

[asta]

It sounds like occasional gun fire is normal but in this case the concern is because of rapid fire, if that's the case I'm not sure why the speed at which one is shooting really matters and I would hope the OP would not waste law enforcement time...after all if you live somewhere you should probably already know if it's legal or not. (Mother should know)

I don’t know the law where my mother lives. I haven’t lived there for awhile, we were visiting for the holiday. I do know that it is not legal to fire a gun in the area where I live now. It is suburban with a lot of open land but the local authorities do not allow guns to be fired near homes. My mother did not know the law and we were all unsettled by hearing that much gunfire. It is definitely not the norm. For someone not familiar with guns it seems like a gun that could fire that rapidly would be more powerful than a simple rifle. That is an assumption on my part. Whatever, it does not seem right for someone to endanger others by firing a gun close to their home. It was loud and did sound close.

We ended up calling the sheriff and the dispatcher said they would check it out.

 

[Marchand63]

There's some triangulation tool available to law enforcement. I think it's called "Shot Spotter" or something like that. It's kind of expensive though, and requires regular payments to the provider.

Shot Spotter is exactly what it is called. It is used primarily in more urban ares with a denser population to help triangulate where the shots are coming from. Most smaller suburban or rural towns couldn't afford & actually don't want it. It will pick up fireworks as gun fire.

Wear fluorescent orange when you walk in rural areas at this time of year. It's hunting season and you want to make sure you won't be mistaken for a deer, moose, bear or whatever the targets are where you are.

That said, there's a shooting range about 3 miles from where I am, and I sometimes hear the shots from there depending on the wind direction and type of cloud cover there is at any particular time. Sound can carry far and might not be anywhere near as close as you think it is.

This is so true depending on the terrain of the area the sound of gunfire can travel miles. My xDH was a range officer so we traveled for competitions frequently. Once in WI we were miles from the range which had 3 berms and we could still hear the firing on a clear day.

 

[LYSE]

I don’t know the law where my mother lives. I haven’t lived there for awhile, we were visiting for the holiday. I do know that it is not legal to fire a gun in the area where I live now. It is suburban with a lot of open land but the local authorities do not allow guns to be fired near homes. My mother did not know the law and we were all unsettled by hearing that much gunfire. It is definitely not the norm. For someone not familiar with guns it seems like a gun that could fire that rapidly would be more powerful than a simple rifle. That is an assumption on my part. Whatever, it does not seem right for someone to endanger others by firing a gun close to their home. It was loud and did sound close.

We ended up calling the sheriff and the dispatcher said they would check it out.

Rate of fire doesn't tell you what cartridge is being fired, full auto is extremely regulated and expensive so honestly it was probably either multiple shooters or some one with a really fast finger. Very generally speaking though the bigger more powerful rounds are found in guns that are shot slower since each round has more recoil and is harder to manage.

Nothing you posted so far indicated they were endangering others, so I have to assume that's just fear of firearms making you jump to conclusions about what was going on.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sitting here at my elderly mother’s house watching football and listening to what sounds like some kind of automatic gunfire. Always one shot then followed by what sounds like 10 or so shots in rapid succession. They are coming too quick to count. She lives in a somewhat rural area on five or so acres but this gunfire sounds way to close. We are afraid to go outside. What is wrong with people?

Nothing is "wrong" with people. It is deer season and people are targeting practicing and/or shooting for fun. Do I like it? NO, I do not. Not much I can do.

I just moved into a rental in a different town & hoped to escape the target practice and hunting of our owned house. Well that did not happen.

The rental is near farms and the outer edge of the burbs. So this morning I heard the mooing of cows and a rooster. I heard target practice the first day I moved in last Wed. It has been everyday.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Nothing is "wrong" with people. It is deer season and people are targeting practicing and/or shooting for fun. Do I like it? NO, I do not. Not much I can do.

I just moved into a rental in a different town & hoped to escape the target practice and hunting of our owned house. Well that did not happen.

The rental is near farms and the outer edge of the burbs. So this morning I heard the mooing of cows and a rooster. I heard target practice the first day I moved in last Wed. It has been everyday.

Just for reference since we're in the same state - firearms deer season ended Tuesday in Missouri. Duck season is on though.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Just for reference since we're in the same state - firearms deer season ended Tuesday in Missouri. Duck season is on though.

OK, thanks. I was just outside and the gunfire here is much more than my other house if you can believe that.

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

Just for reference since we're in the same state - firearms deer season ended Tuesday in Missouri. Duck season is on though.

Is deer season already over their? Or just gun season? It just started in Al, runs through Jan. I don't hunt but kept up with it whenever I rode four wheelers.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Is deer season already over their? Or just gun season? It just started in Al, runs through Jan. I don't hunt but kept up with it whenever I rode four wheelers.

Bow season starts September 30th IIRC, is suspended during our 11 day firearms season, and then resumes when firearms season ends and runs through the end of the year (again IIRC). We have an "alternate method" season that allows black powder or handguns, but no rifles as well. And there is a late doe-only season in January where rifle hunters can fill unfilled tags, and a 2-day youth season.

 

[amberpi]

Just for reference since we're in the same state - firearms deer season ended Tuesday in Missouri. Duck season is on though.

...And now I want duck.

@asta - glad you're safe, that would scare the bejesus out of me.

 

[dfchelbay]

Sitting here at my elderly mother’s house watching football and listening to what sounds like some kind of automatic gunfire. Always one shot then followed by what sounds like 10 or so shots in rapid succession. They are coming too quick to count. She lives in a somewhat rural area on five or so acres but this gunfire sounds way to close. We are afraid to go outside. What is wrong with people?

You're probably hearing the hunters preparing to deer hunt in the morning. If there's a group of them and they are all setting up their guns/scopes etc. you are going to hear a lot of rounds of them adjusting, re-adjusting and adjusting even more so their guns are exactly how they want them when they leave in the morning to hunt.

 

[clutter]

A car door is pretty stout. Most common handgun ammo won't reliably penetrate a windshield with enough energy to incapacitate a driver, much less a door.

nvm.

 

[bcla]

A car door is pretty stout. Most common handgun ammo won't reliably penetrate a windshield with enough energy to incapacitate a driver, much less a door.

There's plenty of video of people shooting at windshields. Even JHP goes through clean, although it's hard to tell how much energy is left with paper targets. I'd think FMJ is going to go through pretty easily.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

There's plenty of video of people shooting at windshields. Even JHP goes through clean, although it's hard to tell how much energy is left with paper targets. I'd think FMJ is going to go through pretty easily.

There’s a gal suing STL police dept. because a beanbag round penetrated a windshield and caused her to lose an eye. So yes, no telling what might pass through a windshield.

That said, that’s one standard the FBI uses when evaluating ammo. Must carry a certain level of energy to the far side of the glass and a lot of expanding rounds don’t make the cut.

 

[longboard55]

If we heard gunfire like that, we would get about 20 squad cars, search dogs and a helicopter in about 5 minutes.

 

[Domo]

If we heard gunfire like that, we would get about 20 squad cars, search dogs and a helicopter in about 5 minutes.

If we heard gunshots, the police would go nuts. Heck, even gunshots that were PHANTOM have triggered a police response - some idiot posted on social media that he had heard gun shots nearby and the police were all over it. Twit.

 

[bcla]

If we heard gunshots, the police would go nuts. Heck, even gunshots that were PHANTOM have triggered a police response - some idiot posted on social media that he had heard gun shots nearby and the police were all over it. Twit.

I live within sight of Richmond, California. It would be from a long distance, but given the right conditions we do hear the occasional gunshot. We also hear train horns, and the emergency sirens from the Chevron Richmond refinery. Many parts of Richmond have gang violence. The odd thing is that there are also a couple of outdoor ranges there by the waterfront that allow paper target and skeet shooting. Chevron operates one for their employees, but there’s another private one. I’ve gone hiking at the place on the waterfront, and the sound of gunfire from this area is pretty apparent.

They have ShotSpotter, so I’m sure the rule out noises from the range.