[ghshephard]

Given that I spent the better part of my childhood firing a .22 and a .306 after school at whatever I decided was worth shooting (not to mention fall season, when whatever was worth shooting usually had four legs), I would argue that discharging firearms is not a crime. And it most certainly fits _the_ definition of "victimless crime." The only parties that you are indirectly benefitting would be Walmart (or wherever you pick up your ammunition).

[tptacek]

Were you doing that in a dense urban area?

[ghshephard]

I had neighbors. I was taught (as most gun users are) to be aware of both what I was shooting and, and, importantly, what was _behind_ what I was shooting at.

The Rural/Urban/Suburban thing is irrelevant - what's important is the safety of the discharge.

Regardless - the point I was trying (and clearly failing) to make is that there is nothing illegal regarding the discharge of a firearm. The crime is doing so irresponsibly and in an inappropriate location.

[oh_sigh]

Firing a firearm in an urban area in public is, as far as I can tell, almost always illegal. No one is trying to invent a system that detects every gun shot ever. No one cares if you shoot in a shooting range, or in your expansive back yard, or in the wilderness.

Could you please find me one example of a public space in a major metropolitan area where it is legal to discharge firearms? That is the issue here.

[roel_v]

"Regardless - the point I was trying (and clearly failing) to make is that there is nothing illegal regarding the discharge of a firearm."

What? "Discharging a firearm" (shooting) is illegal in almost every situation in urban areas. If you think that you can go shooting at beer cans in, say, Central Park, as long as you make sure to only shoot at a downward angle and with a sand hill behind your targets, you're in for a rude awakening. It is unsafe to shoot in all but the most controlled circumstances (e.g. on a shooting range) in urban environments, and even suburban ones.

[tptacek]

Who's thinking about deploying gunshot detection systems in rural areas? If nobody, then what does it matter? Gunshot detection systems in cities are almost by definition targeting inappropriate discharges.

[ghshephard]

I don't really care about gunshot detection systems. I'm trying to bring a bit of balance to a thread that had the unqualified statement, "Are you really arguing that discharging firearms is a victimless crime?"

I wouldn't be surprised to believe that some percentage of the HN audience might actually _believe_ that discharging a firearm is a crime, so I was seeking to inform them that it is not the act of discharging a firearm that is a crime. It's doing so in a negligent manner, or in an inappropriate location. Check your state/municipal bylaws.

[aptwebapps]

It's simply not practical in the sort of conversation to continually provide context for every statement as you make it. It's the reader's job to remember what was said in the parent posts and keep that context in mind.

[kika]

Functional style of writing?

[haberman]

I was making the argument in the context of this discussion about gunshot detection systems in dense urban areas. I've clarified this in my original comment.