Would you instantly recognize the sound of gunshots?

[armsmaster270]

Besides, clubs in GA don't let no one in with any guns or weapons.

Do they search or is it on the honor system

[Kyo]

they pat you down. i know what you are thinking already though. never go to a club cause the a holes outside know you aren't armed lol

[Archie]

I'm rather familiar with gunfire. They have a distinctive 'abruptness' that doesn't conform to fireworks or back fires.

On the other hand, being bounced around several corners and walls and passing through doors might alter the characteristics.

I'd like to think I would.

[Rescue2]

Setting a "popped" drywall nail on an interior wall (in the hallway) using a drywall hammer, sounds suspiciously like a .32 going off in the house...

Or maybe Dad was a little extra jumpy because my youngest brother tried to off himself with one two weeks before...

[2cooltoolz]

You sound like a real fun guy...

[Catfishman]

I'm sure I could be fooled. There are many variables that change the sound and heard loudness of gun shot.

I once mistook a head-on car accident for a rifle shot. And long ago I shot a coyote from our deck with a 12 gauge. The shot didn't wake my parents even though their bedroom door and the outside door was open.

[jrothWA]

back in mid-80's, took the garbage to garage.
Just close the lids and lowering door, when I heard "Banging" like somebody pounding on a door. Walked to side door of house, then past to go to street.
Just past the side door, when light pop,pop,pop, came down from my right.

I hit the door (as I was back-lighted by motion detector yard light) and dialed 911.

Reported heard shots, gave address, indicated to was a specific direction from my house.

No follow-up by responding officer,but called the Chief's office and asked question that he could answer, basically a .25 was used from the house interior.

about four weeks laater got a supeona from defense and request to call a PI,
did a "criss-cross' directory on number then called the PD in that neighboirng town. Duty Supervisor confirmed the PI and recently left his PD.

Final result was a plea deal,for five years, no probation.

[uncledewey]

Being around guns all my life, and serving in the Army, I am pretty certain that I am able to distinguish a shot from a gun from other such sounds. I think most everyone that has replied alludes to that the more familiar you are with guns the easier you can distinguish the sound. Even between weapons and calibers there are distinct sound, i.e. the crack of an AK versus an M-16 or M-14 is quite distinguishable. The bottom line I guess it's familiarity.

[Walter]

There was a time when I would have instantly recognized the "crack" of an
AK-47, because it was so common, daily.
These days I would hope I would recognize a gunshot, but with all the
extranious noise, who knows?

Walter

[vsgonzo]

Like posted above about distinguishing an AK sound, but even then for 8 months in the sand box it was tough to tell if it was a gun shot or not unless it was string of rounds.

[Kyo]

AK is more of a pitter patter for me. I really can't get over the shot of a shotgun though. Like, even in a range with doors closed, if its a big enough load, it really hurts your ears :barf:

[riggins_83]

They have a distinctive 'abruptness' that doesn't conform to fireworks or back fires.

I agree with that. Part of the problem is various calibers can sound so different according to local acoustics, environment, distance, objects/terrain between you and the shot (if any), etc etc....

I mistook a 69 Camaro with a 6.4 Liter engine, straight catback no headers revving as gunshots once. That thing backfired like nothing I've ever heard!

[cracked91]

It depends on where I am and how the sound travels. In my youth we would cook up dry ice bombs and they were easily as loud as a shotgun blast, we put one in a dutch oven and it blew the lid over 30 feet in the air, its usually the traveling sound a gunshot makes though that gives it away for me.

[Kyo]

i think they are too fast to start and stop to be mistaken. I mean, the sound is literally going at the speed of sound, so if you are at a distance, and you hear it with something behind you like a wall, it might even echo. never usually happens because the sound wave is so small and sharp that anything in the way will dissipate it.
Here is the kicker. If someone was using sound wave technology weaponry, would you be able to tell? I am talking about giant noise makers that make people run away or your ears bleed.

[Phoebe]

Maybe in a club I can see if but if I don't see balloons then idk *** is going on. Besides, clubs in GA don't let no one in with any guns or weapons.

This was an underground, illicit nightclub...and there were balloons around.

It was horribly surreal because after I found out it was gunfire, the lights were still down, music was still playing, and everyone was still dancing.

Pretty soon the SWAT team was outside and by then I guess everyone figured it out.

[bababooey32]

pizza - you may be right...It would be impossible for me to say - I have been fortunate enough to only experience gunfire in safe, appropriate contexts.

My last point: It does seem that every time there is a shooting at a _________ [fill in some retail, church, restaurant location], many of the witnesses report thinking the sound was something other than gunfire at first. Granted they may not have been gun enthusiasts like you and I so there may be a difference. I just think that the way the brain works, it almost won't allow you to register it as gunfire for several seconds given the context.

In any case - may nobody here have to find out if they can identify gunfire in a mall!!!

[troy_mclure]

i can id a gun shot, in doors, outdoors, from the inside of an apc,etc...
i can usually determine type(rifle, pistol, shotgun) too.

while in iraq we would sit on the roof of our quarters in the fob and listen on some of the battles up to 1/2 city away, determining how many, and what weapons are being used. got to be pretty accurate at it.

[Brian Pfleuger]

pizza - you may be right...It would be impossible for me to say - I have been fortunate enough to only experience gunfire in safe, appropriate contexts.

My experiences have all been safe..... appropriate, well, that's another thing entirely.

I would qualify my point by saying that most people, myself included, would likely have to be in the same environment as the shot. As in, if it's outside then you'd probably have to be outside, unless it's nearby. If it's inside then you'd probably have to be in the same building.

My father shot a 30-06 out the window of his house one time. He was sitting probably 4 feet back (muzzle to window) resting on a diaper bag with the window only open about 4 inches. I was outside. The noise was much more like a "WHOOOOMP!" than a "BOOM!". I would have never thought gun if I hadn't known.

[4thPointofContact]

Location and perception have a great deal to do with determining and even realizing that a firearm has been discharged. If you are in a place where you would not associate a loud, abrupt sound with fire you're likely to either wait and try to see if you hear it again, or try to associate it with something that you may be expecting (raquetballs at a gym for example).

I know of two experiences where a gunshot was not remarked upon even though people were closeby or it was a public building. - - -

1) While going through a training program, I had a negligent discharge while lowering the hammer on a 1911. I'm left-handed and the 1911 wasn't, my thumb slipped while lowering the hammer improperly. A 230-grain hardball went through the upholstered arm of a chair and made a nice, neat hold in the carpet on exit from my quarters. This happened while two other selectees were sleeping in the same trailer not more than 20 feet away. Neither emerged from their room to see what the noise was and neither remarked upon it the next day.

2) While staying at the hotel across from the battleship Alabama, my roommate and I were getting ready to go to the closest shooting range for a little relaxation. While I was finishing up a few things on a laptop, I observed him open a gun rug, take out a pistol and place 6 rounds securely in his pocket. It wasn't more that 2 minutes later that I was deafened by the sound of a 6-inch, .44-Magnum discharging in a small room. I did a self-check and turned to see a Very stunned co-worker. I swear I could see the thought process going through his head "... the gun went off... but I put the bullets in my pocket.... but the gun went off...but I put the bullets in my pocket ... but the gun ... the bullets..."
Turns out he had indeed secured 6 rounds in his pocket, but he had also failed to check the firearm itself and it was fully loaded. We found a chip in the cement ceiling and another, smaller one in an outside wall. After airing out the room, we took a peek down the hallway and there was a chambermaid not more than 4 rooms down the hallway, nonchalantly going about her business as though nothing had happened at all.



It's my theory, in both cases, that 'something' was heard, but whoever heard it was unsure. That being the case they probably hesitated and waited to hear the sound again so they could identify it. Not hearing another, similar sound and not perceiving any immediate danger they went back to their lives with only a slightly elevated awareness which soon faded.

[Skan21]

while in iraq we would sit on the roof of our quarters in the fob and listen on some of the battles up to 1/2 city away, determining how many, and what weapons are being used. got to be pretty accurate at it.

I could do that too......for a while. Then, while we were on a raid, my buddy B ripped off half a drum of SAW ammo in a small room, while I was next to him. Now my hearing isn't so hot. AK's sound like pops to me, from a distance. 5.56 sounds like a crack, 7.62 NATO is a higher crack, and IED's are a loud BOOOOOM! I basically had the sounds covered!

[csmsss]

There are too many undefined variables to take this question seriously.

[KC9LDB]

No. Only shooting ive done was with hearing protection, I honestly only know what 12 ga sounds like from a distance. But playing with fireworks and what not, I can tell the difference somewhat from gunfire and a firework

[Ian0351]

I am reasonably sure that I would not mistake gunfire for something else, but I have many times thought I heard gunfire which turned out to be something else (or didn't make the paper). I live in a big complex with lots of buildings, built on a hill that does some weird stuff to sounds. This is especially true regarding noises up the hill from me.

After my year in Afghanistan, I will never forget the sound of incoming mortars; not that I expect to ever hear that again now that I'm fully in the First Civ Div... but you never know (Red Dawn?).

[pax]

There's a clerk at the local grocery store that I've known for a long time, since she's regularly worked the same counter for at least the past 12 years or so, ever since we moved to this town. I see her at least once a week in that context, and (since it is a small town) we regularly stop and visit when I come through her line, if no one else is waiting for her register.

A few weeks back, I bumped into her down at the park on her day off, and I did not even recognize her. I actually walked right past her, looking straight at her, and it wasn't until she called my name that I realized who it was.

Why does that happen? It's because she was out of context. She wasn't where I expected her to be, doing what I generally see her doing, dressed as she is usually dressed when I see her.

With that in mind...

Questions:
1. What causes people to confuse the sound of gunfire with other sounds?
2. Could this confusion cause people to lose valuable reaction time, putting them at greater risk?
3. Would you, the reader, instantly recognize the sound of gunshots?

1.) Context. On the range you expect to hear gunfire. On a busy street, you expect to hear traffic noises. If you hear a loud BANG! while traffic is going past, you're far more likely to assume it's something traffic-related (a backfire?) than you are to assume it's gunfire. This happens even to people who regularly hear gunfire on the range, because human brains do use context as a cue for sound recognition.

2.) Of course. No doubt about it.

3.) The more you've heard gunfire, the less likely you are to mistake it for something else. But I'm as human as the next person, so maybe not. It's something to be aware of.

pax

[Brian Pfleuger]

I suspect that not just the amount of gunfire heard but also the variety of locations would play a part.

For example, a good many people on TFL live in a fairly large city and NEVER hear gunfire except at a range. With some of those people it's the same range, indoors every single time, 99% handguns, from a relatively short and more or less constant distance and likely entirely with hearing protection. On the flip side, there are those of us who have almost never been to an indoor range, do most of our shooting outdoors, use and/or hear a wide variety of firearms from point blank to miles distant and both with and without hearing protection.

I would suggest that "the flip side" has a far better chance of recognizing gunfire out of context than does the "city slicker".