"whip out the AK-47 and blast away for funsies"

[SirNitram]

Link

The shooting at her neighbor's property can go on for 12 straight hours in the east Orange County subdivision where Gwen Shegda lives, leaving her shaken but furious.

"Constantly hearing gunfire gets on your nerves, and you can't take it anymore," said the 51-year-old Tudor Grove resident, her voice carefully controlled. "We need to somehow amend or repeal — give the right back to property owners to live in peace. There's nothing saying they can't have their guns.

"But for God's sake," she pleaded. "Have some decency to people just trying to live in their neighborhood."

Decency? A priority of the Florida Legislature? C'mon. During last year's smooch-fest with the powerful National Rifle Association, members passed a law with one of those pesky unintended consequences that happen when folks fire first, then aim.

The new law created penalties of up to $100,000 for local governments that impose gun laws more restrictive than Florida's. Counties and cities rushed to repeal their ordinances, causing an uproar over where people with permits could carry concealed weapons.

During the hurry, local governments also quietly rescinded ordinances that made it illegal to whip out the AK-47 and blast away for funsies in populated areas.

Orange County didn't have an ordinance prohibiting random shooting. But now, when ordinary people like Shegda have their lives made an unceasing misery, local governments can do nothing to muzzle the gun nuts who have the right to fire when and where they want.

This is not what Thomas Jefferson and his cronies had in mind when they declared in the Bill of Rights that Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.

Still, changes to meet the Legislature's Oct. 1 deadline haven't produced anarchy in Central Florida. Orlando, for example, repealed its ordinance that prohibits discharging a weapon in city limits.

Police Chief Paul Rooney said he sat through interminable meetings about how to deal with the spectre of gun-toting fishermen on Lake Underhill.

"I thought, 'Oh, what a mess. What a mess this is going to be. It's going to get out of control,'" Rooney said.

And then it didn't. College Park residents didn't open their front doors and fire in celebration. Why not is a matter of opinion.

Perhaps they don't know that they now can dispatch the occasional rattlesnake in the backyard themselves. But Rooney said that those most interested in guns are well aware of the new rules. And, he said, they also know that state law makes it a misdemeanor to fire across roads, rights-of-way and "over any occupied premises."

Firing inside the city will still bring a police officer if someone complains, Rooney said, because most shooting in a crowded metropolis would be seen as endangering the public. Still, there's plenty of room in less crowded areas of town for gun lovers to start exercising their NRA-given rights. What happens if they do could get interesting.

For now, folks in isolated pockets who just want to live quietly will have to put up with crackpots who don't care about their neighbors, and law enforcement can't help.

Take, for example, an incident on West Crooked Lake in Eustis, a formerly quiet neighborhood with sandy beaches.

On Dec. 16, a volley of shotgun blasts sent five Lake County neighbors to the phones to simultaneously dial 911.

When Eustis police confronted duck hunters in a boat, one of them turned out to be an officer of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Along with his shotgun, he was toting a copy of House Bill 45, which detailed his right to shoot.

"It is OK to hunt ducks on a lake surrounded by residential homes, but it is against the law for these same residents to use fireworks?" said Eustis Chief Fred Cobb. "If the Legislature is concerned about public safety, I don't understand their logic."

Ah, there you have it. The Legislature does not care, and that's too bad.

This is not a gun-control issue. Nobody is disputing the essential right to own a gun or carry it with a valid permit.

Rather, this is a matter of playing nice with neighbors and realizing people live squished together in a way unanticipated in 1791.

Too bad the Legislature has taken away the power of local governments to regulate peace and quiet. Between stray bullets and noise, it's bound to turn out badly.

An op-ed, but the line about it now being legal to fire off your AK-47 and fire off for the 'lulz' as the kids say, in populated areas, is flabbergasting. Gun rights and self defense are one thing, this is bloody madness.

[fgalkin]

Clearly, the solution here is to get an AK-47 of your own and fire it when THEY are asleep.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[Darth Fanboy]

Methinks that if someone did that then an existing law would come into play and they could still be charged with a crime, reckless endangerment maybe? Though if the penalty for the applicable law isn't much that's pretty lame.

[Kamakazie Sith]

Wow. Crazy. Utah is a very gun friendly state but we take several people to jail every year for doing this sort of thing.

[Alyeska]

Good god that law is stupid. Montana is a damned friendly state for gun rights. And we have laws where you cannot fire a weapon within 400 yards of an occupied structure that isn't your own. And people are deliberately using the law to act like assholes. Real life trolls.

Why can't the cops nail these assholes for disturbing the peace?

[Zaune]

Why can't the cops nail these assholes for disturbing the peace?

Because someone running mags through an AK47 in their backyard for shits and giggles is the kind of problem US local authorities prefer to solve with SWAT teams, but calling up SWAT for a mere noise complaint might not play well at the next budget review?

[Zixinus]

An op-ed, but the line about it now being legal to fire off your AK-47 and fire off for the 'lulz' as the kids say, in populated areas, is flabbergasting. Gun rights and self defense are one thing, this is bloody madness.

It is also a stupid idea. There is a reason firing ranges are carefully-prepared (or at least, carefully checked before using) areas: a stray round can easily end up anywhere within the neightborhood and kill someone by accident.

Owning guns is one thing, recklessly using them is another.

[General Zod]

Somehow it honestly doesn't surprise me that this is in Florida. This is the same state that lets you shoot a black kid if he's wearing a hoodie.

I think there's really only one appropriate response.

[Blayne]

Disturbing the peace should be sufficient, though I am only a layman to make the guy spend the night in a hold cell, and just keep doing that each time he does it until he stops. No need to press charges, it would be too difficult for him to try to bring the cop to court for harassment. The police in theory have a lot of ways to mess with people in situations like this, like waiting for the guy to go drive past and just pull him over for no reason. Once he behaves they stop and he can carry about his business.

[General Zod]

Disturbing the peace should be sufficient, though I am only a layman to make the guy spend the night in a hold cell, and just keep doing that each time he does it until he stops. No need to press charges, it would be too difficult for him to try to bring the cop to court for harassment. The police in theory have a lot of ways to mess with people in situations like this, like waiting for the guy to go drive past and just pull him over for no reason. Once he behaves they stop and he can carry about his business.

I don't think Florida really has the resources for that. It also depends on their police actually giving a shit.

[Skywalker_T-65]

Okay, how is this legal? I mean really...in Missouri you'll be lucky if cops aren't called for playing music too loud, yet alone shooting off an AK for fun. What is up with Florida these days? Or is it just now coming to light?

In any case, I'm suddenly glad that while I live in redneck/hick country at least we have sane laws...

[The Duchess of Zeon]

No firearms use between sundown and sunup and within 300 yards of a residential structure in Washington State. Strangely I have never died or been compulsed by my possession of firearms to break this law, nor ever thought it insensible.

[Aaron MkII]

We're talking idiots here Marina, like the worst segment of owners. Everyone knows the four rules, if you can't follow them then you have no business owning a gun. 2nd amendment be damned.

[Beowulf]

This is why Hiram Maxim invented the suppressor. Also, they need to lobby their state legislator to make firing near an occupied structure illegal.

[Alyeska]

I'm actually surprised it got this far. While the NRA is often the but of many jokes, they have advocated responsible gun ownership and use for a very long time. The NRA provides a safety course that is considered the gold standard in many states for training people who are new to guns.

It looks like what happened in Florida is the NRA pushed for a state law that prevents local government from preempting state law. But state law doesn't cover all circumstances and now assholes are deliberately taking advantage of an overly lax state law to get away with acting like assholes.

The actions of a few tarnish everyone.

[Enigma]

If the neighbors fire AKs for lulz then respond by firing shotguns for lulz too. I'll bet the AK lover would get pissed off quick.

[General Zod]

If the neighbors fire AKs for lulz then respond by firing shotguns for lulz too. I'll bet the AK lover would get pissed off quick.

Who has the kind of cash to waste that much money on ammo?

[Marko Dash]

the shotgun would be quieter. shotguns have rather quiet thumps, even low caliber rifles have a crack from the supersonic bullets that doesn't fade into the background noise as easily.

[PeZook]

If the neighbors fire AKs for lulz then respond by firing shotguns for lulz too. I'll bet the AK lover would get pissed off quick.

Maybe they don't want to spend money on their own gun and ammo and then risk a pissing match with their armed asshole neighbors?

It's funny, though...doesn't Florida have any noise ordnances? It should be possible to fine the assholes for that...

[Enigma]

the shotgun would be quieter. shotguns have rather quiet thumps, even low caliber rifles have a crack from the supersonic bullets that doesn't fade into the background noise as easily.

I don't know what shotguns you were using but I've heard some that sounded like cannons blasting.

[Zixinus]

Also, by what logic is it a good idea to respond to one idiot wildly firing a firearm by becoming another idiot wildly firing a firearm?

[Aaron MkII]

Also, by what logic is it a good idea to respond to one idiot wildly firing a firearm by becoming another idiot wildly firing a firearm?

Use blanks.

But seriously, a pissing competition is a bad idea. Even if shotgun ammo is pretty cheap, 25$ for a 100 skeet shells at walmart.

[Alkaloid]

Because someone running mags through an AK47 in their backyard for shits and giggles is the kind of problem US local authorities prefer to solve with SWAT teams, but calling up SWAT for a mere noise complaint might not play well at the next budget review?

Is that the worst idea? If the locals just keep running it up the chain to the Florida State police and demand that they be allowed to use SWAT teams to sort the problem out, the state police budget is going to sky rocket, and that's pretty good incentive for the state to fix it's stupid and now stupidly expensive law. I've often found the best way to deal with stupid and pointless bureaucracy is your own stupid and pointless bureaucracy that does nothing but annoy the first stupid bureaucrat. It's often much better incentive for them to fix their mistakes when you just stop using your intuition to solve the problems they cause and make them solve it themselves.

[Kamakazie Sith]

Why can't the cops nail these assholes for disturbing the peace?

Because someone running mags through an AK47 in their backyard for shits and giggles is the kind of problem US local authorities prefer to solve with SWAT teams, but calling up SWAT for a mere noise complaint might not play well at the next budget review?

Eh not really. Patrol handles these situations just fine.

[Zaune]

Eh not really. Patrol handles these situations just fine.

Whatever you get paid, it isn't anywhere near enough. I honestly thought most police departments had a policy of never responding to a 911 call with less firepower than the suspects.