You dirty rat you

[JWFITZ]

The term "residential" is clearly being used in a self-serving manner. If it is zoned AG, discharging firearms is NOT illegal. If you have chosen to put your residence in an area zoned AG, well, you live in an area zoned AG--and if someone puts in a feed lot and slaughters hogs all day long with a .45, I expect you are out of luck. At least, until, you can get the guy "legalized" out of existence. This would be true if she had a rat farm as well. If you can demonstrate that your neighbor is endangering your property, well, you may have a claim. Elsewise, them's the breaks.

The notion that anyone is making any effort keep a real rural nature in lower Puna, at least, has been demonstrated to be laughably insincere for some time now.

[rbakker]

"A gun fight (even with only one gun) has more then on shot fired 99.9999% of the time."

So that's one in a million. Is this based on any sort of facts, or statistics?
If I type "single gunshot" into Google I get tens of thousands of hits, some of them telling very sorry stories indeed.

[iboost]

Hey Lack...
So what are the details of the police visit? Did they look at your gun and ammo or verify the gun's serial number to make sure it was registered to you and etc. Did they ask for any registration? Just how inquisitive were they? Were they acting kind of ticked off or were they just sort of "well were here because someone complained"?

[Jon]

That is based on 40 years of being around guns, and in neighborhoods that have frequent shootings. (at least until 6 months ago)

Even video games teach kids that you never pull the trigger just once in a gun fight. And trust me, the kids in Hawaii know all about guns and video games.


Transplanted Texan
"I am here to chew bubble gum and kick some *** ... and I'm all out of bubble gum"

[JWFITZ]

Merry Christmas,

I would encourage a little thinking about "rights" and whether or not you can properly consider yourself a defender of human rights if you elect to pick and choose where and when other people get to exercise them. Sometimes other people's exercising of their rights--in fact a lot the of time-- is a nuisance. We must live with that, in a sensible manner. People shooting rats out of trees might be a nuisance, but it is hardly by any measure a threat, and it's time to just suck up and work for a better world. We are moving in to a very difficult future, and we need to get past some of this self indulgent crap.

You can count on me to defend the constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. That includes shooting rats anywhere it's necessary. I don't appreciate all that's involved in the gun movement, or some of its consequences, but I believe that an armed populace is necessary to a free state.

As and example of counterpoise, as well:

You can count on me to defend the constitutionally guaranteed right to gay marriage. That includes being gay anywhere its necessary. I don't appreciate all that's involved in gay marriage, or some of its consequences, but I believe that an diverse populace is necessary to a free state.

In either case I think noise ordinances do apply. No one has a right to make a ridiculous racket, even if it's harmless.

I suggest that if we advocated a world where straight unabashed rednecks--like myself-- would show up with guns to defend their gay friends this country would much more resemble the place of diversity and liberty it used to be.

My concern is we've been polarized "en masse" into a nation of fundamentalists, who are wholly incapable of rationally discussing issues, pitted against each other so that we bleed off our antagonism for the injustices inherent in our system on each other, and not, as we should, focus that wrath where it is due. Think on that. It's worth thinking on. It is increasingly obvious we don't even know we're doing it.

[roseroo14]

iboost,

I have many guns most are registered and the police have a familiarity with it, and me. They came by and said,”hey Tom what’s up with the gunshot? No, they didn’t come in with pistols drawn and shotguns cocked and when they realized it was my house they almost express joy. There was no need to show them the rifle since I told them that I popped a rat out of my avocado tree with rat shot. He enquired if it was a head shot and I said, yea you bet, it’s the only way to flatten it with one pop. Then I showed him the extinguished rat and he said “nice shot.” To be sure that he was doing the right thing he read me the riot act about setting up an KO Corral situation in my backyard. I said, you are absolutely correct officer and opened another beer and saluted the Puna police for being so goddamned reasonable. For the record, the guns I own that are not registered ain’t in my house here.

Wow, all of this because I shot a rat. I have a new approximation as how to deal with these dirty rats. I’m going to construct a small landmine under my coconut trees with an electric ignition source. I’m planning to bate it with peanut buttee and then observe. When the rat starts to consume the bate I’m going to blow his keister into kingdom come with a magazine of BB’s under the bate. It may be a little loud, in fact it will be a LOT louder. but I won’t be discharging a firearm within a residential neighborhood. I wonder if Greg would telephone the cops for that, yea he probably would, Greg might call if he heard thunder without seeing the lighting.

The Lack

[oink]

This thread kinda took off. We do seem to have some "rabid" anti gun people here. Lack's .22 rat shot was less dangerous than any quality pellet gun would have been or unattended poison.

The Hawaii law is a bit vague. For ag land there is surely provisions for pest control. Also, what is the definition of a populated area? I couldn't find the applicable county ordinances.

If I lived in Lack's neighborhood I would be anoyed if someone was shooting regularly, but not by one or two quiet pops, with no suspicious circumstances.

I would imagine that the neighbor called the PD on Lack as revenge for missing chickens.

The earlier comment that the PD said that shooting was illigal on any property if someone heard it and complained is BS. The cop may have said that but that would only be his incorrect interpretation and was probably just stated to make his job easier. Unfortunately cops can often give bad legal advice, with no malice intended. Usually it will be the older more experienced cops that give informed reasoned answers. The young rookies tend to give simplistic black and white answers.

It can be unfortunate when urbanites bring their urban habits, beliefs and ideals to rural areas. As another topic, light pollution is one of those. If you want lights everywhere, stay in the city. I guess Damon's family will have to start slitting throats or using sledges as opposed to quicker more humane capping.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Dave Smith]

Jay, you are mostly correct about activities on ag-zoned land, which has been a constant source of conflicts for many years, most of which involve roosters. Fortunately for those of us in those areas, pig farms, and some other particularly odorous pursuits, at least have other county requirements including approval by the state Health Department. Livestock production must also be at least 1,000 feet from any major road or non-ag zoned property.

In the early 1970s there was a piggery located in Hilo off Puainako Street, just above Kinoole, that gave off a pungent aroma over a wide area. Fortunately for everyone involved (except, perhaps, the pigs) the owner finally called it quits a few years later.

[JWFITZ]

Thank you and of course. I'm prone to hyperbole and paint with a broad brush, and the correction is sensible.

[JWFITZ]

Tom, I've got one better. I bet we could build a trap that could kill a rat with a car audio sub-woofer.

Actually, I'm not kidding. Would take about 300 watts. Would pound the little bugger into gelatinous putty with the opening measures of "Movement of the People."