[lizardlady]

I hate this particular holiday. Redneck aholes around me love any excuse to set off fireworks and shoot guns. New Year's Eve is the worst. It was my intent to sleep my way into the New Year. Not even remotely possible. I'm surrounded by them. They started at 8pm. At midnight they all went batpoop crazy. I swear to gawd it sounds like some of them are shooting canons. Add to that some are shooting semi-auto (maybe full-auto) guns. The noise is so bad even the cats are upset.

[Crazy Hitch]

That’s so unfair of them. Some people have no consideration.

[divine1966]

I am in UK now. We had fireworks yesterday but not too crazy. On normal days you can’t have it past 11pm but on the new years past 1pm but I haven’t heard anything much past midnight.

I wish we had more regulations in the US. We live next to a church and they have a lot of events and typically they are considerate folks but when they do fireworks it goes on all hours of the night.

Gun shots though is entirely different story. Why is it even a thing?

[NatalieJastrow]

I have the same complaint (a lot of people do). When I had a cat it really freaked him out. And I see people post on my local town site asking people not to set off fireworks because their animals are scared (and one even left her home because her dog would have a seizure if fireworks went off).

[splitimage]

That's just crazy to me. I get fireworks, but firing guns??? um why? Sorry you had to put up with that.

[lizardlady]

Thanks everyone. Am feeling kind of groggy this morning. The idiots went until 1am.

The only thing I know behind shooting guns is that it's an old country thing. Except the old way was to wait until midnight then shoot off a couple of rounds, not shoot like maniacs for hours and hours. Rationale behind the loud noises was to scare away evil spirits.

Every time these idiots start shooting in the air I think of a story from a few years ago. A 12 year old boy was hit in the head by a falling bullet. He has permanent brain damage. Those bullets shot in the air have to come back down!

To compound the lunacy, I know there was beer involved. Guns and booze is a bad mix.

[Pflowers]

A lady I worked with back in the 90's had that happen to her adult son too @lizardlady.

New Year's Celebration, New Orleans, Louisiana ...

He was a war veteran too!

I remember Martha commenting on how he'd survived the war intact ...

Only to come home and take a falling bullet & it leaving him brain damaged!

This country is nuttier than a fruit cake when it comes to the love of guns!

[lizardlady]

Last 4th of July a local family caught grief because they put a sign in their yard asking people to refrain from fireworks because the husband has PTSD from serving in Afghanistan.

[Pflowers]

Selfish souls deserving of some serious Karma ...

[lizardlady]

I agree pflower. I hope karma took a nice big bite out of their backside.

[eskielover]

Where do they get money for all that amo not even used for REAL target practice? Hmmmm, it was real quiet in our red neck part of the country.....not even fireworks.

I remember in the city (Los Angeles) in early 70's (still lived with my parents) we were at a neighbors house for New Years Eve (tract housing) & one of the people came out & found a bullet came down through his car window. No idea where it was shot from. It was good that it didn't hit anyone. Windshields can more easily be replaced.....but that happened in an area where you wouldn't think it would.

I like my quiet new years eves at home. I was too tired to go to the party I planned on going to. My dogs had started chasing a mouse in the house at 5am & I was wide awake for that. I crashed New Years Eve at 8pm so thankfully it was quiet & no mouse chasing either

When I was a teen and young man, we did the backyard shotgun thing at 12:00 but it was pretty restrained compared to what's going on today. 15-20 minutes of firing a few shotshells at the heavens and everyone went back inside to continue celebrating. I believe everything you described LL. What was once just a bit of noise-making as the hands ticked midnight has become for some, just another excuse to display and play with their proxy testicles. A bit harsh? Nah. I'm just calling what often is...too often is. The modern g-culture is a cancer.

[lizardlady]

"proxy testicles" I love it! May I borrow it?

The eejits started again around 5pm yesterday. Thankfully it only lasted about an hour.

Eskie, you are right. A windshield can be replaced. A life cannot.

[rechu]

Wow, that really sucks, Liz. I've heard of people setting off illegal fireworks (although not guns) in other areas. Fortunately, our NYE was nice and quiet. How was Hazel? Did the noise bother her too?

[lizardlady]

Thankfully Hazel is not bothered by loud noises. Though there was one big BOOM that rattled my windows. It freaked out the cats. Hazel woke up and looked around like what was that!?

[eskielover]

I am glad my dogs & cats have all been good with loud noises. Cote looks to see what it is & when he knows it is safe he is ok. We have lots of loud farm equipment around here. Wish Cote & Sophie were as chill with mice. They go drama queen & king on me when they see or hear a mouse. They started at 5am on New Years Eve day & Sophie chased it out of the family room which is her house territory into the kitchen while I was making coffee & freaked out the mouse when it saw me. Then Cote took over. It was quite a circus act that morning while my cats were quiet in their upstairs domain. Ah, my crazy family

[speckofdust]

I would like to see an end to fireworks (except in a very controlled and public situation) and gunfire.

[lizardlady]

Eskie, at my house we get that kind of drama over lizards.

[lizardlady]

Speckofdust, personal use of fireworks is supposed to be limited to farmers. The sellers get away with it by having the buyer sign a form saying they will be used for agricultural use. I'll admit way back in my younger day I enjoyed setting them off. It's just gotten out of hand.

I've given up hope of gun control in this country. The progun lobby is way to powerful and some gun owners way to vocal for there to ever be any reasonable control.

[eskielover]

Originally Posted by lizardlady

Eskie, at my house we get that kind of drama over lizards.

Lol....we would here if I get them in the house again....probably the snakes too. Since I had behind my house cleared from the woods taking over, I haven't had snakes or lizards in my house. The dogs & cats would have fun with them too. So far this year only mice. Though I think they all would go crazy with the 4 ft black snake I found in my upstairs bathroom a few years ago

[eskielover]

I've given up hope of gun control in this country. The progun lobby is way to powerful and some gun owners way to vocal for there to ever be any reasonable control.

I still totally believe that gun control would NOT get guns out of the hands of those that use them to do real harm. Criminals will get guns one way or another. Gun control ONLY takes guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens who have a right to own them & most of us in this part of the country who use them responsibly stand strong on this belief. I want to have something more than my dogs to protect myself out in the country living alone.

[Revenge Tour]

It's unfortunate but I have come to accept that July 4th and New Years Eve are recognized redneck celebrations. When you have booze and explosives, what could possibly go wrong? These days it's all about me, me, me. Consideration for others is an afterthought.

Originally Posted by lizardlady

"proxy testicles" I love it! May I borrow it?

The eejits started again around 5pm yesterday. Thankfully it only lasted about an hour.

Eskie, you are right. A windshield can be replaced. A life cannot.

For sure! Glad to be of help with a zinger or two! Def. truth to that one.

[Calla lily12]

Some idiot set off fireworks here, also. My poor dog is on medication to help her terror when she hears them. People are so inconsiderate.

Originally Posted by eskielover

I still totally believe that gun control would NOT get guns out of the hands of those that use them to do real harm. Criminals will get guns one way or another. Gun control ONLY takes guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens who have a right to own them & most of us in this part of the country who use them responsibly stand strong on this belief. I want to have something more than my dogs to protect myself out in the country living alone.

I agree with having them for protection and such but there are far too many questions that can't be easily answered without talk. Policy regarding guns can be managed better without the average joe [or jill] worrying about having their rights stolen.

Gun laws ought to be looked at without the fear the mere mention of them generates. There ARE problems and they should be mutually discussed and actively worked on without the knee-jerk attitude and broken-record bleating of "the government is trying to take my guns!" That's NOT and never will be a reality. The logistics of such an enterprise is impossible anyway. The only time you'll see that scenario in modern America is in cheap fiction and bad movies.

Anyway. Not the forum for this is it. Eskie, I think we have more in common than we don't. I think you're a great person from your posts. Much respect. I just feel that America is dealing with too many unnecessary difficulties. It shouldn't be that hard to implement intelligent change to certain loopholes and policies.

The loopholes in particular have sufficiently proven themselves to be damaging and dangerous. The stats prove that. The more vocal one-note naysayers do nothing but obsessively refuse to acknowledge the problems. In most cases lawmakers are denied even an entry-level discussion on the matters.

I guess the issues will continue. Not seeing much hope these days. Especially these days. With so many gun owners becoming increasingly militant in attitude, the hope for mitigation/compromise dwindles. Meanwhile? The cordwood keeps getting stacked higher. Yes, make no mistake, that's the true bottom line. The cordwood keeps getting stacked higher.

Simple small changes to certain guns laws are NOT useless and are NOT "the first step to oppression". The crowd constantly claiming that one always seem to me to be down a quart or two of practical rationale. There's too much fantasy between the ears of too many gun owners these days. [I'm not referring to you or critiquing your reason for personal gun ownership. I understand and stand with you on that.]

There are issues out there that need looking at is all. Mutually; with an eye for both facts and measures that will help solve definite problems.

Pardon if you found anything offensive. It's early and I'm trying to make a decent case without sleep and without tea/coffee. I'm done now. Hard world Eskie...I just hate seeing so many mistakes being made. We can learn WITHOUT making them too.