how do i know i heard a gunshot instead of something else?

Question

how do i know i heard a gunshot instead of something else like a fire cracker...i wanna know because i wanna know for sure that i heard a gunshot before calling the cops or anything if it ever happens....I'm up late at night and I've been hearing weird things like at 2 3 in the morning and this night i heard something that sounded like gun shots....but i wasn't sure....but anyways....are there any distinct features from a gun shot?...please help

Answer 1

Legal firecrackers shouldn't make a sound as loud as a gunshot. If it was an illegal M-80 or a homemade gunpowder pyrotechnic, I would call the cops anyway.

Back on topic, with some experience with firearms you will know what a gunshot sounds like. It's very difficult to explain, because most of the time I either have hearing protection or my left ear is ringing like crazy.

After a lot of experience, I can definitely tell if someone was shooting off an AK-47 (makes distinctive sound). If you hear multiple sounds of shots instead of one bang, you can be pretty sure it's gunshots.

If it's loud enough to disturb me in the middle of the night, I'll call the police anyway.

Answer 2

It is extremely hard to tell without a lot of experience and nearly impossible to explain. Vehicles backfiring can sound like gun shots. Even a car door slammed loudly can sound like a gun shot. However, should you hear a bang than a loud, sharp shrill whistle, that most likely is a bullet ricocheting and 99% of the time it will be a gun shot you've heard. When in doubt, if you live within the city limits, it is best to call in "What sounded like a gunshot."

Best.

H

Answer 3

Experience. If you've heard a lot of different types of guns being fired, you'll have a pretty good idea of what makes a gunshot sound different from other similar noises, like firecrackers or backfiring cars.

In fact, shooting enthusiasts, soldiers who have experienced combat or undergone a lot of weapons training, and even residents of violent neighborhoods where gunshots are common can not only distinguish between the sounds of firearms and firecrackers, but can tell you what kind of gun is being fired--the different cartridges and weapons are that distinct.

That being said, if you're hearing a series of sharp reports that are more or less evenly spaced, you're probably hearing gunshots. And if you really suspect that you're hearing them, and they sound like they're in your area (as opposed to sounding faint, like they're three blocks away), call it in. Unless you're out in the country, where people sometimes hunt raccoons at night, or just get a little rowdy around a bonfire on their property.

Answer 4

there is no well to really tell 100% unless something gets hit by a bullet or its rapid fire. I have been shooting for nearly 30 years and spent 15 in the army .The sounds of different firearms going off of big and small size, braked or unbraked, shotgun making a flat bang or rifle making a sharp crack, blackpowder and rimfire, at different ranges, in spaces of different confinement and echoing differently there is always the chance of a 'gunshot' you hear is just a cracker or car backfiring.

Answer 5

I do but for a while I lived in a neighbourhood in Vancouver where the sound of fireworks was almost constant so I got to recognize the difference between gunfire and loud bangs. One new years day a couple of neighbours got into a bit of a tiff that ended with one hiding behind a parked car in the alley while the other took shots at them with a rifle. When I heard the gunfire I got my family to the other side of the building and waited for the SWAT team to arrive. When all was said and done and the cops had hauled away the gunfighters a reporter came by to ask questions of the residents gathered outside the apartment. She actually asked me if I came outside when I heard the shots. I said no so she asked what I did, I said I hide in the bathtub...duh! Do I look that stupid?

Answer 6

Car Backfire Sound

Answer 7

I love the ''car backfiring'' comments you see on TV...

when was the last time you know that you heard a car backfire?
Don't care if it's fireworks or .45's...call the cops.
Either someone's getting shot or someone's losing sleep due to noise.

Answer 8

If it was more of a 'tik-koooh' that could be a gunshot. It's hard to say, but most fireworks are a lower pitched boom without too much echo. But it's hard to say exactly.

Answer 9

if you've been around firearms, have been firing, you'll know.
The nearer it is you, you'll recognize it better.