Phony craiglist ad leads to looting

[RYCeT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif You're not thinking it through. 6 months in jail means at least 6 months of lost wages, which is likely far more than the value what you would have lost and exponentially more than the insurance deductible. You'll also likely lose your job. Then there's the issue of civil suits. Even if you win, that's thousands more down the drain. Stuff can be replaced and often fairly painlessly with homeowners/renters insurance. That and the low ready position will communicate your point just as well without nearly as much legal hassle.

I'm curious, instead of pointing guns, will it be legal if I shot a warning shot to the sky while standing in my own property?

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYCeT /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm curious, instead of pointing guns, will it be legal if I shot a warning shot to the sky while standing in my own property?

Warning shots are usually a terrible idea for a lot of reasons.

Safety first. Bullets shot into the sky go somewhere and can retain enough energy to kill when they come down. There are deaths around New Year's Eve every once in a while due to this. Bullets shot into the ground or water may skip, remain lethal, then fly off to god knows where. A couple of cops killed a kid a few months ago when a stray bullet from shooting a snake skipped and hit him in the head. If this happens, welcome to jail, a huge lawsuit, and a lot of headaches.

Legality is also questionable. It's certainly a use of force though and not just an attention getting noisemaker. It may or may not be considered deadly force depending on jurisdiction. You may or may not get in legal trouble for discharging your firearm. In any case, it's not any more legal than pointing your firearm at someone and likely a whole lot less legal depending on the situation. It may even give them legal justification to kill you.

Finally, it may not convey the right message. If they're not a threat, then why are you firing warning shots in the first place? There's no legal justification for doing so and it may escalate the situation. Going out there with a visible firearm and verbally confronting them will get their full attention well enough. If they are a threat, then they may run or they may take that as an admission that you're not serious and proceed to kill you.

Bad idea all around.

 

[pez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Warning shots are usually a terrible idea for a lot of reasons. Safety first. Bullets shot into the sky go somewhere and can retain enough energy to kill when they come down. There are deaths around New Year's Eve every once in a while due to this. Bullets shot into the ground or water may skip, remain lethal, then fly off to god knows where. A couple of cops killed a kid a few months ago when a stray bullet from shooting a snake skipped and hit him in the head. If this happens, welcome to jail, a huge lawsuit, and a lot of headaches. Legality is also questionable. It's certainly a use of force though and not just an attention getting noisemaker. It may or may not be considered deadly force depending on jurisdiction. You may or may not get in legal trouble for discharging your firearm. In any case, it's not any more legal than pointing your firearm at someone and likely a whole lot less legal depending on the situation. It may even give them legal justification to kill you. Finally, it may not convey the right message. If they're not a threat, then why are you firing warning shots in the first place? There's no legal justification for doing so and it may escalate the situation. Going out there with a visible firearm and verbally confronting them will get their full attention well enough. If they are a threat, then they may run or they may take that as an admission that you're not serious and proceed to kill you. Bad idea all around.

I know it's not supposed to be funny, but a friend and I had a theory about the "shot in the air" thing. We made up a whole theory that the people that saw it coming would say "There really is witchcraft!". I'm too wierd.

 

[plainsong]

So no one here watches Mythbusters then.

Mom told me more about the crazy horse girl, but it's so E/N. Suffice it to say it was HS, and I pissed a girl off whom I didn't even know and who never approached me about it. It would have been safer for her had she approached me instead of my equine friend.

 

[mbriant]

I sent that article to an old friend who now lives in Minnesota. She responded with threel interesting personal craiglist stories .... but this one stood out:

Quote:

Last fall there was a murder in Minneapolis and some young guy lured a recent college graduate to her death after she responding to a bogus Craigslist ad for a nanny. The girl was found stuffed into the trunk of her car. Days later the cops arrested a 19-year-old guy who worked with Matt at the Minneapolis airport refueling jets. For some reason, people seem to have the impression that everything is on the up and up on that list. Weird.

 

[crazyface]

This man ought to sue Craigslist to prevent them allowing ads of that nature without verifying the identity of the poster. If Craigslist has the influence to be the catalyst for thefts, then it's got to take a corresponding responsibility.

 

[marvin]

Police: Craiglist list hoax was to cover up theft

Wonderful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plainsong So no one here watches Mythbusters then.

Huh? 'Bout the bullets falling out of the air and killing people part?

 

[lobehold]

lol, smart enough to thought up a good plan, but computer illterate enough to never think of covering up ip address.

I hope the publicity won't give people ideas to try some variation of it again but this time posting from public access points.

 

[plainsong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marvin /img/forum/go_quote.gif Police: Craiglist list hoax was to cover up theft Wonderful. Huh? 'Bout the bullets falling out of the air and killing people part?

No, about the bullets in water part. Adam was fairly safe even from 50 calibers of fun.

All for some saddles? *** you can have one custom made for the same amount of trouble they went through.