Good luck. Hope not to see your case pointed to with all the IL weapons ban talk going on here.

RDP has given you some good advive.  I am a LEO that works in IL (Lake County area).  What is the statute number on your citation?  Is it reckless discharge of a firearm or something else?  I would like to read what you are being charged with.  By reading the exact law you are being charged with you can decide if you violated it.  The advice here is free so lets have it.  

Here is Reckless Discharge of a Firearm, I did note see one for attempted discharge of a firearm but I did just a quick search.  IMHO you can not be charged with "attempted" for this statute because either you acted recklessly and endageded someone or you did not.  

Ask yourself ;
Were you acting reckless?
Were any persons endangered by your fire?
Did the LEOs or another witness see and give statements on any reckless fire?

By reading the report and citation you should be able to tell how the LEOs answered these questions to support the charge if it was this statute, but like I said you need to read the exact statute on the citation.  You could ask your attorney but .    

1 AN ACT in relation to criminal law.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by5 changing Section 24-1.5 as follows:6
(720 ILCS 5/24-1.5)7 Sec. 24-1.

5. Reckless discharge of a firearm.
8 (a) A person commits reckless discharge of a firearm by
9 discharging a firearm in a reckless manner which endangers
10 the bodily safety of an individual.
11 (b) If the conduct described in subsection (a) is
12 committed by a passenger of a moving motor vehicle with the
13 knowledge and consent of the driver of the motor vehicle the
14 driver is accountable for the such conduct.___----
15 (c) Reckless discharge of a firearm is a Class 4 felony.1
16 (d) This Section does not apply to a peace officer while
17 in the performance of his or her official duties.18 (Source: P.A. 88-217.)

Oh ya, the ricocheting thing IMO will no go good in court.  They will say you are the shooter and responsible for all the rounds fired.  If they were ricocheting they will find you guilty of being reckless as the rounds where not going where they were intended to go.  Unless of course if your way down in the Souther part of IL.    What county were you shooting in?  
   
Good Luck.

Quoted: RDP has given you some good advive.  I am a LEO that works in IL (Lake County area).  What is the statute number on your citation?  Is it reckless discharge of a firearm or something else?  I would like to read what you are being charged with.  By reading the exact law you are being charged with you can decide if you violated it.  The advice here is free so lets have it.   Here is Reckless Discharge of a Firearm, I did note see one for attempted discharge of a firearm but I did just a quick search.  IMHO you can not be charged with "attempted" for this statute because either you acted recklessly and endageded someone or you did not.   Ask yourself ; Were you acting reckless? Were any persons endangered by your fire? Did the LEOs or another witness see and give statements on any reckless fire? By reading the report and citation you should be able to tell how the LEOs answered these questions to support the charge if it was this statute, but like I said you need to read the exact statute on the citation.  You could ask your attorney but .     1 AN ACT in relation to criminal law. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Criminal Code of 1961 is amended by5 changing Section 24-1.5 as follows:6 (720 ILCS 5/24-1.5)7 Sec. 24-1. 5. Reckless discharge of a firearm. 8 (a) A person commits reckless discharge of a firearm by 9 discharging a firearm in a reckless manner which endangers 10 the bodily safety of an individual. 11 (b) If the conduct described in subsection (a) is 12 committed by a passenger of a moving motor vehicle with the 13 knowledge and consent of the driver of the motor vehicle the 14 driver is accountable for the such conduct.___---- 15 (c) Reckless discharge of a firearm is a Class 4 felony.1 16 (d) This Section does not apply to a peace officer while 17 in the performance of his or her official duties.18 (Source: P.A. 88-217.) Oh ya, the ricocheting thing IMO will no go good in court.  They will say you are the shooter and responsible for all the rounds fired.  If they were ricocheting they will find you guilty of being reckless as the rounds where not going where they were intended to go.  Unless of course if your way down in the Souther part of IL.    What county were you shooting in?       Good Luck.

Yup -

I am frequently amazed - when shooting with folks who have never used tracers - how ignorant many people are about ricochets and where rounds actually can end up when shooting.

There is a reason why small arms ranges on military bases have such huge downrange impact area.

If the law indeed says you are responsible for where those round might go – you will need to really know what was downrange.

I personally can think of few places in northeast Illinois where I would shoot anything above a .22 for that reason.

Tracers were a bad idea.

Good luck.

Bucky145: What city are you with?

1. Yes, firing tracers near a highway can seem suspicious, don't blame the cops there.

2. 10 cops and drawing weapons on you? WTF are they thinking? "the trees sound like they're in trouble, must call 10 backup officers and aim fully loaded weapons at the 'perps'".

I'm all for keeping the feds outta your personal business but I think it is atleast justified that they checked it out and made sure you were being safe. I know if I saw tracer fire traveling parrallel to the highway I was traveling on, I'd be alarmed. Anyhow, good luck with it.

Bucky- It was in Lake County. Gurnee.

I regret doing it and know that the police had every right to do what they did. Tracers were a bad idea.

I found out the other day that 17 police cars were dispatched, an airport was closed, and a helicopter and canine unit were requested. Bad idea.

I can't tell you the statute number because I don't have the ticket in front of me. I'll see if I can post it later for you.

Am I ever going to see my AR again?

Quoted: We went through about 300 rounds which is a lot

At least you still have your sense of humor.

You said your lawyer is inexpensive. What are your freedoms worth? Call the NRA for advice for a better attorney, they thould have a list of them for your state.

This is not where you want to just go inexpensive. Find someone that specializes in gun law.

Quoted: You said your lawyer is inexpensive. What are your freedoms worth? Call the NRA for advice for a better attorney, they thould have a list of them for your state. This is not where you want to just go inexpensive. Find someone that specializes in gun law.

I know! The lawyer was recommended by a close friend who has been in the same type of trouble. We'll see what happens but I'm pretty confident.

GURNEE......Jeeez.  I bet the LEOs thought the bangers from Zion , Waukegan, and North Chicago were going at it.  I take it you were in the Lake County Sheriff's jurisdiction (maybe near Milwaukee Ave)? If they were county dogs I bet I knew some of them.      

Let me ask you this.  After your arrest, were your cited and released on bond at the PD? Or were you transported to the Lake County Courthouse for a bond hearing (room C120) where you briefly spoke to a judge.  If you transported to the courthouse and spoke to a judge, you were charged with a felony.  As far as your AR, I just do not know.  They will not release it while the case is active.  If you are convicted of a felony say bye bye to AR, FOID, and all other firearms.      

Find that damm statute number to find out what you are being charged with.  No one here can give you any advice until you know exactly what you are being charged with.  Make no mistake about it Lake County is not friendly to gun related violations, only Cook County would be worse.

Be ready for this question from your attorney.  Are you looking to plea bargin to Disorderly Conduct (or something else) or do your want to go to trial and possibly risk a conviction for the crime you were charged with (but we do not know what it is).  If you plea bargin, I would try for a local ordinance charge over a state charge.        

IM me if you have questions that you do not want everyone to see.
Good Luck.  



 

                         

Quoted: Bucky- It was in Lake County. Gurnee. I regret doing it and know that the police had every right to do what they did. Tracers were a bad idea. I found out the other day that 17 police cars were dispatched, an airport was closed, and a helicopter and canine unit were requested. Bad idea. I can't tell you the statute number because I don't have the ticket in front of me. I'll see if I can post it later for you. Am I ever going to see my AR again?

Fucking GURNEE!

There is NO place in Gurnee where it would be safe to fire centerfire rifles like that - none.

Were you off of I-94 or US-41?

Ouch.



Ouch.



Ouch.



Gurnee PD probably thought they were up against some hardcore killers.  They already think everyone from Waukegan is a gangbanger - and feel a constant need to prove how hard-core they are with such undesirable neighbors.  

Cops in that area aren't accustomed to recreational shooting.  Of course, recreational shooting is rarely done at 11pm and in the rain - and near a highway - and with tracers.

Tracers are not legal in IL.  Even if you beat the other charges, that could be a bit of a problem for you.

"Cops in that area aren't accustomed to recreational shooting. Of course, recreational shooting is rarely done at 11pm and in the rain - and near a highway - and with tracers"

 


So, what kind of AR was it?  Get any compliments on it from the LEOs?  Or was it more like        

Quoted: Here's what I have going for me: I have no previous arrests at all We were being careful with the guns My gun is legally owned I'm only 18 The woods are very thick and go for about 750-850 meters like I said I had permission to be there and it's private property We were shooting very slightly at a downward angle I cooperated fully with the police and told them the complete truth Here is what is against me: It was 11 o'clock at night Tracers and rifle fire are scary Me and my buddy were shooting at the same time at one point, making them think that it was full auto We theoretically were in range of railroad tracks assuming that the bullets could have zig zagged through 750-850 meters of woods after ricocheting off the ground since we were shooting slightly down The local police said they saw us shooting in the air which is totally false. There were ricochets that went in a slight upward direction but not "into the air" by any stretch of the imagination We went through about 300 rounds which is a lot There is a highway nearby

I'd try and use some of these elements to your advantage, if at all possible - namely, you were using tracers while it was raining. You picked that time to do so for safety reasons, ie, you wanted to be sure that no fires were caused, and it was simply opportune to do so at night.

Unfortunately, you're in the shithole of Illinois. Hopefully it's Southern Illinois, otherwise you're quite likely fucked. Either way, it's evident that the police are obviously lying (provided what you're saying is true) and are shitty cops. If they wree good cops, they'd simply have asked you guys some questions and let you go. There's little difference between 900' and 1000' feet, especially if you're shooting in the opposite direction, and given it was night and the cops liekly didn't take a precise measurement, they got you on the bullshit "shooting into the air" thing. They've evidently got a bone to pick with "punk kids" and "firearms". I hope that, for your sake, you're not black (due to the large Chicago black crime problems and possible negative connotations as a result).

I'd strongly recommend getting a good, well-trimmed haircut: maybe a #2 on the sides and an inch and a half to 2" on top: long enough so that it doesn't look like you're "paramilitary" and short enough so that you look like a "respectable" youth. Do away with any tatoos or piercings; they'll only impact your image negatively to the judge.

I wasn't brought before a judge, they charged me with attempted reckless discharge, a class A misdemeanor. I know that sounds stupid, that's what I thought too but whatever. If you read some of my other posts you can get the info. Everything was legally owned.

Adam, aren't you from Colorado?

I was off of 41. They closed the northbound lanes for half an hour. It was a RRA Entry Tactical. That kind of adds to my suspicion that I'm not getting it back.

It was stupid it was stupid it was stupid. I've learned my lesson, please just return Black Betty!

Quoted: Quoted: Here's what I have going for me: I have no previous arrests at all We were being careful with the guns My gun is legally owned I'm only 18 The woods are very thick and go for about 750-850 meters like I said I had permission to be there and it's private property We were shooting very slightly at a downward angle I cooperated fully with the police and told them the complete truth Here is what is against me: It was 11 o'clock at night Tracers and rifle fire are scary Me and my buddy were shooting at the same time at one point, making them think that it was full auto We theoretically were in range of railroad tracks assuming that the bullets could have zig zagged through 750-850 meters of woods after ricocheting off the ground since we were shooting slightly down The local police said they saw us shooting in the air which is totally false. There were ricochets that went in a slight upward direction but not "into the air" by any stretch of the imagination We went through about 300 rounds which is a lot There is a highway nearby I'd try and use some of these elements to your advantage, if at all possible - namely, you were using tracers while it was raining. You picked that time to do so for safety reasons, ie, you wanted to be sure that no fires were caused, and it was simply opportune to do so at night. Unfortunately, you're in the shithole of Illinois. Hopefully it's Southern Illinois, otherwise you're quite likely fucked. Either way, it's evident that the police are obviously lying (provided what you're saying is true) and are shitty cops. If they wree good cops, they'd simply have asked you guys some questions and let you go. There's little difference between 900' and 1000' feet, especially if you're shooting in the opposite direction, and given it was night and the cops liekly didn't take a precise measurement, they got you on the bullshit "shooting into the air" thing. They've evidently got a bone to pick with "punk kids" and "firearms". I hope that, for your sake, you're not black (due to the large Chicago black crime problems and possible negative connotations as a result). I'd strongly recommend getting a good, well-trimmed haircut: maybe a #2 on the sides and an inch and a half to 2" on top: long enough so that it doesn't look like you're "paramilitary" and short enough so that you look like a "respectable" youth. Do away with any tatoos or piercings; they'll only impact your image negatively to the judge.

Wow this must be a joke.  Insulting the cops for checking on reports of gunfire at 11 pm in a populated area of almost 30,000.  Gurnee is no county of 30,000 we are talking a town.  You know where Great America is.  

Website: http://www.gurnee.il.us  
Population: 28,834 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)
Median Household Income: $75,742 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000)
Tax Rate Per $100 Assessed Value: 6.452% to 7.686% (2000 County Clerk Tax Extension)

You write of using the criminal elements to help this youngster out like the LEOs not taking measurements.  Hate to break it to ya but 9 feet, 900 feet, or 1,000 feet make no difference since it is not an element of the criminal offense.  Read the freak'en statue I posted earlier in the post on Reckless Discharge of  Firearm.  See anything about 1,000 feet?  Oh and all the cops are lieing about shooting in the air.  Abdulrahman said he saw ricochets tracers 40 feet in the air.  Where do you think those rounds went?  Now I do agree he should look good in court , but thats the only legal advice you can offer?

I'm sure if someone was letting loose with 300 rounds of tracer by your house at 11 pm next to a highway you would just walk out and tell the folks to quiet down a bit and get a can for the rifle.  Ya right.  Some of us are trying to help Abdulrahman out of a jam he created on is own.  Hopefully he does not eat the felony and his rights to own firearms over being overzealous to fire some tracers.  Before you give advice you should know what the hell your talking about.  Your advice sucks and if you would have read the thread you would know why I'm responding to you..  

 

       

Quoted: I wasn't brought before a judge, they charged me with attempted reckless discharge, a class A misdemeanor. I know that sounds stupid, that's what I thought too but whatever. If you read some of my other posts you can get the info. Everything was legally owned. Adam, aren't you from Colorado? I was off of 41. They closed the northbound lanes for half an hour. It was a RRA Entry Tactical. That kind of adds to my suspicion that I'm not getting it back. It was stupid it was stupid it was stupid. I've learned my lesson, please just return Black Betty!

Ok.  A class misdemeanor is a hell of a lot better than a Felony.  Since it's still in the reckless discharge of a firearm statute the elements will still remain basically the same.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your not going to fight this too hard.  If that is true, try to plea bargin it to disorderly conduct or something that does not have firearm in the name.  

Some PDs will try to tell you that they will not release your property (firearm) without a court order.  You may want to have your attorney petition the court at sentencing to instruct the PD to release the Rock River.  Or after everything is done try to go get it, if the PD will not release it have your attorney talk to PD to get it released.  If they still will not your attorney will know what to do.

Or have your attorney contact the PD evidence property manager and ask what the PD will require after the completion of this case to get the firearm returned.  This way you would know before sentencing what you will need to do.  

Hope your AR was oiled good and not put away wet with water in a plastic bag.  Normally firearms are packaged in boxes, but are not cared for.  Thats why its good to make nice nice with the LEOs.  I may have oiled a few before packaging them up for storage in the evidence room.

I'm a fan of the Entry Tactical.  I have that same rifle with a troy rear sight and Eotech 552 top.  I'm supose to become an armorer this summer for the AR-15/M-16.  

Good Luck.      

Quoted: I wasn't brought before a judge, they charged me with attempted reckless discharge, a class A misdemeanor. I know that sounds stupid, that's what I thought too but whatever. If you read some of my other posts you can get the info. Everything was legally owned. Adam, aren't you from Colorado? I was off of 41. They closed the northbound lanes for half an hour. It was a RRA Entry Tactical. That kind of adds to my suspicion that I'm not getting it back. It was stupid it was stupid it was stupid. I've learned my lesson, please just return Black Betty!

I've lived in more states and countries than I care to remember - a hazard of the profession - but grew up probably damn near within the maximum range of your rifle that day, had you pointed them more to the east (it sounds like you were maybe shooting west).

Also, you never answered bucky145's question:  were you in county or city jurisdiction?

I think I was in county jurisdiction, we got sent to Waukegan/Lake County. I was shooting east Adam but it was into the forest preserve. Shooting west would make the fire go into a residential area.

It was actually 16 rounds of tracer, 300 overall- the rest was surplus M855. The reason the tracers are so important in all of this is because the Gurnee cops came right before we shot them and were about to leave.

The Waukegan cops said that they wouldn't release the guns without a court order. Yes, guns. Read the earlier posts in the thread, there were two. One was mine.

Unfortunately it wasn't oiled and it might be wet. We didn't take too much care in putting them down before we went out to the cops for obvious reasons.

When I saw them putting it in the trunk of the car in front of me one of the cops was pointing out the rail to the cop next to him.

The lawyer knows that I don't want to have a gun related charge on my record. I will surrender the gun if necessary for that.

What would have happened if I would have said that no rounds at all went into the air and it was just the cops word versus mine?

Obviously more than one cop....

And I am sure witnesses were  plenty being that close to the road.

So, you would lose that one, put yourself on the stand, where your attorney would probably not defend you right and you would hang.

>

What would have happened if I would have said that no rounds at all went into the air and it was just the cops word versus mine?

The only problem with this bright idea is something called perjury. Try it if you like, but hope that the cops didnt have their dashboard cameras rolling when they pulled up.

You mentioned earlier that you fired from private property into a public forest preserve. Based on your admissions in this thread, you are guilty of reckless discharge of a firearm, a felony.  You probably shouldnt own any more guns.  The only intelligent thing you did was to drop the guns when the PD approached.

Stick to AirSoft. Now go play some Nintendo....

Signal thanks for being so harsh about it. I've already admitted that I made a mistake and I don't need you to lecture me.

There is a reason I said "would have." I didn't lie even though I knew that the cops' cams were not pointing into the woods and that it could have helped me.

I should probably ask for this topic to be closed because geniuses like you think that 17 cop cars, a helicopter, a canine unit, an army of  LEOs with assault rifles in my face, and the punishment I'm about to get won't make me learn my lesson.

OK, I am off work all week, so what the hell.

Here is a map of the area in question, both for those unfamiliar and for our thread originator to help us out.

Obviously, my original impression of the area talked about was off, I did not realize until looking at a map how Hwy 41 veered north like that.  I also did not realize that the (more rural) land north of there was still considered "Gurnee." I pretty much figure the Gurnee borders stopped even before Midlane Country Club.  That is a confusing area, though, with houses in some subdivisions getting their water from one jursdiction, there polics and fire protection from another, and their mailing address listed as something else entirely.

This map clearly also shows the airport in question, along with the Wisconsin border and Lake Michigan, to enable those who do not know the area to get their bearings.

abdulrahman: Would you care to edit this to show from where exactly, and in what direction, you were shooting, so we can all get a better idea.  You may even find this exercise useful in your plea - if you can demonstrate you gave a lot of thought to the direction of your rounds.

I circled on your map about where I was.




This one is a little bit closer in and shows the direction I was shooting in.

OK - here is a range fan overlayed on your map based on the published maximum range of an M16A2 with M855 Ball - 3,600 meters.

It will be smaller with shorter barrels and commercial ammo, no doubt - though your tracers were likely military loads.

Since this is also based on maximum range (~45 degree angle into sky), you have legitimate grounds to show you picked arguably one of the safer places and direction to shoot in the county - that's not really saying much, though.

Richochet rounds have lost a lot of their energy, and they could very pursuasively be argued to have stayed well within the approx 1,600 meters to the nearest residential area as portrayed on that map.  Unfortunately, I don't have any actual figures available.

I dunno - maybe if you can articulate your thought process regarding the safety observations and risk mitigations that went into planning your shooting, it might help you with the judge.

The biggest issue will be the belief that you were shooting into the air.  If you can find anyone with a military background they shoud be able to couch for how rounds fired at a low angle will richochet into the air.  You would just have to show that the caliber you were firing was still no threat to residents or aircraft.

My advice is worth what you paid for it.

Also, the home I grew up in was out of your range - you would have needed a more powerful rifle .

That picture you posted is pretty scary. I'm so glad that they decided to only charge me with attemped after that. It was a 16" carbine... was .

Quoted: That picture you posted is pretty scary. I'm so glad that they decided to only charge me with attemped after that. It was a 16" carbine... was .

I think it's safe to say your namesake had better luck with his court case than you probably will.

It is definitely a testament to how you guys handled the cops arrival that the charge is as lenient as it is.

Quoted: What a bunch of shit. Sorry that the gestapo picked you to harass.   +1 on getting a good laywer. Maybe you should think about filing a civil suit against the bastards.

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!! Sue 'em!!!What were these "Jack-booted" "Nazi-thug-bastards" thinking? Shooting a AR in the direction of a residential area that is well within in the effective range of a 5.56/.223 round without a backstop? Whats the problem???

pyro6988: Get the facts before you jump on the "Damn gestapo/JBT" soapbox , and make such an uninformed blanket statement.

So, whens the next court date.  Let us know how it goes and if you get your AR back.  By the way what PD has your AR?    

^Bucky's post 223.

The next court date is on April 28th.

When we were arrested we were taken to the Waukegan Police Department so I think they might have it but since there were state troopers, Gurnee police, and Waukegan police at the scene I'm not positive about that. One of the officers that interviewed me was named Knabel if that helps at all.

Quoted: ^Bucky's post 223. The next court date is on April 28th. When we were arrested we were taken to the Waukegan Police Department so I think they might have it but since there were state troopers, Gurnee police, and Waukegan police at the scene I'm not positive about that. One of the officers that interviewed me was named Knabel if that helps at all.

State guys showed up?  Wow - you really must have caused a stir (I guess so, seeing as how they closed the airport and part of the Hwy).

Any of the Waukegan guys share my last name?

Quoted: Quoted: ^Bucky's post 223. The next court date is on April 28th. When we were arrested we were taken to the Waukegan Police Department so I think they might have it but since there were state troopers, Gurnee police, and Waukegan police at the scene I'm not positive about that. One of the officers that interviewed me was named Knabel if that helps at all. State guys showed up?  Wow - you really must have caused a stir (I guess so, seeing as how they closed the airport and part of the Hwy). Any of the Waukegan guys share my last name?

Last night I asked about this incident at work.  The guys on duty that night knew about it and we're on the other side of the county.  

 

tag

You are an idiot.
You are an 18 year old idiot who went out and did something that was 18 Year Old idiotic. You were discharging a firearm (tracers no less) in a residential area of a deeply anti-gun state without a backstop at 11:00 at night.

You need to be smacked upside the head and told for a week straight how fucking stupid you are for doing that...

So I’ll say it. You are a stupid fucking moron. You are very lucky that you didn't start a fire, downrange a hole into someone, or get shot by a jittery cop.
Take this as a humbling experience and grow from it, but understand that your very name will come up in discussions had by people you've never met as the issue of "assault weapons" is debated in our state. Your 15 minutes of fame very well may be upcoming.

Now, with that said, most of us have been there and were stupid fucking morons back when we were 18 just like you are a stupid fucking moron now. I was, so I can understand.

Do everything in your power to understand why your actions were so idiotic and then identify elements of your 18 year old personality that caused you to think them to be perfectly OK, then change those parts of your personality to become a better person. Once you do that, you're a step closer to being a man and a step away from being the developmentally delayed, drooling 18 year old bonehead that you are today.

You deserve to be told you are stupid here. You deserve every bit of it.
This is not the fault of the cops, your mama, society, the multi-national corporations, Bush, Big Oil, Bin Laden or anyone else.
It's your fault for being dumb.
But I don't think you deserve to be crucified, as you're 18 years old and 18 year old kids are snot bubbling retards.

But I will say this.
I wouldn't shed a single fucking tear if you lost your gun and were forbade by the judge from buying another one until you're 25.

Quoted: You are an idiot. You are an 18 year old idiot who went out and did something that was 18 Year Old idiotic. You were discharging a firearm (tracers no less) in a residential area of a deeply anti-gun state without a backstop at 11:00 at night. You need to be smacked upside the head and told for a week straight how fucking stupid you are for doing that... So I’ll say it. You are a stupid fucking moron. You are very lucky that you didn't start a fire, downrange a hole into someone, or get shot by a jittery cop. Take this as a humbling experience and grow from it, but understand that your very name will come up in discussions had by people you've never met as the issue of "assault weapons" is debated in our state. Your 15 minutes of fame very well may be upcoming. Now, with that said, most of us have been there and were stupid fucking morons back when we were 18 just like you are a stupid fucking moron now. I was, so I can understand. Do everything in your power to understand why your actions were so idiotic and then identify elements of your 18 year old personality that caused you to think them to be perfectly OK, then change those parts of your personality to become a better person. Once you do that, you're a step closer to being a man and a step away from being the developmentally delayed, drooling 18 year old bonehead that you are today. You deserve to be told you are stupid here. You deserve every bit of it. This is not the fault of the cops, your mama, society, the multi-national corporations, Bush, Big Oil, Bin Laden or anyone else. It's your fault for being dumb. But I don't think you deserve to be crucified, as you're 18 years old and 18 year old kids are snot bubbling retards.

I nominate the above for "post of the year."  Do we have such a thing?  If not, we should.

So I'm a fucking moron but all 18 year olds are morons as well. So basically judging by that standard I'm not a moron because to determine how moronic whatever I did was you need to compare it to the actions of my peers. For instance, if a retarded person was calling you names then you probably just wouldn't say anything and might laugh. But if a perfectly sane person was doing the same thing then you would have a more serious reaction.

Also, it's mostly 18 and 19 year old snot bubbling retards are the ones you trust to maintain your freedom.

There's only so far you can go with the "you are stupid and should be castrated" thing before it stops being fair. You won't shed a tear if I lost my gun and was forbidden from buying another one until I was 25 but you should hope that my punishment is lenient because the more lenient it is the less serious my actions will look and the less anti-gun people can use what happened to me to their advantage.

Quoted: So I'm a fucking moron but all 18 year olds are morons as well. So basically judging by that standard I'm not a moron because to determine how moronic whatever I did was you need to compare it to the actions of my peers.

Wrong, jackass.
Your actions aren't compared to a standard set by "your peers" because your 18 year old peers are usually just as fucking dumb as you are. You actions are contrasted against a stalwart structure of right and wrong made by the people in our society who have lived enough of this life to know things that you don't. By this universal measure of "right" and "wrong", you failed miserably by virtue of your own actions.
At 18 years old, you have some pretty immense choices to make. It’s unfair that kids who are barely able to wipe their own asses and have never paid an electric bill are forced to make decisions that will effect the downward path of the rest of their lives, but it is how it is.
You are off to a miserable start, my friend.

You have to decide right fucking now if you are going to be the sort of person who accepts responsibility for his own actions and has a firm, cogent understanding of right from wrong, or if you are going to be an animal who runs around doing whatever he wants and "finds out" if it's right or wrong later on down the line, depending on what the judge says.

It's the age-old competition in the human soul between the "smart" that makes us better than the chimps versus the “stupid” that permeates the actions of everyone in prison, trailer parks or homeless shelters.
It's up to you to decide what path you want to take.

Also, it's mostly 18 and 19 year old snot bubbling retards are the ones you trust to maintain your freedom.

Don't even dare compare yourself to the young men fighting overseas. They're overseas getting shot at by real bad guys with real guns while you're in a suburb shooting off tracers at 11 PM. The uniform they bear negates anything having to do with their age, as they've earned that right. You haven't.

You should hope that my punishment is lenient because the more lenient it is the less serious my actions will look and the less anti-gun people can use what happened to me to their advantage.

"What happened to me?"
Son, nothing "happened" to you. You weren't in a car accident, you weren't stricken with cancer.
You "did something".
Nothing "happened to you".
You had better get right in your own mind before you completely fuck over not just your own dumb ass, but a lot of good people in the state of Illinois as well. Right not, you aren't mature enough to own a butter knife, never less an AR15.
I don't think you deserve prison or jail for what you did, but IMO, your own actions forfieted your right to be a gun owner for a period of time. Maybe not forever, but definitely for a time.

You say that most 18 year olds are just as dumb as I am. I wonder if you walk down the street putting down every 18 year old you see who is doing something wrong. If messing up is such an integral part of becoming an adult then why are you being so harsh about it?

Oh, also- I don't intend to compare myself to those who are fighting overseas because I would never risk my life for a lie like they are but that's a different matter that I don't want to discuss here.

Just because I did something stupid and I'm 18 doesn't give you the right to berate me so I'd appreciate it if you stopped right now. You are in a very good position to judge how mature I am seeing as you don't know me at all apart from a few posts I've made here. I've admitted what I did was wrong and I intend to learn from it. What else do you want from me? Do you want me to acknowledge how great you are so that you can deal with your own insecurities? That's what it seems like.

I respect people who are older than me but because you have no qualms about trying to make me feel like garbage it's hard.

Yes, I or anyone else is in a fantastic position to judge how mature you are based on your own actions.
What you did.
The decisions you made.

You should feel like shit for what you did.
I am positively disgusted that there are people in this thread who are actually coming to your defense based on "the jack booted thugs" thing.
I'm not a cop, I don't have any family or friends that are cops, i'm the very furthest thing from a blind "law and order" kinda guy but this isn't the fault of the cops here.
It's your fault.

What you did was so spectacularly dumb that you really need to be told as much.
Yes, we all make mistakes growing up.
I didn’t fuck Lisa Velasquez in high school when I had the chance. What a mistake that was…
A business owner pushed over a friend who was skateboarding by his shop, so we all went back that night and threw concrete blocks through his windows. What an immature, stupid thing to do.
We took a friends dads Corvette and got it up to 150 MPH on I-95 at 3:00 AM. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Still, I’m hard pressed to think of a time when I was that age where I would have even considered shooting off my guns in a suburb. Like, it wouldn’t have even entered my mind. As dumb as I was back them, I wasn't that dumb.

See, the problem here is that on March 9th, you were shooting off an AR15 in a suburb.
Here we are 18 days later and all of a sudden, you're born again and realize how wrong you were?

Bullshit.

You got caught.
You are the same 18 year old shit you were 432 hours ago.

The things i'm saying to you are not "insults" even though i'm sure you find them insulting.
This is the truth of the matter that you might not hear from anyone around you.
And yes, it makes me particularly mad as you chose to do this at a time when the people of Illinois are very, very close to getting buttfucked for simply owning AR15's- the same gun you were firing off in a residential area. Responsible, honest people who are very close to being shafted because a bunch of slack-jawed fucktard liberals can point to morons like you and paint us all with the same brush.

You should feel like shit, because you earned it.

Anyway, i've said what's needed here. I will be done. I would suggest you read it all and take it to heart.

I'm sorry if you don't believe me when I say that I learned my lesson. If you don't believe me when I tell you then I guess there's no way I'm going to convince you of anything.

If you would have read the thread you would know that I wasn't shooting "in a suburb" really. You make it sound like I went down the street or something but that won't really matter one bit to you because you aren't concerned about facts, you are just here to put me down. I don't have to explain or justify what I did to every know it all on the internet that feels the need to use personal attacks on me- if I did then I wouldn't have time for anything else.

I'm shocked and amazed that someone would actually come on here and be as cruel as you are being right now. Give me a break. I never said it was anyone else's fault but my own. I never said that I wasn't responsible. I never said that I don't deserve to be punished. Go pick on someone else.

Quoted: I'm shocked and amazed that someone would actually come on here and be as cruel as you are being right now. Give me a break. I never said it was anyone else's fault but my own. I never said that I wasn't responsible. I never said that I don't deserve to be punished. Go pick on someone else.

Don't be!  You should know better.  If you want to run with the big boys you need to be held accountable.

Oh, I know, I should just sit there and be okay with people repeatedly calling me a "fucking moron" and attacking me when I already regret what I did and they know it. I don't want to "run with the big boys." I'm not the typical gun owner and I profoundly disagree with most of the people on this board in a wide range of different issues. If something I did gives everyone the right to abuse me then I'd be interested to know what's in your past.

What I did was stupid and I wish I wouldn't have done it, it's that simple. It was a mistake. What else do you want from me?

Oh yeah, what a braintrust. You and your "unique ideas" and “profound disagreements”..

It's pretty clear that you're an 18 year old irresponsible liberal pissant shitbird from Northburb Chicago who owned an AR15 at one time in his life. You had better get awfully introspective about that liberalism too, as you might have a chance to experience the much vaunted "gay lifestyle" whether you like it or not, depending on what sort of sentence the judge passes on you.

Spare your hair-pulling  and calls for "self respect".
All that sensativity and i'm-OK-you're-OK inflated self-worth bullshit you were mindfucked with by the ultraleft North Illinois Public School system doesn't mean a damn thing here in the real world; and as evidence of it's inherent uselessness, you can look to your pathetic self as an example of what a failure those ideas are. Your decision-making skills are subpar to those of many 5 year olds and if you need a reminder "why", start at page one of this thread and read forward.

You are so fucking stupid that if you lived in the 1800's, folk songs would've be written about you that would be sung around campfires to this day.

"Come and let me sing a tale about a boy and his gun
A shootin' and a tracin' he went near some houses for fun
Off to prison he went, with his glad liberal bent
And when he finally got out, his sphincter was gone"

This is all Illinois needed right now. If your name comes up in the debate (which is very well may) as ammo for the anti-gun side and the AWB winds up passing, you will have a black mark on your soul that you will not be able to "apologize away".

Quoted: Quoted: You are an idiot. You are an 18 year old idiot who went out and did something that was 18 Year Old idiotic. You were discharging a firearm (tracers no less) in a residential area of a deeply anti-gun state without a backstop at 11:00 at night. You need to be smacked upside the head and told for a week straight how fucking stupid you are for doing that... So I’ll say it. You are a stupid fucking moron. You are very lucky that you didn't start a fire, downrange a hole into someone, or get shot by a jittery cop. Take this as a humbling experience and grow from it, but understand that your very name will come up in discussions had by people you've never met as the issue of "assault weapons" is debated in our state. Your 15 minutes of fame very well may be upcoming. Now, with that said, most of us have been there and were stupid fucking morons back when we were 18 just like you are a stupid fucking moron now. I was, so I can understand. Do everything in your power to understand why your actions were so idiotic and then identify elements of your 18 year old personality that caused you to think them to be perfectly OK, then change those parts of your personality to become a better person. Once you do that, you're a step closer to being a man and a step away from being the developmentally delayed, drooling 18 year old bonehead that you are today. You deserve to be told you are stupid here. You deserve every bit of it. This is not the fault of the cops, your mama, society, the multi-national corporations, Bush, Big Oil, Bin Laden or anyone else. It's your fault for being dumb. But I don't think you deserve to be crucified, as you're 18 years old and 18 year old kids are snot bubbling retards. I nominate the above for "post of the year."  Do we have such a thing?  If not, we should.

 

You are a dumb ass if you don't learn one thing from this deal after you get the court deal over with. MOVE YOU BUTT to a STATE that is gun friendly. And learn to use a back stop.

if i was 18 yo i woudl have done the same dumb ass thing, but im older now, So no wayin hell would i be doing something so moronic, and to blame it onthe cops for harrasment is total bullshit drop the lawyer and chalk it up as lesson learned, you fucked up. face the music.  what you did was dumb, period. dont do it again. if you do you deserve some jail time to think about it.

This is all Illinois needed right now. If your name comes up in the debate (which is very well may) as ammo for the anti-gun side and the AWB winds up passing, you will have a black mark on your soul that you will not be able to "apologize away".

There's going to be no "black stain on my soul" over this because God is  forgiving and merciful. If I honestly did learn my lesson and am sorry then I won't need to explain it to him because he is all knowing. He's my judge and as long as I'm on good terms with him then this dunya doesn't matter and it doesn't matter what any of you think. I'll pray that he guides you to the straight path and gives you some control over the anger you obviously have built up inside you.

I am well past 18 with no criminal record. Personally, I do not see exactly what was criminal here. What exactly was reckless? I live in the county. It is not densely populated but there are homes in the area. During hunting season I hear the sound of hunting rifles. I called LE and asked them if it was illegal to discharge a firearm on my property. They said no. I asked if it was illegal to fire into the air. They said no but I needed to have some concern for the bullet coming back down.

I do not see a big difference between hunters discharging in the area vs me in the air. I so not see what the problem is with tracers unless it is during a dry fire hazard time.

Is it just the difference between States? Would things have been different if these were 40 yo hunters doing target practice? Is there a post 9/11 terrorism element here? Are they being charged simply to justify the LE resources used?

I do not think calling this person names is appropriate. Everyone is "guilty" and has broken the law, even if not charged. They did no harm.

The area that I was shooting in used to be a hunting ground up until a few years ago and the cops who arrested me told me that, they weren't too angry about it. Population density and all of that obviously is a factor like you said. You must live pretty far from other houses for them to tell you it's okay to shoot in the air though.

Is it just the difference between States? Would things have been different if these were 40 yo hunters doing target practice? Is there a post 9/11 terrorism element here? Are they being charged simply to justify the LE resources used?

I kind of asked myself that as well. Because of the circumstances it's hard to say what they would have done if we were older. From what I know about the differences between the states (which isn't much) it seems like if I was in Alabama or something then things would have been a little different.

I'm not worried about U_Down_Wit_OPP- it's clear that he has his own personal issues that he needs to deal with and I hope that one day he'll become the wise mature person that he says he is.

Quoted: The area that I was shooting in used to be a hunting ground up until a few years ago and the cops who arrested me told me that, they weren't too angry about it. Population density and all of that obviously is a factor like you said. You must live pretty far from other houses for them to tell you it's okay to shoot in the air though. Is it just the difference between States? Would things have been different if these were 40 yo hunters doing target practice? Is there a post 9/11 terrorism element here? Are they being charged simply to justify the LE resources used? I kind of asked myself that as well. Because of the circumstances it's hard to say what they would have done if we were older. From what I know about the differences between the states (which isn't much) it seems like if I was in Alabama or something then things would have been a little different. I'm not worried about U_Down_Wit_OPP- it's clear that he has his own personal issues that he needs to deal with and I hope that one day he'll become the wise mature person that he says he is.

I am glad no one was hurt.   Its also clear the way you cooperated with them was a factor in them not  charging you with anything more serious.  Be careful in the future is all I ask.