Yours is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS advice, advice that has a high probability of seeing your advisees prosecuted and jailed.

You may only shoot in circuмstances in which a "reasonable man" fears for their own or another innocent's life. In such circuмstance you may only shoot to end the threat and only shoot until the threat ends. Some states require that you retreat and have nowhere left to retreat before you may shoot. Other states have "Castle doctrine" or "stand your ground" laws, but nowhere are "warning shots" allowed. It should not be necessary to add, once the threat is over, you may not continue to shoot. There are, of course, nuances that vary from state to state.

I suggest that you (and others here) consult with the USCCA (US Concealed Carry Association) https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/ for solid legal advice.

You know, you might be right.


On the one hand, unless there are local ordinances to the contrary, a person can discharge a firearm on their property at will.   In rural areas, people "plink" and shoot into backstops and dirt piles every day of the world.


But on the other hand, hiding behind a barrier and firing shots into the ground (you DO NOT fire shots up in the air!) could be interpreted by the courts as "brandishing".  I cannot say.  This might depend upon the jurisdiction.


I echo your advice for readers to contact the USCCA.  I have a state-issued CWP and I encourage all freedom-loving people to do the same.  I used to encourage the women at my place of work to go for their CWP --- our area is dangerous and it would be a rare weekend night when someone does not get shot (usually in places they shouldn't be in, doing things they shouldn't be doing, and among certain demographics).


Incidentally, California --- California! --- allowed legal open carry until the Black Panthers, exercising their Constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, conducted a parade or march of sorts with rifles on open display, threatening or endangering absolutely no soul upon this earth.  Governor Reagan et al freaked out and made this illegal.


https://www.history.com/news/black-panthers-gun-control-nra-support-mulford-act

I see what you mean about firing shots.  Not good advice.  I retract this.


However, what about having a recording device that has a very realistic, high-fidelity audio file of shots being fired?


Nobody has brandished a weapon or assaulted anyone.  All that has happened is that a homeowner played an MP3 file.  Simple as that.

With the way police are today, if you played such an audio file, you’d be charged with terroristic threatening, causing a riot, disturbing the peace, etc, etc.  Not a smart move. 

So every Halloween, my children hand a big sign on our front storm door saying:

“As traditional Roman Catholics, we do not celebrate Halloween.  However, tomorrow is the Feast of All Saints, and if you would like to come back then dressed as a saint, we would be happy to give you some candy.”

This is your first mistake, announcing to the world your trad-cat worldview and anti-halloween agenda. Not that you should ever deny Christ or the True Faith, but I see no reason to go to them extremes, just simply keep the lights off and don't answer the door if a few costumed kids come to your door begging for candy. Maybe, if you feel that zealous about this pseudo-pagan festivity and feel the need to proclaim your Catholicism you could have taken the opportunity to  drop some rosaries or prayer cards or saints cards or some Catholic literature explaining what the real "All Hallow's Eve" is about.

Either way, if you did all things in charity and not some kind of perceived  aggressive, attention getting manner maybe the queers or prankster kids would've have left well enough alone. I think you almost dared this kind of element with your message and signage. IMO.

Well, even though we had our front lights off, some water heads can’t figure it out, and make it to the door.

They probably couldn't resist the intrigue of your sign. you know how some rebellious kids are, they want to do just the opposite of what  people are  asking for. they get a charge out of that. If you simply had no sign or message , they probably would've just passed by like the angel of death. BTW, just what is a "waterhead"?

Apparently, at least one of them was a fag, and between the sign, the statue in the front yard of the BVM flanked by statues of angels, the 10 passenger van, etc., we represented everything the fag (or fαɢs) hated.

I don't think fαɢs hate the BVM so much as an overzealous religious nut in their eyes. It was your anti-halloween sign and message, not the statue or the van that got these little pansies panties in a twist.

So they decided to come back last night at some point, and planted about 10 small rainbow fag flags in my front yard.

Lol! I'm sorry, but that is funny. But, again. without the attracting sign, the little queers probably would've just went on their little merry way. Like someone mentioned, it was probably some punk kids pulling a "trick" on you since you didn't give them a "treat". 

We were eating breakfast, and my seven year-Old said, “Dad, who out all the rainbow flags in the yard?”

First of all, do seven yr olds know really call them "rainbow" flags on first sight? I don't know, I haven't had kids that age in a long time. I'd probably teach them it's the fag-flag, ignore it. And another thing, most men of the house are up way earlier than breakfast and outside the front of the house and would've plucked those little ff's and had them in the dumpster way  before junior would've noticed anything. In least in my house.

To plagiarize a bad movie: “I wish I could have caught them doing it.  I’d have given anything to catch them doing it.  It would have been worth them doing it, just so I could have caught them doing it.”

Eh, you would've probably been arrested in front of your family for "gαy-bashing", maybe God was doing you a favor by NOT letting you catch them. At any rate, instead of fighting or worse, using a weapon, get yourself a can of bear spray if you have to disperse little fag-flag planting queers on your front lawn.

My 9 year-old who wrote the sign is very excited that he is getting persecuted for standing up for God and Church, and we are quite proud of him too.

I don't know if planting a anti-halloween sign and an All Saint's Day invite is quite "standing-up" for God and the True Faith, but, having a 9yr old taking the heat for his father's worldview might be a little much in most people's opinion.

Well, at least mine.

Anyway, Sean, I understand  you standing up for your beliefs, but be careful what unnecessary grief  you put you and your family through that's really not worth it in the end. If you're concerned about the world and it's ills, think of the lives of the saints and martyrs, I don't believe they ever went out of their way goading the nonbelievers into confrontation. Most were quiet examples of their Faith but were uncompromising when the vanity of the the world and man was forced upon them.