It’s a very peculiar phenomenon: Most people imitate gunshots when talking about a shooting instead of just saying, “I heard gunshots.”

It’s really beginning to bug the fudge out of me, that people – both men and women – are compelled to go “Pop Pop Pop” or “Pow Pow Pow” when describing a shooting to the media.

They may also go “Bang Bang Bang.” Yes, I heard an adult do this when describing the shots he heard from Robert Singletary’s gun, directed at a couple and their child in North Carolina.

The imitation of gun sounds happens all the time. I’m not blowing this out of proportion.

I watch Fox News, CNN and local news, so I witness this dopey phenomenon quite frequently.

I’ve also seen it on news clips that are shown on true crime shows.

When there’s been a shooting, and I see that a witness is being asked to share their observation, I’ll think, “Bet you anything she’s going to go Pop Pop Pop Pop Pop instead of just saying, “I heard five shots ring out.”

And sure enough, eight out of 10 times, the witness proves my prediction correct.

Why do people think they’re stellar at mimicking the sound of gunshots?

When they talk about hearing a dog bark, they never actually go Woof Woof Woof.

Instead they say, “I heard a lot of barking from the neighbor’s dog.”

They never imitate the sound of screeching tires. Instead they say, “I heard tires screeching.”

They never imitate the sound of a woman screaming. Instead they say, “I heard screaming across the street.”

So why, then, are they driven to try to make human vocals sound like gunfire?

Do they not realize how ridiculous this comes across, especially “Pow” and “Bang,” being that guns sound a lot more like “Pop”?

STOP IT ALREADY! Just say how many shots you heard instead of going Pop Pop seven times.

I wonder if my autism is why this really bugs me to no end. On the other hand, it’s difficult to believe that there aren’t non-autistic or neurotypical people who feel the same way.

If I heard shots, and there was a camera on me, and a reporter put a microphone to my face, I’d simply state, “I heard gunshots at around 2:00 am; they woke me up,” instead of the juvenile approach of, “I was wakened at 2:00 am by Pop Pop Pop Pop.”

Good riddance already. This imitation in no way makes it clearer to viewers watching the show or to police officers or detectives.

It’s just SO SILLY. Just stop it.

Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer. 

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