Why do people shoot traffic signs?

Driving around in the rural US, I often come across traffic signs that have been peppered with bullets. What’s the point? Seems to me shooting a bunch of cans would be more fun and responsible. Is the behavior specific to a certain group? How long has this been going on for?

The metal signs make a rather loud PING when you hit them, so that’s probably part of it.

They’re also nicely target shaped and have target objects (letters and pictures) on them.

Other than that, I’d suppose people shoot them for the same reason that they throw rocks at windows and smash mailboxes. Same group of people are responsible too.

Dude. They don’t move very fast and they are always in season. Why wouldn’t we shoot them?

Dang.

Damn Yankees always coming down here and challenging our Suthren Ways.

To the mind of the individuals who do this sort of thing, these two concepts are diametrically opposed.

Besides, them bastards have nasty tempers when they get out of control. Got to make an example of one every now and then to keep the herd in line.

Because they’re there.

Also, they’re easy to see from a car (pick-up?) travelling at a great rate of knots. At night time. After some brewskis.

Ain’t that right, Johnny Ray?

It’s done for the same reason that bridges and street signs get grafittied (sp?). It’s the thrill of vandalism, plus I would think that the auditory feedback and the challenge of hitting one dead center would make it much more fun than just spray-painting something. Also, traffic signs – especially stop signs – are a symbol of authority. Shooting them is part of the age-old ritual of “stickin’ it to The Man”

When you find them injured by the side of the road, the only humane thing to do is put them out of their misery.

As they used to say around my neck of the woods…

“It needed ah’ shootin’”

When someone can answer the question of the OP, they will be able to tell me why the bastards keep whacking my mailbox. I’m at three mailboxes in 8 years. Does whacking a mailbox substitute having a tiny penis? :mad:

One way I’ve seen this addressed is to get a large mailbox and a small mailbox. Take the door off the small one, suspend it (the door-less small mailbox) inside the large one, and fill the gap with concrete. Then mount the reinforced box to a section of telephone pole. Vandals can still take out the flag and door if they really want to, but that’s not as much fun as bashing in the whole thing.

If the bastards are whacking in your mailbox then apparently they’re little all over. I can’t fit my penis and a wrist in my mailbox no matter how much lubricant I use.

Dang.
Why do you assume it’s only a Southern sport? Try driving around northern Wisconsin some time… Us Yankees enjoy a not-so-occasional plink at a road sign just as much as you Southerners.
(Or maybe it was just some fellas from Georgia on a hunting excursion, i dunno.;))

On that topic, is it (still) a felony and federal offense to destroy a mailbox? Or is this a UL?

Well when you’re driving around drunk, road hunting, with a shotgun locked and loaded, you get bored when you haven’t seen an endangered species to shoot at, so have to shoot at something.

…and, there’s no body to get rid of!

I’m gonna go along with the “shooting at authority” theory also.

And alcohol probably helps.

In rural America (One seldom sees urban traffic signs peppered thus), traffic signs represent authority and restriction, and guns represent freedom and resistance to authority/restriction. Especially after a few beers.

Shooting the deer on the “Deer Crossing” sign 50 times = Killing one Real Deer.

For the OP:
Because they’ve already tossed all the beer bottles out and shot at them.

DWC: I concur with the cement. Other than sitting outside with a scattergun to return fire your only other option is steel and cement. Go to an old junkyard/scrapyard and get a 6-8’ piece of structural I-beam. Mount it raw or case it in cement to below the frostline in your area. Mount your mailbox on the side of the post opposite the direction of traffic (Your box will be on the side, not the top of the post). Next time they swing at it they’ll hit hte post first and never get a chance to hit the box. If you’re real lucky they’ll be speeding as they do this and once you hear the snap of an arm you can go outside and lo, it appears someone gave you a free baseball bat. Vandalisim and messing with my property really pisses me off.