Anonymous wrote:
Anyone who has seen A Christmas Story should recognize that as the same “Red Rider, 200 shot, range-model” BB gun that Ralphie lusted after for Christmas.
OP: please do not emulate that .gif.
The Red Rider (or any smooth-bore BB gun) is not sufficiently accurate for humane pest elimination in the suburbs. Wounding a game animal (or any animal) is cruel and inhumane.
Instead, I suggest a silencer-equipped pellet rifle with a precision-rifled barrel like the Gamo Whisper rifles:
https://www.gamousa.com/family.aspx?familyID=71
Silencers integrally installed on air rifles are 100% legal and unregulated in all 50 states plus DC, by the way. The Gamo is accurate enough for humane head-shots on small pests out to 30 yards.
However, BB guns and other air guns are not toys, and you need to learn proper hunter safety through an accredited hunter safety class to eliminate any risk to neighbors / other animals. Please approach this seriously and responsibly.
Also, the birds may be protected species, and if they are migratory, they could be protected under federal as well as state law. Penalties for harvesting protected game in violation of law may be quite severe.
Wouldn’t a plastic owl or an indoor/outdoor cat be easier? (Though to be fair, cats kill in far less humane ways; they often keep wounded prey alive for hours merely to torture them for their own amusement. Fact.).