Maedhros was walking through the streets of Chicago, when he heard a gunshot. Not unusual, but still sudden and loud enough to surprise him and make him stop mumbling to himself. He looks around, shrugs and is about to continue walking when she hears a woman loudly talking to her victim. He didn't quite understand the stuff she was saying to him, but whatever. He thought it was weird she was yelling though, surely a whisper would do? 

''I pose a simple question: Is it acceptable for someone to show their homicidal activities so openly? Sure, some people might notice it regardless, but now you're just making sure that people know you're working on your gun. Should leaders restrict this kind of behavior?'' He closes his eyes for a moment, then continues. ''Sorry to be so short, but I think I've said all that there is to be said.''

Maedhros bows and smiles, hoping someone will offer their thoughts on the matter and doesn't mind the bad pun.

It is not acceptable, by any standard. If a hitter can't be discrete with information about their own activities - and let me emphasise that talking about your hits in public is the kind of thing that'll get you young turks locked up - how can you trust them with your family's? Bragging is a conceit unbecoming and incompatible with the duties of a hitman, and a quality that forces me to seriously consider whether that person is appropriate for the position or the responsibility. In fact, I don't understand how, as a hitter, you can position yourself as anything other than selfless and excessive pride does not speak to that characteristic. 

Tetley listens to Maedhros silently nodding his head as he talks.

Whilst I agree that for the majority this is a very bad practice and just shows some people are out for nothing but notoriety for their gun strength and not the protection of their family. I myself have been guilty of this but only when setting an example.

However I don't believe it would be wise to restrict this behaviour as I'm sure City Hall would have something to say about it and I doubt it will be pleasant. Though what might be a good idea is to discourage it, if people seek the limelight then don't invite them into the hit squad and don't give them access to a list of targets.

I'm intrigued, what kind of example?

On topic though, I agree that outright banning of the practice could get backlash (from City Hall), but yes, I'd say that actively discouraging it is the least we should do. I do believe it is within the right of a leader to punish (albeit not in extreme forms) his members for it, as in taking his gun for example. I don't know if this is allowed by City Hall though. And your suggested counter-measures would prove effective, I think.

Listening to the words of people speaking he decides to lend his own words to the thought.

While I somewhat agree to hitters should not be public about their intentions, I myself have been guilty in a way but not publicly announcing I'm building a gun by commenting a victim.  Simply put by looking at someone BGed up can sum up whether or not they are a hitter, and PPing them does the trick to.  Does this also count making a statement when killing the Rouge?  I think to discipline someone for an announcement like that or removing them from the IA list isn't going to due much, if you're a seasoned player you're still going to get kills.

While I have never wasted time telling my victim what's up, there's still plenty of ways to know who's a hitter and who isn't.  That is why certain people are targeted in wars to began with is it not? I am sure GF's/CL's watch EVERY new fast rising person and figures out if he or she is a hitter or not.  So I just feel it is pointless to try and restrict it to start with, unless they go around in Global talking about it of course.

With that he tips his hat and takes his leave

It isn't so much about knowing who is a hitter, although that plays a part. Yes, there are a plethora of other ways to find out if someone is a hitter or not, but the point is  that it isn't professional to display your gun building activities like that, in the open. It doesn't follow omerta. Removing them from the list will perhaps not prevent them from getting their kills, but it will make it harder.

I have made a public statement when killing certain people, for instance I once publicly executed someone for their disrespect in the streets. Other times I have killed other people's contracted targets and did so in a loud manner in hopes they would see.

Yes there are those that you can tell just by looking at them they are hardened killers but not all & it's usually the people who are less seasoned and unknown that are being brash about it.

Brie sits back and listens to the topic at hand and decides to add her two cents in on the matter.

"I for one have never truly understood why people would actively go out there and confess to the murders they have done. I mean yes it may sound cool to stand there while in the midst of shooting someone saying something badass like they do in the movies. Still though makes no sense to me. It basically puts you out there, waving the gun you have and just used kind of like a look at me sign."

In the case of you though Tetley, I completely understand why you would at times go out in the streets and call people out. It is basically mandatory for you at times, making certain examples out of people it has to be done at times. Those people though that randomly walk up to a gangster pull the trigger and stand over their body hooting and hollering... yeah makes no sense...

TLWolf listens to what Maedhros have said, he can quitely understand where she is coming from, It is indeed important for crew leaders to instruct their gangsters not to talk openly about their guns, it is not nice to share such information, but then he decides to talk it out loudly to Maedhros and says: 

Dear Maedhros, it is an interesting topic you are discussing here, but isn't it normal that everyone here is working their guns up, i guess it is nice to talk about killing and building guns but only if no specific details are shared, like who you killed or who you failed to kill because then others would be able to estimate your real power which could be really threatening in cases of war. Otherwise and if this fact is considered, it could be ok to talk about working your gun out loudly.

TLWolf then walks away thinking there could be nothing more to be said.

Madara listens to the people talking louder than the hitter who inspired the discussion in the first place.

Have none of you ever read romen & juliet? Not all bloody murder is acted out as a means of exercising your skill with weapons. Sometimes people just get angry, stray bullets fly and kill loved ones and people get angry and scream in rage whilst stabbing people to death in plain view of the life that surrounds them.

If not, in this thing of ours, how are we supposed to know we shouldn't steal liquor from joe blogg's family if when we do, they never set an example as to why it's a bad idea to take what is theres?

Madara doesn't flick a cigarette, as smoking is bad and not something to show yourself doing in public view. He skips off to find a cigarette shipment to jack.

What's the point of killing a contract or someone who hasn't been seen for seven days if it's not for exercising and improving your skill with the gun? 

I think you're missing the point here.

One of Madara's lil faceless goons informs him someone replied to a statement he issued earlier in the week and didn't bother to send the reply via the postal service. So he puts on his usual get up and heads out to the open forum of the streets like a greek philosopher to respond openly.

My goon informs me

 

"What's the point of killing a contract or someone who hasn't been seen for seven days if it's not for exercising and improving your skill with the gun? 

I think you're missing the point here."

is what was said in response to my last statement.

Not missed the point. To be honest, I think it's just wishful thinking to presume that because you aren't yelling out loud at your victim that you've gotten away with murder. There are eyes everywhere, n where there aren't eyes, there are all sorts of other evidence that link people to murders they commit.

To the original question of "Should leaders restrict this kind of behavior" Well. That's entirely up to the leaders, as to whether or not they wish to believe that keeping their underlings quiet whilst out murdering is in any way going to minimize other families from presuming that each soldier or member of the other families comes eqipped with a gun. I for one, believe this is delusional thinking, and shows a lack of awareness to how the criminal world works. Everyone has a gun tooked away in their sock draw, under their pillow... down their pants/sock/pants and sock... if it's a long barrelled gun..

Madara grins under his mask

I can't recall many, or even reading of many take downs or wars that were fought. where the information of not yelling about gun usage saved someone who had a well trained dangerous gun. I'm not saying it hasn't or never will happen, however people will usually have gained rank by the time they have a gun worthy of recognition and that alone will make them suspect when it comes to considering their activity in the murder game many of us play behind closed doors.

Curtis listens to the discussion before stepping forward. Shaking Maedhros hand, he speaks.

"Thanks for bringing this subject up for discussion. Its a valid question but one that I think is defined by two generations. In days long old and gone, killing was a secret, shady business that not everyone was involved in. There were no Durden invasions and none of the other myriad of spoon fed shots we see people lapping up these days. The only shots people could take were fiercely contested and so people were far more guarded about their weapon's capability. It was a strict taboo to even mention it in public. These days we live in a very different world. You would be hard pressed to find people that don't indulge in gun related activities on an almost daily basis.

I'm not suggesting one era was better than the other, just that they are different. In the old days mentioning killing someone would flag a person as one to watch, a consideration in war, a threat etc. These days it signifies little more than you being awake. Because of this, those who's lines have joined our world in recent years will naturally have less concern about mentioning gun play in public areas. That doesn't make them bad or stupid, it just means that we live in a different world now and they may be utterly disconnected from the old one."

He took a moment to reflect on the matter before finishing.

"Personally I still discourage mentioning gun play in public. I still find it unethical to shout about killing from the street corners and if nothing else, see it as unedifying and lacking class or refinement. That said, I have to say I agree with Tetley and have found it necessary on rare occasion to execute someone quite openly in order to hammer home a point to the community as a whole. But as I say, that has been very rare occasion."

Maedhros turns towards Madara and listens, then explains his point.

''Madara, just because the possibility exists that someone might know of the murder if you don't yell about it everywhere, doesn't mean you should. Sure, someone might see you regardless, but why increase that chance and make more people hear about it?''

Maedhros then spots Curtis and smiles. He gladly shakes his hand and listens to what the has to say.

''You bring up an interesting in good point. It's true that almost everyone is in the business of working on their marksmanship skills now, even if it's not as much as some. It's only natural that these people, who are sometimes inexperienced, are prone to talking about their usage of the gun with more openness than a veteran.''

''I'm sure that if adequate information and mentoring is supplied by our leaders, less people will be inclined to talk about their gun in public. And public executions are necessary sometimes, sadly.''

Maedhros thanked Curtis for sharing his thoughts and bowed.

Tony waits for Maedhros to finish then makes a step forward to give his opinion on the topic at hand.

"Firstly, thank you Maedhros for bringing up this topic. I think there are different ways at looking at this, much of my opinion has been echoed already in this conversation but I will still state my opinion nonetheless.

I think that a person's gun and notches under said gun should be something that's kept very near and dear to them and their superiors. Going around in coffee shops, or the streets and shouting to the heavens how strong they are isn't the best course of action, again in my opinion. I fully understand that in this day and age pretty much everyone is in constant training of their guns and that there are always chances of witnesses around for these moments. Point noted. However, with all that being said coming outright and saying it I feel may paint a unneccesary target on ones back.

The only true way anyone can 10000% for sure know you are actively training your gun is if the person themself admits it, any other piece of information is circumstantial and although it may be obvious it's not 100% certain that you are actively training. For example a witness might come across a wack taking place, however that doesn't mean the person is 100% actively training their gun, it could be a one-off thing, or maybe they were trying to make their bones? Possibly a favor for a boss? Could be a multitude of things, albeit chances are they are in training no one can 100% know unless that person utters the words themself.

So that's one side of things, the other side of things is basically what Godfather Tetley and Godfather Curtis mentioned above. Sometimes people need to be made examples of or a point must be made. In these instances then yes one might out to the public of their doings to...again...get the point across.

I think the above also plays a huge part in the rank of said person, for example a Godfather or Crew Leader doing this is quite different then a simple Goomba or something doing this. Godfather's and CLs are expected to sometimes take these types of routes to show the masses something where as it's not really the norm for a mere Goomba to be making examples of this caliber so publicly."

With that Tony tips his fedora to the masses and takes a step back as he continues to listen to everyones thoughts and opinions on this gun matter.

Misti comes across the conversation long after it began, but takes interest nonetheless.  His family being somewhat new to these shores, it's interesting to hear differing opinions and facts about how the times have changed over the years.

"The best hit to give is the one they don't see coming.   The best soldier is the man of definitive action and discreet communication.  Talking to this end serves no purpose other than to stroke your own ego. "

Karmen was walking around aimlessly when she heard what appeared to be the ending of a conversation. She overheard some of it, talking about guns and how guns should not be discussed in public, etc. She thought for a little while before she joined in, giving her opinion. 

"I believe that guns should never be discussed in any public place, like chatting rooms, or The Streets, or anything. You are just seeking attention if you feel like announcing that you have killed someone. Now, whispering something quick to the victim, in my opinion, is a sign of respect. But blatantly yelling aloud that you hit the intended target is completely disrespectful and unnecessary, as I'm sure people have mentioned already in this discussion. There are already enough witnesses to the crime without yelling about it. There is a code in this world of ours and I believe it should be stuck to. Keep private things private."

Karmen nodded to signal that she was done talking, and then waited to see if anyone else would add anything to the discussion.