Being from the UK, do you really have confidence that you can tell the difference between a gun and a backfiring engine? I own and target shoot guns, and I still would not be 100% confident that I could tell the difference if I heard a loud bang.
Might be true for DC- probably as much or more a special case than Florida, though :)
Somewhat common in (or near) poorer communities, due to bad maintenance. Of course, that is only one thing that can make a loud bang that sounds somewhat similar to a gun going off.
Might be true for DC- probably as much or more a special case than Florida, though :)