Every citizen is assigned permanent roles as a Hunter and a Victim. An individual thus registered may commit criminal acts against their designated Victim without legal retribution, and of course be subject to the murderous whims of their Hunter. This is indeed a classical scheme (seen in literature); my proposal is to expand it to include an entire country. There would be a great advantage to knowing who exactly it is that you are attempting to defend yourself against, as opposed to the current state of affairs, when "the bullet is addressed to Occupant."-- dsm, Feb 22 2001 After I kill my designated target, do I get another one? Can I take a pass if I get a friend or family member as a target?-- centauri, Feb 22 2001 An angle: Pre-paid crime. Go to prison first, for some specified time, and once you get out you can do the crime you already did the time for. If it was murder, everyone would be treating you really nicely, yes?-- bristolz, Feb 22 2001 bristolz: I first read that idea in a short-story the name and collection of which I cannot now remember. Two fellows whose lives were ruined, volunteer for hard time: terraforming alien planets. After seven years, the are two of the few to return, and society owes them a debt of one capital offense each. Suddenly, their friends and relatives come out of the wood work apologizing for every wrong thing they ever did, some of which the fellows didn't even know about. For some reason they lose their taste for murder and use up their vouchers on some petty crime.-- centauri, Feb 22 2001 with my last name [Hunter], I can't go wrong! Are these things to be randomly assigned...for example, would I draw a victim in Arizona State (or internationally) for whom I bear no ill will? If I choose never to seek them out is there a penalty or do I have to hunt? If randomly assigned and no penalty occurs for not hunting, wouldn't most people choose not to waste the time and energy stalking and killing someone they don't know? Could we assume that only disturbed people would then take advantage of this and that one is completely unlucky if a psycho is assigned to hunt them? RULES! I NEED RULES!!!!!-- Susen, Feb 22 2001 I read a book called "The Ring". Future society--very down on violence. Anyone convicted gets "The Ring". Actually a disk which is inserted into the bone and flesh of a finger; it looks externally like a ring.
It prevents the "wearer" from doing anything anti-social by causing pain--proportional to the degree of anti-social-ness being considered. People with the Ring are so nice that strangers do not hesitate to entrust them with the care of their children.
Plot twist: hero has ring, but must do something really really anti-social to save the world--and the Ring doesn't care...-- boris, Feb 23 2001 Well, I have what I think is a very elegant solution. You take your gun and kill--NOT your assigned victim, but your assigned MURDERER. Everyone will just assume that he's been killed by HIS assigned murderer, and you are off the hook.
Repeat as necessary, or until it becomes tedious and boring. Now the only thing you have to worry about is your assigned victim getting the same idea. . . .-- deacon, May 15 2001 I'm not sure anyone would actually go out and do this. I certainly wouldn't fly halfway across the country to kill some randomly selected victim just for fun.-- JunkBug, Jun 18 2001 random, halfbakery