Yes they do sound like guns to me as well! Same thing with balloons popping, and even corks flying off champagne bottles. The worst for me though is when someone's car backfires (I think it's a bad muffler??). The first time that happened I was crossing the street at a busy intersection, and I almost fainted!! Now I usually wear headphones if I have to walk in heavy traffic. Construction can also get to me... lately they were digging up the sewer pipes on my block, digging really deep into the ground, so that the ground kind of shook and the noise was pretty intense. Maybe I should move to the country!!