"[A Wisconsin man] found out it's not OK to shoot raccoons and gerbils in
the village after a neighbor called police July 1 to report someone was
discharging a .22 caliber rifle in a back yard... He told police that he and
his neighbors frequently shoot at nuisance animals. Police told him not to
do it any more."

http://www.thenorthwestern.com/artic.../90709116/1987

Now before you raise your eyebrows, gerbils CAN be a nuisance animal if
there are a lot of them.