Slice: Back Fire? Or Gun Shot?

The loud bang outside late yesterday afternoon might have been a car backfiring. Or maybe a transformer blowing. Then it happened again. And again. By the time I went out to have a look-see, all sorts of neighbors were already outside looking for an answer. Turned out it had, in fact, been a pickup backfiring. The truck was pulled over down the road, with its hood up.  One neighbor said it had sounded like gun shots. Another agreed. Good to know I live on a street where people will go out and investigate when the shooting starts/ Paul Turner , The Slice. More here.

Question: Can you tell the difference between a gun shot and a car backfiring?