Yeah, you can just start shooting your gun at the sky and you'll start racking up stars. I didn't like it at first, but honestly, that's how it would be in real life. Given how much more realistic they made this game (in many aspects, obviously it's way over-the-top in others) it makes sense. And seeing as all you'll be doing is missions (which clear stars when you start them) or causing mayhem (which you want stars for) I quickly realized it's not too big a deal. Sure, it's annoying sometimes, but I don't really mind it any more.