During the past few days, newspapers in Alabama, Arizona, and California have printed dire warnings just before their New Year’s celebrations. Their leaders plead with residents not to fire guns into the air in celebration of the upcoming holiday. They describe extreme danger and serious incidents in the past where celebratory gunfire has caused property damage, serious injury, and even death. Is this really a problem? Yes, apparently potential danger does exist, especially in states like Alabama and Arizona and in countries like Iraq.
The ATF warns, "bullets [fired into the air] can return to the ground at a rate of 300 to 700 feet per second, which is more than enough force to severely injure or kill a person. Studies have shown that 100 feet per second can penetrate skin and 200 feet per second can penetrate bone."
Arizona even passed a special law, called "Shannon's Law," in 2000 making it a felony to fire a gun into the air. The law was named after fourteen-year-old, Shannon Smith, who was killed by a stray bullet in 1999 while talking on the phone in her back yard.
Quite a few news reports from the Middle East describe serious incidents involving celebratory gunfire gone awry. According to reports, hundreds died throughout the County of Kuwait as a result of celebratory gunfire at the end of the first Gulf War. A Baghdad newspaper reported that thirty-one people died and seventy-six were reported injured throughout the city when the deaths of Saddam Hussein’s sons, Uday and Qusay, were announced. The Iraqis don’t seem to learn any lessons from these deaths. Further deaths have been reported due to election victories, wins in soccer games, and the capture of Saddam Hussein. There are no reports yet whether Saddam Hussein’s execution resulted in any deaths from celebratory gunfire, but the news reports do mention lots of shots fired in the celebrations.
By the way, the U.S. outlawed celebratory gunfire in Iraq when it took control of the government, but the problem persists. Here’s an article about a U.S. soldier hit by celebratory gunfire. Firing a gun into the air indiscriminately is almost certainly illegal in just about every city and state within our country. But, it seems that education, that getting the word out, is the real answer to this threat. Thank-you for reading, and be safe.
Links:
http://www.atf.gov/press/fy04press/field/123103sf_celegunfire.htm
http://www.anysoldier.com/brian/iraq/91.html
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1229phxgunfire1229.html
http://www.californian.com/articles/2006/12/29/news/state/8_04_3112_28_06.txt
http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1167473777252660.xml&coll=3
