NYE "Celebratory Gunfire"

ClassicRockr

ClassicRockr

Well-known Member
Along with the fireworks/firecrackers heard on New Year's Eve Night, we also heard gunfire. Yes, a continuing series of "boom" noises isn't firecrackers, it's shotgun fire! A person can't light loud firecrackers that fast.

Read that a lady was at the Tampa Bush Gardens. As the fireworks were going off at midnight, she felt a pain in her one leg. Someone took her to a local ER and their was a bullet in her leg. Law enforcement said, b/c of the Security Scanners at the Main Gate, the gunfire came from outside the Park. She is still in the hospital recovering.

Coming out of Wal Mart on New Years Day, we seen a couple of ladies and a guy looking under the hood of a brand new, and beautiful, black Lexus. Our vehicle was two parking spaces down from then, and as we walked by, I ask "engine problems?". They put the hood down and one lady said "no, this". There was a bullet hole in their hood and it was big..........like, as in a 44 Magnum or 357 Magnum handgun size! Wife and I said "wow!". Luckily, the bullet didn't hurt the engine. The ladies didn't notice the hole until leaving Wal Mart. The one lady did tell us that it happened the night before, when they heard gunfire going off for NYE. Why they didn't notice the hole before going to Wal Mart, we don't know. One thing is for sure, if the bullet would have hit someone in the head, it would have killed them instantly!

Wish people wouldn't do the "celebratory gunfire", but it's going to happen in both highly populated areas and in suburbs. Why people do it, have no idea. They got to know that a bullet fired in the sky has to come down somewhere.

What do you think?
 

This always did freak me out when I lived in CO. It's not a thing in NY though occasionally there's the odd story about some yahoo doing so. They're fortunately the exception not the rule. I wouldn't set foot outside NYE in CO for the fool's that thought firing a gun in the air was a fine tradition!

QuickSilver said:
Oh... come on.... those are just the "responsible" gun owners we hear so much about, having some fun..
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I beg to differ but, no, it is the irresponsible ones. The responsible ones are not shooting guns in the air; they know what goes up must come down.
 
I must say I thought this only happened in places like Afghanistan and Iraq! They go in for celebratory gunfire at weddings and so on, and often kill people by mistake.Never thought this happened in the US.It's moronic.:mad:
 
It happens here, too. Didn't hear any this year, but last year there was a lot of it. And NO, it isn't the responsible gun owners. Around here, it's usually gang bangers -- the kind of people I want to protect myself against, and the kind of people who will always find a way to get a gun, no matter what kind of laws we enact.
 
The car shooting sounds like something else was going on. A projectile with enough force to punch a hole would have damaged the engine. A bullet falling from the sky wouldn't. Did anyone have the bullet, or was it a case of loud bang, hole = gun shot hole. I've had rocks flipped up from tires that have dented my car, and apiece of metal in one instance penetrate the entire metal floor panel.
 
Here in Arizona we had a girl killed a few years ago, passed a law called Shannon's law. Shannon was standing in her yard the bullet hit her in the head, killing her. Discharge of a firearm into the air is not just a crime here, it is a FELONY. Prison if convicted. Some people are idiots.
 
Only know what one of the ladies told us. Now, come to think about what you are saying, there does seem to be more to it than a "celebratory gunfire" bullet. But, like I said, this is what the lady told us that happened. We didn't ask to see the bullet or had time to look under the hood while they had it up.

rt3 said:
The car shooting sounds like something else was going on. A projectile with enough force to punch a hole would have damaged the engine. A bullet falling from the sky wouldn't. Did anyone have the bullet, or was it a case of loud bang, hole = gun shot hole. I've had rocks flipped up from tires that have dented my car, and apiece of metal in one instance penetrate the entire metal floor panel.
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I don't agree with making ammo more expensive, it costs enough already. Whether it's in school, the workplace, or out in society...I'm not in favor of punishing the innocent to deal with a few who are guilty. Crack down on the ones who are doing these irresponsible things, don't just keep adding to the already long list of laws and regulations for all good citizens to follow either. The criminals don't follow the rules, and never will. I've heard of this celebratory shooting on the news, but never knew of any instances personally, I think it's ridiculous.
 
I used to watch leaders on TV in other countries like Sadam Hessein, Muammar Gaddafi fire their automatic weapons in the air and I would think to myself, "Don't these Dummies know what goes up has to come down?" I wonder how many of their followers ended up with bullet holes in them or their homes or camels?
 
Just found some info on falling bullet injuries and deaths (Wikipedia)

Falling-bullet injuries[edit]


Bullets fired into the air usually fall back at terminal velocity, speeds much lower than those at which they leave the barrel of a firearm. Nevertheless, people can be injured, sometimes fatally, when bullets discharged into the air fall back down. Bullets fired other than exactly vertical are more dangerous, as the bullet maintains its angular ballistic trajectory, is far less likely to engage in tumbling motion, and so travels at a speed much higher than its terminal velocity.

A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 80% of celebratory gunfire-related injuries are to the head, feet, and shoulders.[SUP][4][/SUP] In Puerto Rico, about two people die and about 25 more are injured each year from celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve, the CDC says.[SUP][5][/SUP] Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling-bullet injuries. Thirty-eight of them died.[SUP][6]
[/SUP]
Firearms expert Julian Hatcher studied falling bullets in the 1920s and calculated that .30 caliber rounds reach terminal velocities of 90 m/s (300 feet per second).[SUP][7][/SUP] A bullet traveling at only 61 m/s (200 feet per second) to 100 m/s (330 feet per second) can penetrate human skin.[SUP][8][/SUP]
In 2005, the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) ran education campaigns on the dangers of celebratory gunfire in Serbia and Montenegro.[SUP][9][/SUP] In Serbia, the campaign slogan was "every bullet that is fired up, must come down."[SUP][10][/SUP]
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Some examples of the injuries caused by celebratory fire

January 1, 2015: A 43-year old man, Javier Suarez Rivera, was struck in his head and killed while watching fireworks with his family in SE Houston.[SUP][22][/SUP]

July 4, 2013: A 7-year old boy, Brendon Mackey, was struck in the top of his head and killed while walking with his father shortly before 9 p.m. amid a large crowd prior to the fireworks display over the Swift Creek Reservoir.[SUP][23][/SUP]

July 4, 2012: A 34-year woman, Michelle Packard, was struck in the head and killed while watching the fireworks with her family. The police believe the shot could have come from a mile away.[SUP][24][/SUP]

January 1, 2010: A four-year-old boy, Marquel Peters, was struck by a bullet and killed inside his church The Church of God of Prophecy in Decatur, GA. It is presumed the bullet may have penetrated the roof of the church around 12:20AM.[SUP][25][/SUP]

December 28, 2005: A 23-year-old U.S. Army private on leave after basic training fired a 9mm pistol into the air in celebration with friends, according to police, and one of the bullets came through a fifth-floor apartment window in the New York City borough of Queens, striking a 28-year-old mother of two in the eye. Her husband found her lifeless body moments later. The shooter had been drinking the night before and turned himself in to police the next morning when he heard the news. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter and weapons-related crimes,[SUP][26][/SUP][SUP][27][/SUP] and was later found guilty and sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.[SUP][28][/SUP]

June 14, 1999: Arizona, A fourteen year-old girl, Shannon Smith, was struck on the top of her head by a bullet and killed while in the backyard of her home.[SUP][29][/SUP] This incident resulted in Arizona enacting "Shannon's Law" in 2000, that made the discharge of a firearm into the air illegal[SUP][30][/SUP]

December 31, 1994: Amy Silberman, a tourist from Boston, was killed by a falling bullet from celebratory firing while walking on the Riverwalk in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Police Department there has been striving to educate the public on the danger since then, frequently making arrests for firing into the air.[SUP][31][/SUP]
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Sobering examples, yes?
 
Now, a true Redneck doesn't need a gun to hurt himself. I read a police report once that had me laughing. Police were called late at night to a report of "someone screaming". When they got to the house, they found a guy with his head gushing blood. When asked what had happened, he answered that he had been hit in the head by a brick. The cops asked who had done it; he wasn't completely sure. It seemed that several guys had gone out in the dark backyard during a party and decided to see who could throw a brick the highest in the air. You get the picture.... The police report noted that "alcohol appeared to be a factor in the incident." Ya think?
 
SeaBreeze said:
I don't agree with making ammo more expensive, it costs enough already. Whether it's in school, the workplace, or out in society...I'm not in favor of punishing the innocent to deal with a few who are guilty. Crack down on the ones who are doing these irresponsible things, don't just keep adding to the already long list of laws and regulations for all good citizens to follow either. The criminals don't follow the rules, and never will. I've heard of this celebratory shooting on the news, but never knew of any instances personally, I think it's ridiculous.
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No... of course Criminals don't follow laws.... that is why they are called CRIMINALS! So should we just NOT have laws because criminals don't follow them anyway? Come on.... that is a lame argument.. Should we do away with the registration of cars, car insurance, and drivers licences because some people drive without insurance or without a valid license? You are worried about innocent people being punished? What about the thousand of innocent people killed because of irresponsible people having WAY too much access to guns and ammo.. Don't they matter?
 
Dame Warrigal said:
Just found some info on falling bullet injuries and deaths (Wikipedia)



Some examples of the injuries caused by celebratory fire



Sobering examples, yes?
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Good job with the stats!

QuickSilver said:
No... of course Criminals don't follow laws.... that is why they are called CRIMINALS! So should we just NOT have laws because criminals don't follow them anyway? Come on.... that is a lame argument.. Should we do away with the registration of cars, car insurance, and drivers licences because some people drive without insurance or without a valid license? You are worried about innocent people being punished? What about the thousand of innocent people killed because of irresponsible people having WAY too much access to guns and ammo.. Don't they matter?
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I'm all for having guns regulated much the same way as cars but by your argument, then we should make cars illegal because so many people are killed and hurt in car accidents? I didn't think so. Same thing. We don't make every gun owner a criminal because of the irresponsible assholes out there.
 
Blaze Duskdreamer said:
Good job with the stats!



I'm all for having guns regulated much the same way as cars but by your argument, then we should make cars illegal because so many people are killed and hurt in car accidents? I didn't think so. Same thing. We don't make every gun owner a criminal because of the irresponsible assholes out there.
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But you are putting words into my mouth and making ASSumptions. You know what they say about Assuming don't you... I don't want guns Illegal... only well regulated... Like the Constitution dictates... ie... a Well Regulated Militia... There also needs to be a ban on assault weapons and high volume Clips or Magazines.. JUST like you cannot drive an Indy Car down any street in the USA... The average citizen should not have them... What is the purpose of being able to fire 100 rounds in seconds if not to do huge damage? Who needs that kind of fire power? That is asking for trouble... just like some Yahoo driving a race car down Santa Monica Bvd..
 
QuickSilver said:
But you are putting words into my mouth and making ASSumptions. You know what they say about Assuming don't you... I don't want guns Illegal... only well regulated... Like the Constitution dictates... ie... a Well Regulated Militia... There also needs to be a ban on assault weapons and high volume Clips or Magazines.. JUST like you cannot drive an Indy Car down any street in the USA... The average citizen should not have them... What is the purpose of being able to fire 100 rounds in seconds if not to do huge damage? Who needs that kind of fire power? That is asking for trouble... just like some Yahoo driving a race car down Santa Monica Bvd..
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OK, that ASS really was unnecessary and low. You keep resorting to such tactics. Let's discuss things like adults, ok? My point was in reply to your bit about guns killing people. We are in agreement about regulation though I think we might draw the line at different places. But if you can't discuss without letting your emotions get the better of you and stooping so low as to call me an ASS, we have nothing further to discuss. You're old enough to know better.
 
Blaze Duskdreamer said:
OK, that ASS really was unnecessary and low. You keep resorting to such tactics. Let's discuss things like adults, ok? My point was in reply to your bit about guns killing people. We are in agreement about regulation though I think we might draw the line at different places. But if you can't discuss without letting your emotions get the better of you and stooping so low as to call me an ASS, we have nothing further to discuss. You're old enough to know better.
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NO... Assuming makes an ASS out of U and ME... that's an old saying...I'm surprised you are not aware of it.... If you are offended by being reminded of it... I'm sorry... but it's applicable..

I thought everyone was aware of that saying.. lol! Apparently not..

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