I fully recognize that every year, someone dies a senseless death from a bullet falling back to the ground.
That said, every time I hear a warning about firing guns into the air, I think first of ¡Three Amigos! and Chevy Chase’s character, Dusty Bottoms, accidentally shooting the Invisible Swordsman in an attempt to fire into the air.
But anyway, the Associated Press has the unfortunately necessary annual warning:
Police around the country have urged residents against the dangerous practice of shooting off guns to celebrate the New Year and warned of criminal charges against those who do….The issue especially resonates in Kansas City, where an 11-year-old girl died after being struck by a stray bullet on July 4, 2011.Police in Florida also want an end to celebratory gunfire, which Freddy Ramirez, Miami-Dade Police Department Assistant Director, calls “irresponsible.”“We’re trying to educate our children for a safer world, and as adults we’re cranking rounds up in the air — unacceptable,” Ramirez said at a Thursday news conference .The girl killed in Kansas City is far from the only victim of such celebrations. In 2015, a man watching New Year’s fireworks from his driveway in southeastern Houston was killed by a stray bullet from celebratory gunfire nearby. Later that year, a 16-year-old girl was struck and killed by a stray bullet as she sat on a couch inside her home in College Park, southwest of Atlanta, on July 4.
In all seriousness, hold your fire until you get to the range or ranch. Practice gun safety. Be smart. It could save a life. And have a Happy New Year!
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