12:00 AM

[lamarw]

Not so much here in Alabama, the red necks can't see the highway deer crossing signs in the dark.

That is unless they are spot-lighting road signs.

 

[foolzrushn]

I always thought that you were supposed to save some fireworks from the 4th. I think the sky shells??? ( shoot up and one big boom) are popular around here. But some maybe shotguns too.

 

[Gunplummer]

Oh boy! Another "We were so poor" story. When you run out of ammunition, come on up to the coal belt and we will show you how to snare deer and "Fish" for turkeys. We ate half the stuff we caught on our traplines after the hide was off. We were not that hard on them, but some people ate groundhog so often that it is amazing they are not extinct in this area.

 

[osbornk]

Oh boy! Another "We were so poor" story. When you run out of ammunition, come on up to the coal belt and we will show you how to snare deer and "Fish" for turkeys. We ate half the stuff we caught on our traplines after the hide was off. We were not that hard on them, but some people ate groundhog so often that it is amazing they are not extinct in this area.

I grew up about 40 miles from the WV coal mines. To snare deer or "fish" for turkeys, the terrain has to be less rugged and steep. We didn't hunt in many areas because if we killed a deer, we not have gotten it out. Outsiders don't understand unless they see it themselves.

 

[JohnKSa]

I once found a .45 slug in a roof I was replacing un New Jersey, hardly broke though the second layer of comp shingles so its not much of a worry but I would still discourage anyone from doing it with anything besides birdshot.

It seems likely that pistol bullets, if fired exactly straight upwards, will tumble on the return trip and come down with a relatively low velocity--they are unlikely to cause serious injury. If fired on a steep trajectory, rather than fired exactly straight upward, they could come down with considerably more velocity and could be dangerous.

Rifle bullets fired straight up will either tumble on the return trip and be unlikely to cause serious injury or could remain spin-stabilized in which case they could cause a serious injury or could be lethal. If they are fired on a steep trajectory, as opposed to straight up, they almost certainly have lethal potential when they come down.

 

[jmr40]

A shotgun fired into the air in a rural area is no more dangerous than a shotgun fired into the air dove or duck hunting. Not something I've ever done, but I have no problem with it. A rifle or handgun would be a bit different.

I used to stay up on New Years eve and discharge fireworks. Now I just go to bed at the regular time. New Years day is just another day as far as I'm concerned. By Jan.1 I'm so sick of the holidays I can't wait for things to get back to normal. I just start a day earlier than most.

 

[JohnKSa]

A shotgun with birdshot fired into the air should not pose a threat from falling projectiles unless someone happens to be staring up into the air when the pellets fall on them.

Obviously a shotgun with slugs would pose a serious danger if fired into the air.

 

[osbornk]

I think my windshield was broken a few years ago by a falling bullet. I was on a straight interstate in a rural area with no houses or anything else nearby. There was no traffic of any kind in sight in any direction. Something suddenly hit and broke the windshield on my old Park Avenue. I could find no other explanation for something to hit my windshield hard enough to break it. It was similar in velocity to a rock thrown from a truck tire.

 

[TJB101]

Neighbor down the street shot off 5 or 6 rounds just shy of midnight. They weren't M80's going off. No one called the cops. Someone was shooting off fire works at the same time so I guess no one took notice. Philly burbs

 

[Gunplummer]

Interesting. I kind of get the idea from this thread and others that the majority of people on this forum live in towns and cities.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Not a popular past-time anywhere that I have lived, except for Holley, Florida.
But... They have some pretty deep KKK heritage, and a 'retired' "Imperial Wizard" of the KKK living in town.

Here in the civilized world, we celebrate the New Year by going to sleep (if not already there).


(Not a joke, a poke a members that think firing into the air is a good idea, or any kind of insult toward anyone. Just the truth.)

 

[DMK]

Interesting. I kind of get the idea from this thread and others that the majority of people on this forum live in towns and cities.

It's very common around here in rural Appalachian NC. I do not partake in that particular tradition. Living up on the side of a mountain, I get a little apprehensive when I hear it.

With alcohol traditionally involved in New Years celebration, it's not hard to imagine someone shooting buckshot, slug, handgun or rifle at a relatively low angle accidentally.

Fireworks would be somewhat safer, at least for the rest of the community neighbors, if not the one lighting them.

 

[burrhead]

I kind of get the idea from this thread and others that the majority of people on this forum live in towns and cities.

I live 90 miles from the grocery store and 160 from one of those little rural Walmarts. 250 from a small city that has the hospital. I shoot coyotes from my front porch; this ain't "town". I stand by my statement that people shooting at midnight to just make noise are immature, stupid Bubbas.

 

[Evan Thomas]

...people shooting at midnight to just make noise are immature, stupid Bubbas.

Burrhead, in the normal course of events, I'd admonish you for name-calling, but just this once I think I might have to let it slide.

 

[Mainah]

^^^ Consider the percentage of people awake at midnight who might be sober, how many of them would decide to go shooting in the dark for no reason?

 

[Glenn Dee]

New years celibration

Firing guns into the air is dangerous. The more populated the area, the more dangerous it is. It seems that every year there's a story somewhere about someone being killed or seriously injured by a falling bullet.

This was a very popular way to celibrate in NYC. So much so that while on patrol at midnight December 31 2355 hrs we'd park our radio cars under an overpass until about 0015 hrs January 1... The next morning there would always be reports of cars with damage from falling bullets.

As a responsible firearms owner a person should keep in mind that they could be charged with a crime if a round fired in the air cause damage or injury or death.

 

[dajowi]

Relatives live outside of Tucson and every year on New Years and the Fourth of July people fire their guns in the air. Sometimes those bullets come down on other peoples property.

Celebratory gunfire is prohibited in Arizona under Shannon's Law.

Shannon Smith a 14 year old from Phoenix had been an award-winning athlete and honor student, and had graduated from the eighth grade a few weeks prior to her death. While she stood in her backyard talking on the telephone with a friend, a stray bullet hit her in her head, causing instant death in June 1999.

We have some gunfire where I live, and what seems like a whole lot of tannerite "fun."

 

[Gunplummer]

I get the impression that most of the posters here have never even fired a gun, or are illiterate. At what point did "Shotgun" become "Rifle"? At what point did alcohol become involved? I can only ASSUME that is how YOU do things. No wonder half of you live out in the desert, or want to find the latest "Home protection". You must be the gems of the neighborhood. A harmless tradition that has been around here before some of your states were in the Union. Get out side more.

 

[laytonj1]

The Four Basic Rules of Gun Safety:

Treat all guns as being loaded.
Never point the gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.
Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target (and you have made the decision to shoot).
Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.

Tradition or not, I'm pretty sure pointing any gun up at the night sky and firing it breaks at least two of the rules.

Jim

 

[JohnKSa]

Shooting into the air with a shotgun loaded with birdshot is pretty safe. But larger shot or slugs would, of course be dangerous. Unfortunately, based on the reports on just this thread alone, many people don't understand the difference and shoot into the air with more than just birdshot.

Shooting bullets/slugs into the air is potentially lethal. It may be a longstanding tradition, but that doesn't change the fact that it can and does result in serious injuries and fatalities.