Celebratory Gunfire

[BarryLee]

On News Year’s Eve 2010 four year old Marquel Peters was attending church with his family. A bullet from celebratory gunfire came through the roof and killed the young boy.

Atlanta Police are seeking a federal grant to fund a system which they believe will allow them to triangulate the location of gun shots and reduce celebratory gunfire.

I hope if you choose to celebrate the holiday by enjoying the shooting sports you do it safely. Always be sure of your backstop, don’t shoot up into the air and please put the guns away when the alcohol comes out.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/27734567/celebratory-gunfire-worries

 

[8MM Mauser]

Why do people do this?

 

[CowTowner]

I have a neighbor that claims it to be a tradition to shoot out the old year.
I explained to my neighbor that I too have a tradition. When I see someone shooting out the old year, I call the police and hold the shooter at gun point pending their arrival.

 

[Despair]

Growing up I had a neighbor who "shot out" the New Year.

Then one time he saw a deer get hit and pulled over and shot it.. Inside city limits.. The police came, but being rural deputies they saw the humanity of it and warned him not to do it again. As the deputies were driving off, my neighbor thought he saw the deer move...

He no longer owns firearms

 

[madmo44mag]

Back when I lived in the county the whole family would go out back of the house and shot shoot guns into the ground.

 

[Grant D]

On new years I load up my 58 cal. muzzleloader with 90 grains of black powder only. It makes one heck of a boom, and large smoke cloud, but that's it.
No bullets needed.

Happy New Year Y'all.

 

[JWT]

Sad, but people forget what goes up must come down. And with force too.

 

[Chaz88]

When I was stationed at Naval Air Station Guam we would spend several hours the day after new years walking down the ramps, taxi ways, and runways picking up bullets before flight operations could start again. Guam was by far the worst place for people shooting in the air that I have been.

 

[Spats McGee]

Around here, all of the patrol officers try to make sure that they're under cover (like a bridge) at midnight.

 

[krimmie]

I have to admit I celebrated this morning by shooting in the air...but in my defense, I was duck hunting.

 

[barnbwt]

"Atlanta Police are seeking a federal grant to fund a system which they believe will allow them to triangulate the location of gun shots and reduce celebratory gunfire"
Exactly how does this work? They hear gunfire at your residence, show up hours later (being a non-emergency distraction, these 'alerts' had better have low priority, and in Atlanta, of all places) with no proof whatsoever that the residents of said residence fired rounds themselves. Unless Uncle Joe is still carousing with the double barrel when the cops roll up around 4am or so, no body is getting busted for anything. Not even Uncle Joe, who is likely either deceased or being booked for threatening an officer. If the question is which neighborhoods are bad for this activity, I'm sure the police already know...

But at least the PD will get another federal cheese injection.

TCB

 

[jmr40]

The microphones have been used in high crime areas of several large cities for a long time. They can be pretty accurate as to where the shots came from and has somewhat helped with gang activity. Like anything else if used properly it can be a tool to help solve crimes. Used improperly it can do more harm than good.

At the moment I'm neutral on the technology. Time will tell how it is used.