By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- On new year’s eve, I waited for midnight, listening intently. I was in North Dallas, and I had heard that celebratory gunfire was sometimes practiced in the area.
About 10 pm, I heard 4-8 gunshots, (or good facsimiles there of). They were distant, so I could not be certain. From 12:01 am to 12:20 am, I heard about 50. Most were clearly gunshots. They fit the pattern of gunshots. There is a certain cadence that is different from firecrackers or random loud noises. In addition, the timing, just after midnight seems much more than coincidental.
It is a really bad idea to fire projectiles larger than bird shot into the air in an urban center like Dallas. While shots fired close to vertical pose little danger of serious injury or death, if they are fired at a more acute angle, they can easily kill. Even a .22 fired vertically will have enough terminal velocity to damage automobile paint or star a car windshield.
Celebratory gunshots are fired for a variety of reasons. Communicating various sentiments to those who can hear, such as; “I am armed”, “You cannot control us”, “This neighborhood has guns”, “So does this one”, and “Happy New Year”, all seem likely.
Celebratory gunfire can be practiced safely. People could use blanks or fire bird shot into the air. The terminal velocity of bird shot is so low that it will not even damage car paint. The major problem is the same as with any activity. Drunken idiots who engage in it are likely to cause problems. Virtually all deaths associated with guns fired into the air occur because the gun is fired at an angle enough from the vertical to retain damaging velocity when it impacts.
Theoretically, single projectiles could hit a low flying aircraft accidentally, but I have yet to hear of such a case.
The number of fatalities from celebratory gunfire is very low, in the low single digits per year.
They could all be prevented if people used a little common sense. But in a nation of 300+ million people, there are bound to be those who make very stupid mistakes that cost other people their lives. Whether it is taking your eyes off the road for 10 seconds while traveling at freeway speeds, or firing a rifle or pistol into the air at a 45 degree angle, in a densely populated urban environment, it happens.
Staying under a roof at midnight means your chances of getting hit are so close to zero as to be meaningless.
c2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included. Link to Gun Watch
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
@Steve,I agree with you 100% on both counts ! Weingarten really is a goober too, eps.some of the nonsense he has written about Texas and their firearm laws ! A bullet fired at 45 degree angle trajectory will remain close to constant on that angle of decent,..and possible through a window !
The “Staying under a roof at midnight means your chances of getting hit are so close to zero as to be meaningless.” statement is total crap. If someone fires upward at a 45 degree angle the bullet will come back down at very close to that same angle. Therefore a roof over your head is no protection against a bullet entering through the window next to your child’s bed. Mr. Weingarten is a goober.