Celebratory Gunfire this New Year's Eve — Just Don't, Authorities Say

LOS ANGELES, CA – Celebrating by shooting a gun into the air for the New Year may be an "American" thing to do, but authorities are urging people to refrain from doing that this weekend.

It's unclear when the phenomenon started, but celebratory gunfire is rather common, particularly in Los Angeles during New Year's Eve and on the Fourth of July — much to the dismay of public safety officials.

"Despite public warnings and common sense, many people across Los Angeles disregard advisements and basic firearm safety and discharge firearms into the air to celebrate the arrival of the new year," Deputy Lillian Peck of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Information Bureau said.

The danger is that bullets shot in the air will eventually come down and kill someone. That's because falling bullets frequently hit people in the head, research suggests.

According to a 1994 study by the King/Drew-UCLA Medical Center, celebratory gunfire kills around 32 percent of their victims. That's more than five times that of other type of gunfire, according to the study.

"The danger of injuring someone with firing even a single round into the air is a lethal prospect," Peck said.

A bullet fired into the air can climb up to two miles and hangs in the air for more than a minute. On its way down, it can reach a velocity of more than 300 feet per second. A human skull can be penetrated at a velocity of 200 feet per second, according to medical research.

In 1999, 9-year-old Brian Perez was killed by a celebratory gunfire on July 4. That was the last death attributed to celebratory gunfire in the city of Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

In 2015, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department received more than 70 calls about illegal gunfire on New Year's Eve. In California, firing a gun into the air is a felony.

"If you see someone discharge a firearm in public or into the air, take immediate shelter and call 911," Peck said. "Do not attempt to confront the shooter."

Celebratory gunfire can cause a danger to aircrafts as well. On New Year's Eve in 1994, a police helicopter pilot in Riverside was hit in the foot by a celebratory gunfire, forcing him to make an emergency landing.

At Buchanan Air Field in Concord last year, a pilot reported what sounded like gunfire as he was coming in for a landing at the stroke of midnight New Year's Eve.

A bullet fired straight up in the air can travel as high as 10,000 feet, according to experts. At small, commuter airports, an airplane on a landing approach typically flies at an altitude of 1,000 feet or lower.

Celebratory gunfire is, by no means, unique to California. It is also prevalent in many parts of the world, including in Asia and the Middle East, according to a BBC investigation.

— Photo via Pixabay