With Independence Day around the corner, the Garland Police Department is warning people about the consequences of celebratory gunfire.
Most people already know that shooting a gun into the air is not an appropriate way to celebrate. Additionally, most people understand the consequences of shooting a gun into the air and that you should NOT do it.
The GPD is working hard to keep Garland’s streets safe. Therefore, they need the public’s help to continue to educate those who are recklessly shooting guns into the air and illegally discharging fireworks.
Lt. Pedro Barineau of the GPD explained in a social media video that there are many ways to celebrate events and holidays. He reminded residents that one very dangerous way NOT to celebrate is by firing guns into the air.
In addition to being incredibly dangerous, celebratory gunfire is against the law. Bullets that are fired into the air can travel as high as 10,000 feet. Also, the wind can take them in unpredictable directions.
Firing a gun into the air can have deadly consequences and you might not even know it. A study shows that there is a one in three chance of death if a falling bullet strikes an individual.
A person caught firing a gun into the air can be charged with a misdemeanor, fined up to $4,000 and be sentenced to a year in jail. Additionally, if the bullet harms anyone, the person who fired the gun could face more serious charges and will go to jail.
Remember, what goes up must come down. And sometimes there are deadly results,” Barineau said. “The Garland Police Department wants you to be safe and to celebrate responsibly. Please don’t shoot guns into the air.”
The Human Cost to Texans – as reported by https://www.txgunsense.org/:
- 2021 – The Texas Department of Public Safety and police departments across the state advised against celebratory gunfire. However, that was not enough to prevent death and injury from stray and falling bullets.
- In 2021, two people were killed on New Year’s Eve in Arlington. One was a child shot by a man “dancing or celebrating with a firearm.”
- 2020 – Nurse and Professor Phillippa Ashford, 61, was struck and killed by gunfire on New Year’s Day. And it was from celebratory gunfire in her neighborhood in Houston.
- 2017 – Armando Martínez, a Texas State Representative, was struck in the head by a stray bullet in Weslaco. Emergency surgery was required to save his life.