There are many ways to celebrate the new year, but Greenwood authorities are pleading with residents not to include shooting guns into the air on that list.
“What goes up always comes down,” said Police Chief Terrence Craft. “Those bullets have got to land somewhere. It’s just dangerous to shoot a gun up in the air.”
Firing guns into the air isn’t just a Greenwood problem but a nationwide problem. News sources have reported injuries from falling bullets, including a 10-year-old boy in New Orleans and a man in Jackson, both occurring last New Year’s.
To address the issue, Craft said police patrols will be beefed up Saturday night.
A person caught discharging a weapon within city limits faces a misdemeanor charge, he said.
“I’ve been out in the community during New Year’s at night,” he said. “You can hear that lead hit the top of tin buildings while you’re sitting out.”
Bullets in the air can reach speeds of 500 feet per second. Contact with a human at that speed can have deadly results.
Craft said he is not aware of anyone ever being maimed or killed in Greenwood by such celebratory gunfire — and he hopes to keep it that way.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
