Don't Shoot Guns In The Air On New Years!

[Common Sense]

Many times individuals involved in celebrating New Year’s Eve with gunfire do not realize the dangers posed by their actions. Researchers report that a bullet fired into the air can climb two miles into the air and remain in flight for more than a minute. As it falls, the bullet reaches a speed of 300 to 700 feet per second. A velocity of only 200 feet per second is sufficient to penetrate the human skull.

Every Year someone is killed by these actions. This is a terrible way to start the year 2005. No one needs to start by grieving a loved one or going to court with a loved one.

Be Smart and Be Safe.


Happy New Years

Common Sense

[43RDPLACE]

I knew you would say this

[FLUID]

I bet LA, Chicago, and NYC gon' be shootin all night

[Common Sense]

I hope not. I would like to believe people get smarter each year.

[Dr. Gonzo]

If you guys must shoot please aim at the ground watch your feet.

[gent11236]

ya in ENY they were firing for a good 15 mins i heard some shotguns being popped off and some tec's

[PAPI CHULO]

it sound like mutha fucken Iraq on new years eve

[Common Sense]

New Year's Eve celebrations is just around the corner, and like every year there is another stupid idiot who feels compelled to fire his/her weapon into the air. You gotta remember these bullets come down faster than they went up, and when they fall, the bullets could badly injure or kill someone out there.

Please keep in mind if caught, you could be charge with a felony and sent for up to 3 years. It's just not worth it.

The Filipino's had to learn this the hard way a couple of years ago:

35 DEAD, 590 HURT IN NEW YEAR'S EVE REVELRY

MANILA, January 2, 2004 (STAR) By Sheila Crisostomo - At least thirty-five people were killed and 590 injured as the Philippines ushered in the New Year with riotous revelry that sparked fires, shootings and accidents, officials and police reports said yesterday.
http://www.newsflash.org/2003/05/hl/hl019577.htm

Last year was much better over there according to resources.

Have a safe and responsible NEW YEARS EVE CELEBRATION 2005

[Christina Marie]

I never have understood why it is so hard for persons to understand the law of gravity...what goes up must come down. The worst place I have ever been on New Years was in downtown Riverside...1988..it was like a war zone.

[Common Sense]

I agree with you. Every year someone get's hurt or killed over this senseless and stupid tradition.

[KashvilleBB]

Naw homie, I just graduated physical science a few years ago. Its true, what goes up must come down, but look this up. Gravity pulls on something with an amout of strength that depends on the mass of that object. Gravitational pull on a falling piano, will be a lot stronger than the gravitational pull of a penny, therefore EVERYTHING falls at the same speed, 9.??? meters per second - wind resistance. A bullet can only change direction from travelling up, to down, and reach a maximum speed of 9m/s-wind resistance. Hardly enough to get someone a concussion if it hits them in the head, or a bruise if it hits them anywhere else. What would happen if you threw a dime off the empire state building? It would bounce of the ground no harder than it would if you flicked it in the air, and it would clink against the pavement no louder than it would if you dropped it out of your pocket. Thats real talk! lol, sum knowledge for you old homie

[pilot172]

The army did tests on this with .30 caliber rounds. The conclusion was that due to air resitance a .30 caliber round will reach 300 fps which gives it 30 foot pounds of energy. At the time of the test the army consider 60 foot pounds to be the minumum needed to create a disabling wound. However more modern tests have suggested that this was an overstatement. Lethal wounds can be prodcuced with much less energy.

Also those tests were conducted on perfectly vertical shots. A bullet fired with a horizontal angle will return to earth with much more force then one aimed perfectly vertically.

Bullets fired into the air are probably not as dangerous as some would have you believe, but they still can produce grave injury or even death. Even if one disputes the danger of this activity the police crack down hard on it, and it would be a dumb offense to serve time over.

While the danger may be exagerated firing into the air can be lethal, and the bullet will due more then bruise the person it hits. It is a dangerous activity and should be avoided.

[KashvilleBB]

I stand semi-sorta corrected. I was just taught that air resistance is only in effect when the volume of the falling object is greater than the mass of that object. A sheet of paper is fairly large compared to its mass, and wind resistance will be a large factor with its falling speed, so instead of paper falling at 9 m/s it would fall closer to 2.5 m/s depending on the wind it catches. A piece of cardboard the same size has more mass and therefore it will fall a little faster, estimate it at 5 m/s. So I naturally believed a falling bullet would recieve minimal air resistance, and would fall at what I was taught was the maximum 'velocty', 9 m/s. Any sources? I do know for fact that a bullet shot parallell to the earth,given that the earth is flat and the gun shoots straight, will hit the ground at the same exact time as a bullet dropped from the same height as the barrel of the gun. It was the basis of our study. You could be right though, I am only 18 and to be honest I just started studying in the middle of my junior year, about a year ago. I remembered the physics study from my freshman year, mainly because it involved bullets and looked it up. I don't dis-credit your information, it's just that I've been told tests said Mello Yello makes your d*ck smaller, so I dont believe every 'experiment' I hear of.

[Christina Marie]

The army did tests on this with .30 caliber rounds. The conclusion was that due to air resitance a .30 caliber round will reach 300 fps which gives it 30 foot pounds of energy. At the time of the test the army consider 60 foot pounds to be the minumum needed to create a disabling wound. However more modern tests have suggested that this was an overstatement. Lethal wounds can be prodcuced with much less energy.

Also those tests were conducted on perfectly vertical shots. A bullet fired with a horizontal angle will return to earth with much more force then one aimed perfectly vertically.

Bullets fired into the air are probably not as dangerous as some would have you believe, but they still can produce grave injury or even death. Even if one disputes the danger of this activity the police crack down hard on it, and it would be a dumb offense to serve time over.

While the danger may be exagerated firing into the air can be lethal, and the bullet will due more then bruise the person it hits. It is a dangerous activity and should be avoided.

You live in L.A.. Every year there are persons who die from the ^ exaggerated fact that firing in the air can be lethal.

[pilot172]

You live in L.A.. Every year there are persons who die from the ^ exaggerated fact that firing in the air can be lethal.

I don't dispute that. Just because I said that some poeple exagerate how deadly it is to fire into the fire doesn't mean that its safe or that people arn't killed by it.

[Christina Marie]

You live in L.A.. Every year there are persons who die from the ^ exaggerated fact that firing in the air can be lethal.

I don't dispute that. Just because I said that some poeple exagerate how deadly it is to fire into the fire doesn't mean that its safe or that people arn't killed by it.

How may I ask then is it an exaggerated fact?? The FACT is that shooting a firearm up in the air CAN potentially end someones life. If one wants to fire a weapon into the air and play Russian roulette...then they are minimizing the FACT that it could end someones life.

[pilot172]

How may I ask then is it an exaggerated fact?? The FACT is that shooting a firearm up in the air CAN potentially end someones life. If one wants to fire a weapon into the air and play Russian roulette...then they are minimizing the FACT that it could end someones life.

I'm not trying to start something over this. My only point was that some people claim that a gun fired in the air is as dangerous as one fired in any other direction. Then you get posters like kashvilebb above that know something about physics and conclude that its not really dangerous. Because the degree of danger is overstated people sometimes disregard it as being untrue and assume the danger is minimal or nonexistent.

What I was trying to point out was that although some people overstate how deadly bullets fired into the air are, they can still be lethal. Nothing I posted was meant to imply that it was okay or safe to fire into the air. Like you said every year there are tragic stories about people being killed by falling bullets on New Years.

I hope this makes my position clear, but if not I'm not really sure how to explain myself better. Anyway incase someone has been confused by my posts above firing into the air is a tragedy waiting to happen, and should be avoided at all costs.

[Common Sense]

Welcome to the discussion Pilot: Here's is a little Physics info to add.

Different guns have different "muzzle velocities." That's the speed that the bullet is going when it leaves the barrel. Many high-powered rifles have muzzle velocities that are 3000 feet per second or more. That's more than 2000 miles per hour.

When such a gun is fired straight up into the air, this is what happens:

The bullet leaves the gun at 3000 feet per second. There are two things now that slow the bullet down as it goes up. One is gravity - which slows the bullet 32 feet per second every second. If this were all that slowed it down, then after 10 seconds, the bullet would still be going (3000 - 320), or 2680 feet per second. This is not even close to the true velocity after 10 seconds, because air friction is slowing the bullet also. That friction is much greater while the bullet is going fast. In the first second, it may slow the bullet by 1000 feet per second. Then in the second second, maybe another 500, and then less and less, until finally, the gravitational slowing is more significant than the friction. The bullet will continue to slow down until it stops at the top.

Now let's talk about when the bullet heads back down:

The same two forces are present, but now the gravity part is speeding up the bullet - friction is still trying to slow it down. Gravity will be speeding up the bullet 32 feet per second every second, but friction will be increasing more and more as the bullet speeds up, and this friction will subtract from that 32. There is a certain velocity when the friction is equal to the gravity in the opposite direction. At this point, the frictional acceleration is 32 feet per second every second upward (or -32), while the gravitational acceleration is 32 feet per second every second downward (+32). From now on, the bullet will have no acceleration at all (32 - 32 = 0). When this happens, the velocity of the bullet is called its "terminal velocity." The bullet will continue at the same velocity until it hits the ground or some object.

This terminal velocity is different depending mostly on two things.
1. The density of the thing that is falling.
2. The shape of the thing that is falling. Bullets are very dense (usually lead), and they have a shape to allow relatively low friction. The terminal velocity of a feather may be only 2 feet per second because of its shape and density, but the terminal velocity of a bullet could be 300 or 400 feet per second. This could be about 300 miles per hour.

The debate:

1. That 400 feet per second is much slower than the 3000 feet per second that the bullet had when first fired. If you or a friend argued that the bullet is going slower on the way down, then you or that friend was correct on the physics.

2. It is still dangerous. A three hundred mile per hour piece of lead can still do harm. There is no question that it is not as effective as a bullet fired directly at something. The bullet that is fired at something has another very important feature, however, a feature the bullet fired into the air does not have. It was aimed - there was an intended target. The bullet fired into the air falls randomly and could hit anything. If it hit someone right on top of the head, it's possible that it could kill. It's going about three times as fast as a professionally hit tennis serve, and it's much smaller than a tennis ball, and harder - more penetrating.

When you triple the speed, the energy goes up nine times (it's proportional to the square of the speed), and I'll bet there's no-one who wants to be hit by a tennis ball with nine times the energy of a fast serve. Then, because the bullet is small and hard, it is hundreds of times more penetrating than that tennis ball would be. Put a tennis ball in your palm and put twenty pounds on top of it. No problem. But now put the blade of a screw-driver on your palm and put twenty pounds on that. That will hurt. Same twenty pounds - smaller cross section - more penetrating.

As we all know..The bottom Line is: People are dying every year from this act.

[MiChuhSuh]

Naw homie, I just graduated physical science a few years ago. Its true, what goes up must come down, but look this up. Gravity pulls on something with an amout of strength that depends on the mass of that object. Gravitational pull on a falling piano, will be a lot stronger than the gravitational pull of a penny, therefore EVERYTHING falls at the same speed, 9.??? meters per second - wind resistance. A bullet can only change direction from travelling up, to down, and reach a maximum speed of 9m/s-wind resistance. Hardly enough to get someone a concussion if it hits them in the head, or a bruise if it hits them anywhere else. What would happen if you threw a dime off the empire state building? It would bounce of the ground no harder than it would if you flicked it in the air, and it would clink against the pavement no louder than it would if you dropped it out of your pocket. Thats real talk! lol, sum knowledge for you old homie

You graduated physical science and don't know that not only is a graviatational unit (lol G-unit) 9.8 m/s^2 and that is ACCELERATION, not the terminal velocity, it will keep getting faster until it reaches the terminal velocity of (acceleration by gravity = wind resistance)

Common Sense had the best response, not just by knowledge, but the bottom line: people die every year from this, since you can't dispute that, why do it in teh first place?

[Common Sense]

December 2005
Vol. VI, No. 12

LAPD Captain's Message

As New Year's Eve approaches, the Los Angeles Police Department is launching its Citywide Gunfire Reduction Campaign. This campaign is designed to help reduce incidents of indiscriminate gunfire that have become a deadly New Year's tradition in our city. The Gunfire Reduction Campaign aims to advise the community that ringing in the New Year with gunfire will not be tolerated in the City of Los Angeles . Discharging a firearm into the air is a felony punishable by one year in state prison. Anyone arrested for discharging a firearm will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Many times individuals involved in celebrating New Year's Eve with gunfire do not realize the dangers posed by their actions. Researchers report that a bullet fired into the air can climb two miles into the air and remain in flight for more than a minute. As it falls, the bullet reaches a velocity of 300 to 700 feet per second. A velocity of only 200 feet per second is sufficient to penetrate the human skull.

Over the last several years, the Los Angeles Police Department has made great strides in reducing the amount of gunfire that occurs on New Year's Eve. The successful formation and deployment of special Gunfire Reduction Task Forces along with a comprehensive public education and awareness campaign has dramatically reduced the threat to the community. Again this year, the LAPD will deploy task force officers to respond to gunfire calls throughout the city.

In an effort to educate the public about the danger of indiscriminate New Year's Eve gunfire, the LAPD has teamed up with the Los Angeles Unified School District to develop a campaign focusing on the dangers associated with firing guns in the air during New Year's celebrations. A contest was held throughout the City in which elementary school students were asked to submit either a poster or an essay depicting the dangers of celebratory gunfire.

While law enforcement, in partnership with the community, local businesses and the media, has made an impact on reducing indiscriminate gunfire, the problem persists. The men and women of the Los Angeles Police Department are once again asking the community to celebrate the New Year safely and responsibly. Don't fire guns in the air. Remember what goes up, will come down, and when a bullet comes down it is traveling at a fatal velocity.

Shooting a gun into the air is a felony. You will spend up to one year in prison if you are caught.

If you're arrested for shooting a gun into the air, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

If a stray bullet from your gun should kill someone, you will be arrested and charged with murder.

People involved in celebrating the holidays by shooting their guns do not realize the danger posed by their actions.
A bullet fired into the air can climb up to two miles. When it falls back to earth, it can reach a speed of 300 to 700 feet per second.
If you ever see someone fire a gun into the air, call the police.
Celebrate the holidays safely and responsibly.
Don't fire guns into the air. REMEMBER, WHAT GOES UP WILL COME DOWN.

[Common Sense]

Six Arrested For Shooting Off Guns On New Year's

(CBS) LOS ANGELES Despite warnings from city officials, at least six people were arrested Saturday night in Los Angeles for shooting their guns into the sky during New Year's Eve celebrations, authorities said.

There were no reports of injuries caused by stray bullets shot in the air, but the Hollenbeck Station, which covers the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, reported two people were arrested for firing guns into the air.

Ditto, the Southeast and 77th Street stations which each reported two arrests for shooting guns in the air.

Before the holiday, Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, county Sheriff Lee Baca, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo all made public pleas, warning that felony charges would be filed against violators.

The sheriff's and police departments have reported a steady decrease in reports of celbratory shots being fired since their joint enforcement operation began almost ten years ago.

One person was killed by random New Year's gunfire over the last seven years, said Sheriff Lee Baca.

NOT BAD CONSIDERING HOW IT USED TO BE BACK IN THE DAY.

[Common Sense]

^^^ Remember don't fire guns in the air on New Years Eve.


[align=center]It's Really Retarded[/align]

[Mcminister]

i remember wen my pops use to do it and i asked him if the bullet will come down and he said don worry it wont come down on us

[Common Sense]

My pops used to do this ritual every year when I was small. I'd be right there by his side with excitement. Boy...we were stupid. I hope we didn't hurt anyone nearby.

[WIP]

i just wont rock a full clip this year

[Mcminister]

i dono why new years eve feels like the only day i can actually get away with firing multiple rounds in to the sky...it feels like damn i made it again, u kno ....i jst feel like swervin my car and jst shootin the shit outa .357

[Common Sense]

If one used blanks: You could still blast and no one would get hurt. I wonder if you could get blank rounds for any type of ammo?

[$outhPhillypuppet]

If one used blanks: You could still blast and no one would get hurt. I wonder if you could get blank rounds for any type of ammo?

you can get blanks for just about any type of round besides buckshots and sniper rounds.

[MiChuhSuh]

Just make sure to still be careful with them. The blast from a blank at close range could still burn your face off.

Basic military and marksman protocol:
Respect and treat any gun as if it were loaded with live rounds - i.e. don't go waving it around randomly because they're blanks.

[Mcminister]

blanks is proly what rappers use to stage a shooting that they want everybody to be real life..


but blanks is like shootin fake shit don feel as good

[Christina Marie]

Ok so here we go again with this stupid ish. What goes up man must come down. Its logic. Pure logic.

[MiChuhSuh]

Ok so here we go again with this stupid ish. What goes up man must come down. Its logic. Pure logic.

What about rockets and satellites?

Yes, it is rocket science.