New Years Eve "celebratory" gunfire

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  • FireBirdDS

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    44   0   0
    May 28, 2012
    942
    28
    Indianapolis, IN
    How do you deal with it in your area? I strongly feel it is irresponsible, reckless, and taints the image of responsible gun owners. I also fear injury to myself, my family, or my property from a shower from above.

    And if you do it yourself (particularly within a neighborhood)... WHY???
    And if someone does feel the need to, why can't they fire into the ground? It makes just as much racket and won't potentially kill someone!
     

    N8RV

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    1   0   0
    Oct 8, 2012
    1,078
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    Peoria
    My neighbors and I have that tradition. It usually involves getting out of our hot tubs and drying off first. :D

    We always shoot into trees in the ravine behind our houses. No humans are in danger when we practice our noisy ritual welcoming the new year.

    My only concern is that, someday, those trees are gonna give up the ghost due to lead poisoning and fall on our houses! Karma's a beyotch sometimes ...
     

    jontz

    Plinker
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    8   0   0
    Jan 23, 2012
    123
    16
    I could spit into Michigan
    I don't do celebratory gunfire at my house simply because where I live I'd be violating several of the Big 4. I'm not against it if you live somewhere out in the sticks where it's not a problem but in urban/dense suburban areas it just doesn't make any sense to me. Fireworks are just as noisy, and if you buy good ones the neighbors get a free show. The other option would be to load yourself some blanks. Same bang, no danger.
     

    GunnerDan

    Shooter
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    0   0   0
    Nov 16, 2012
    770
    18
    Clark County Indiana
    Well from what has been tested in the past, that a bullet fired straight up into the air when it falls back to earth the amount of energy the bullet has MIGHT cause a cut on your skin if it hit you directly. I know that Mythbusters did that as an experiment and found out the terminal velocity of a bullet, and shot those bullets out of an air cannon and they "stung" the persons hand received the "shot" Now I am not talking about something that goes downrange, but basically straight up. I am not condoning it, just stating that the damage that a round would do it negligible at best.

    Gunner
     

    Mark 1911

    Grandmaster
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    12   0   0
    Jun 6, 2012
    10,931
    83
    Schererville, IN
    In cities and towns I would agree with you about being reckless and irresponsible. Out in the country is probably not an issue as long as folks aren't shooting into the sky.

    About 15 years ago on July 4th, one of my neighbors was just returning home from watching July 4th fireworks with his daughter who was only 4 or 5 at the time, he had a convertible. His daughter was hit in the leg by a "celebratory" bullet that either came through the convertible top of their vehicle or hit the girl when the top was down (I don't remember if the top was up or down). It was just a flesh wound, no bone damage, but it was a real trauma for such a little girl, and was only inches away from being a terrible tragedy. It didn't just cut her leg, it penetrated her leg. Little girl's legs are not very big.

    I question the "testing" that says a falling bullet can't cause any more serious wound than a cut. Can the potential injury vary with the caliber, bullet weight, and load, or where it hits a person? I grew up in the beautiful city of East Chicago, IN. My dad was in the construction business. One of his roofer buddies once told me that most of their roofing repairs involved damage from bullets. Don't know how accurate that story was, but he had nothing to gain by telling a story to me, I was just a teenager at the time.

    Shooting guns into the air is a real bad idea, those bullets have to land somewhere and can still do a lot of damage. Maybe the bullet will lose enough energy so that it won't kill someone, but whether it does or doesn't, who wants to risk injuring someone with an errant shot, no matter how minor the injury?
     
    Last edited:

    eldirector

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    10   0   0
    Apr 29, 2009
    14,677
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    Brownsburg, IN
    A) When we lived in the 'hood, it was a concern. The city isn't a place to be popping off just for kicks. Some years it would sound like the 4th of July, and none of it was fireworks.

    B) Out where we are now, I'm not bothered. Most folks have decent backstops, and use them. Really isn't any different than hunting season. I'm sure some yahoo is shooting into the air, but luckily they are few and far between. With any luck, the round will drop back on their head for once.

    C) We haven't stayed up and partied since 2000. Just not our thing. I'd rather get up early the next morning and go wheeling (the annual hang-over run).
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    29   0   0
    Oct 3, 2012
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    Well from what has been tested in the past, that a bullet fired straight up into the air when it falls back to earth the amount of energy the bullet has MIGHT cause a cut on your skin if it hit you directly. I know that Mythbusters did that as an experiment and found out the terminal velocity of a bullet, and shot those bullets out of an air cannon and they "stung" the persons hand received the "shot" Now I am not talking about something that goes downrange, but basically straight up. I am not condoning it, just stating that the damage that a round would do it negligible at best.

    Gunner

    Actually, what they said is:

    MythBusters Episode 50: Bullets Fired Up

    In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal velocity and is therefore rendered less than lethal on impact. However, if a bullet is fired upward at a non-vertical angle (a far more probable possibility), it will maintain its spin and will reach a high enough speed to be lethal on impact. Because of this potentiality, firing a gun into the air is illegal in most states, and even in the states that it is legal, it is not recommended by the police. Also the MythBusters were able to identify two people who had been injured by falling bullets, one of them fatally injured. To date, this is the only myth to receive all three ratings at the same time.

    Celebratory gunfire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    When I was in the Middle East every few months you'd see some report of a wedding party firing up in the air and someone hurt or killed from the falling bullets.

    Anything other than straight up, which as Mythbusters said is much easier said than done, can be fatal.
     

    No2rdame

    Master
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    0   0   0
    Aug 8, 2012
    1,637
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    Noblesville
    Most of the soccer mommies in my neighborhood are probably fast asleep well before midnight. Other than the white trash in the nearby trailer parks and rental houses we don't hear much at all and usually it's in the form of fireworks. The drug dealer across the street is usually out partying so we don't have to worry about him, either.
     

    GunnerDan

    Shooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Nov 16, 2012
    770
    18
    Clark County Indiana
    Actually, what they said is:

    MythBusters Episode 50: Bullets Fired Up

    In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal velocity and is therefore rendered less than lethal on impact. However, if a bullet is fired upward at a non-vertical angle (a far more probable possibility), it will maintain its spin and will reach a high enough speed to be lethal on impact. Because of this potentiality, firing a gun into the air is illegal in most states, and even in the states that it is legal, it is not recommended by the police. Also the MythBusters were able to identify two people who had been injured by falling bullets, one of them fatally injured. To date, this is the only myth to receive all three ratings at the same time.

    Celebratory gunfire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    When I was in the Middle East every few months you'd see some report of a wedding party firing up in the air and someone hurt or killed from the falling bullets.

    Anything other than straight up, which as Mythbusters said is much easier said than done, can be fatal.

    I am not in disagreement at all, as I said fired straight up the bullet will only fall at it's terminal velocity which for a 55 grain bullet is AROUND 90 MPH which equates to about 2.1275 lb/ft of energy. That same round fired straight away has around 1099 lb/ft of energy.

    Gunner
     

    chuddly

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    10   0   0
    Jan 17, 2012
    976
    16
    Eminence, IN
    Actually, what they said is:

    MythBusters Episode 50: Bullets Fired Up

    In the case of a bullet fired at a precisely vertical angle (something extremely difficult for a human being to duplicate), the bullet would tumble, lose its spin, and fall at a much slower speed due to terminal velocity and is therefore rendered less than lethal on impact. However, if a bullet is fired upward at a non-vertical angle (a far more probable possibility), it will maintain its spin and will reach a high enough speed to be lethal on impact. Because of this potentiality, firing a gun into the air is illegal in most states, and even in the states that it is legal, it is not recommended by the police. Also the MythBusters were able to identify two people who had been injured by falling bullets, one of them fatally injured. To date, this is the only myth to receive all three ratings at the same time.

    Celebratory gunfire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    When I was in the Middle East every few months you'd see some report of a wedding party firing up in the air and someone hurt or killed from the falling bullets.

    Anything other than straight up, which as Mythbusters said is much easier said than done, can be fatal.

    sorry but both you and the Mythbusters are wrong on a couple points. Talk to a long range shooter and they can tell you a bullet will destabilize once it comes back through the sound barrier. I shoot a 22lr at 450 yards and im having fits with it because when i go over about 300-350 yards the bullets destabilize and tumble. They dont have to be fired straight up at all to tumble. Now the distance at which they destabilize is much different depending on MANY MANY things.
     

    gregkl

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    33   0   0
    Apr 8, 2012
    11,868
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    Bloomington
    It's funny how a question of celebratory gunfire turned into a discussion on ballistics.:)

    Leave the guns put up(especially if you have been ringing in the new year drinking), give one another a toast and be done.

    Go to your range on the 1st if you wan to shoot. You'll probably have it to yourself.:)
     

    Expat

    Pdub
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    23   0   0
    Feb 27, 2010
    108,736
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    Michiana
    Nothing like having some cocktails and then going out into a dark and starry night and let loose with a few volleys.
     

    BiscuitNaBasket

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 98.6%
    73   1   0
    Dec 27, 2011
    15,855
    113
    Greenwood
    I would love to be able to do it responsibly but where I live is not a good idea to do so since there's too many people. I've spent some scary new years eve's working in neighborhoods on the north east side of indianapolis sitting under a concrete bridge waiting for the lead to rain down.
     

    parson

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Nov 1, 2008
    457
    18
    New Castle
    A few years ago, During a New Year's Eve service at church, a bullet penetrated the roof of our steel building and lodged in the insulation against a beam. Everyone in the building was startled by the noise. It certainly would have caused injury or death if it had struck someone.
     

    mcolford

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    6   0   0
    Dec 8, 2010
    2,603
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    .....
    I dont stay up past 10. I change teh calendar before I go to bed, get up in the morning, and go to work. I find New Year s to be an Amateur Sport, where all the morons come out to play. Also I hate it as I screw up checks for the next 2 months...
     

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