rgburrill

It's not just rednecks - it happens here in Connecticut too.  My back yard neighbor lives about 100 yards up a hill from me and he goes out in the middle of the night and shoots deer!  This is a city - it's not country.  While we do have a lot of deer here, they travel between his house and mine and with 2 duplexes down here and a neighbor on each side up there he is going to kill someone someday.

harleridr

Hi
Happy New Year, It is plain to see you have never been to Texas over New Years, as an old Wildwood boy now living in Texas New years sounds like the battle of the Alamo all over again.
Harle

vega406

My Feedback: (73)

A story that sticks in my mind was actually watching it on the news awhile back when 4th of July a man sitting on front porch with family and i think watching fire work display and bullet went through tin awning and hit him in the neck and died /// i got this page of the internet -< > Notable incidents December 1859: An autopsy showed that a native servant in India, who suddenly fell dead for no apparent reason, was mortally wounded from a bullet fired from a distance too far for the shot to be heard. The falling bullet had sufficient energy to pass through the victim's shoulder, a rib, a lung, his heart and his diaphragm.[17]
December 31, 1994: A tourist from Boston was killed by a falling bullet from celebratory firing while walking on the Moonwalk in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. The Police Department there has been striving to educate the public on the danger since then, frequently making arrests for firing into the air.[18]
July 22, 2003: More than 20 people were reported killed in Iraq from celebratory gunfire following the deaths of Saddam Hussein's sons Uday and Qusay in 2003.[16]
December 31, 2004: A 75-year-old man in Orlando, Florida, was mortally wounded in the heart from a falling bullet just before midnight. Police later traced the fatal bullet to a gun confiscated from a man firing into the air more than a mile away. The shooter was charged with manslaughter.[19]
January 1, 2005: A stray bullet hit a young girl during New Year celebrations in the central square of downtown Skopje, Macedonia. She died two days later. This incident led to the 2006 IANSA awareness campaign in that country.[1]
December 28, 2005: A 23-year-old U.S. Army private on leave after basic training fired a 9 mm pistol into the air in celebration with friends, according to police, and one of the bullets came through a fifth-floor apartment window in the New York City borough of Queens, striking a 28-year-old mother of two in the eye. Her husband found her lifeless body moments later. The shooter had been drinking the night before and turned himself in to police the next morning when he heard the news. He was charged with second-degree manslaughter and weapons-related crimes,[20][21] and was later found guilty and sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.[22]
February 25, 2007: Five people were killed by stray bullets fired at a kite festival in Lahore, Pakistan, including a 6-year-old schoolboy who was struck in the head near his home in the city's Mazang area.[23]
July 29, 2007: At least four people were reported killed and 17 others wounded by celebratory gunfire in the capital city of Baghdad, Iraq, following the victory of the national football team in the AFC Asian Cup,[24][25] Celebratory gunfire occurred despite warnings issued by Iraqi security forces and the country's leading *****e cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who forbade the gunfire with a religious fatw�.[26]
December 31, 2009: A 4-year-old child was killed by celebratory gunfire in church in metropolitan Atlanta. The death inspires an awareness campaign

Firepower R/C

My Feedback: (10)

Good info, vega406. To people who say or think "a falling bullet won't kill anyone", or "a bullet only falls at 125 mph" are wrong AND missing the point. Even at sub-ballistic speeds, it is possible to kill or hurt someone. So maybe they wouldn't die... they still can be injured, eye put out, etc. IT IS DOWNRIGHT INCONSIDERATE, IRRISPONSIBLE, AND IMMATURE TO FIRE ROUNDS OFF INTO THE AIR. Period. If you ever saw anyone you cared about injured by a stray bullet, you would think otherwise. Why not just point your driverless car down a busy neighborhood street with a brick on the accelerator pedal? Same mentality.
Oh, and by the way, just for those that don't know this fact: terminal velocity is different for each object depending on shape and mass. Skydivers alter their terminal velicity all the time by how they fly their bodies. Head down, they can do 250 m.p.h. +

Vega406, I used to live in Decatur... how are things there now? Do you belong to the local club? I used to know a few guys there years ago. Greetings from Bloomington, IL!

DirtyBird69

Hell back in the early 90's when I was stationed in Guam I had gate-guard duty on New Years Eve(my luck), and so many people were shooting guns in the air you could hear bullets hitting the ground and the roof of my guard shack...they even made me wear a helmet and bullet-proof vest that night...was kinda scary. And all I had to defend myself with was a radio and a billy-club...... nice.....lol...

edoubleaz

My Feedback: (1)

I cover the news in Phoenix and random gunfire is still a problem. Shannon Smith is the name sake of "Shannon's Law" and she was actually killed by a falling bullet in her own backyard. At the time the law said gunfire was only a misdemeanor but great strides have been made here to make it a serious crime.

In the past here in AZ it sometimes sounded like Beirut on New Year's Eve but the police have made great strides to curb the activity. A few cities have "Shot Spotters" that triangulate the shots very accurately. There are still plenty of boneheads who do it.

yellowshaker

My Feedback: (1)

I have no doubt that a bullet fired intot he air can and will cause deth, or at least severe injusry to anyone struck by it. This is the problem with people. Guns are made for a reason. People often use them for the wrong reasons. I am a gun owner and have no problem with responsible individuals owning them. I truly feel that anyone who owns a gun should be trained to use it correctly and safely. I have seen people at the range who should not own them thoguh. It is a clear rule at any gun range I have been to that the gun be pointed downrange at all times, including when the weapon is empty and layed down at rest. I have been witness several times to guys stepping out of a booth with a loaded gun while trying to clear a jam. Very stupid move,as that weapon could fire inadvertently and kill another shooter. Accidents happen, but most of the time they can be avoided by the use of common sense...

vega406

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Firepower R/C i belong to Decatur club and Monticello club where all Horizon team fly i do turbine,s and head to Cali twice a yearsame group of people for years at Decatur our field is actually on the Hanger 9 FS-one flight Sim- and to stay on topic i watched somone shoot five shots in air right behind my house last night as they crossed the street thats why this caught my eye

Firepower R/C

My Feedback: (10)

Someone was shooting across the street from me as well, man does it piss me off. I guess I am officially a geezer now... you kids stay off my lawn!!

Is Bob Land still around there?

acerc

I have had firearm's all my life. I was taught at an early age your weapon point's at the target or the ground not at,near or anywhere(directionally) nearsomeone. I have enough common sence and experience to say one should never fire a weapon into the air. (birdshot excluded)
And as an old redneck I can assure you, if my firearm isdischarged it will hit flesh. Unless target practicing.

Happy and safe New Year!

vega406

My Feedback: (73)

FirePoweri saw Bob today at our first of year fly day i am only one who ever flies for the past 4 years windy bad weather each year i did full flight 35 degress, and 46 MPH wind i give him alot of my boring prop plane,s that need a little work and he fix and flies them he just did a C-130 i didn,t need anymore..you can find our club here on RCU and check all the members and picture,s...and wouldn,t you know it after my last post i heard more shots....they call Decatur little Chicago most the time kids flexing muscle,s with theirs guns but still i dip behind something when i here it

Firepower R/C

My Feedback: (10)

Heh, I remember having to duck down and floor it once in Decatur when I was driving down Center St. Gunfire erupted while I drove by a BBQ party... I almost pooped myself. The worst part was, that was my street! [X(]

vega406

My Feedback: (73)

uh oh now we got something to worry about just saw story drive by blow dart shooting in shoulder of 19 year old in Michigan thursday night..WHATS the world coming to..guess thats a good reason to hide in basement and build plane,s... http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/tee...gan/2182576277

metaldriver

I didnt just happen in the country. I live near several housing complexes and the residents were firng into the air from 11:45 till about 12:15. Oh and for the curious sort I am guessing the local recreational chemical sales people were the most prevelant. Lots of semiauto fire.

takevin

I agree with that too with fireworks. No need for that on New Years Eve, morons.

mistermnkim

My Feedback: (153)

Yea happened here last night as well, bad thing was I think it was a off duty police officer doing the shooting!! freeking idiots, I checked on my sleeping kids, a few years ago a guy shot his pistol in town and killed a young boy a block away sitting on the couch by his dad. Very sad deal....

Valve floater

I replaced my roof 2 years ago. Asphalt singles. The roof was 20yrs old. I found two bullets stuck in my shingles in two diff. areas. Not enough to penetrate the shingle but enough that they where held there in place. A 9mm and 40 cal. Should have taken a picture.

OzMo

My Feedback: (3)

OK OK already, I'll stop shooting at the RC planes! Happy new year!

grinder-RCU

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ROME - Two men were killed and 561 other people were wounded as Italians celebrated the New Year with massive displays of illegal and homemade fireworks, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

Of those wounded, 76 were children under the age of 12.

Marking New Year’s Eve festivities with fireworks is a deadly Italian tradition. Up to 2,000 cities, towns and villages had banned them this year, but police said they still seized thousands of tonnes of fireworks, including more than a thousand rocket launchers.

The most serious incident took place in Rome when a 31-year-old man lit a large firecracker which exploded in his apartment before he could throw it out the window. The explosion set off a bigger blast of the remaining fireworks that killed him and wounded several others in the apartment, including three children, police said.

“I was in bed, and the bed jumped. It was like an earthquake,” said one neighbour, according to Ansa news agency.

A 39-year-old man was killed by a stray bullet in Naples as someone fired a weapon randomly in celebration. The victim himself was setting off a barrage of fireworks in front of his restaurant.



http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20...d=rssnewsworld

grinder.

Tanque

It's probably for just this sort of violence that blow guns are illegal here in California.

Jerry

jessiej

Why do you say your neighbor is not a redneck?

jess

jimmyjames213

My Feedback: (2)

mythbusters tested falling bullets and unless they are exactly 90 degrees strait up they are lethal

GerKonig

Yes, I read about that one. No charges, as it was apparently discharged by accident. I am not a muzzleloader expert, but I understand they have to be shot once loaded (no other way to discharge it). I found it amazing that the bullet traveled over a mile to kill the Amish girl...

Gerry

Link http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-accident.html

Glen B

Thats correct.

I used to shoot traditional, replicas of historic flintlocks in both competition and hunting. In the slang used at the time, it was refered as "shooting them into the bank" ; as in bank of earth, an adequate backstop, no one I shot with would fire one with a solid ball or bullet into the air.

The projectile from the news story is from a modern "inline" muzzle loader, it would likely have been configured much like a modern bullet. This would have a more efficient ballistic shape than a round ball and would travel further than a traditional muzzle loader ball.

The round ball still should be treated with respect, a Brown Bess fires a .715" 550 grain ball at around 1,000 fps, not as fast as modern stuff but still requires some intelligence as to where tio fire it.

I have been in the shooting sports for 40 years mostly at clay target clubs with some rifle range experience; IMHO, firing anything in the air when you don't know where it will strike is not ecceptable and gives all shooters a bad anme when unfortunate incidents happen because of it.

The Mad Modder

Everything's illegal in california.