Police Warn Against NYE Gunfire

The Long Beach Police Department is alerting residents that it is illegal to shoot "celebratory" gunfire to mark the incoming of 2012, calling it.

The press release reads that celebratory gunfire is "dangerous to our community, and could result in senseless tragedy for those it hits as well as jail time for the shooter."

In prior years, shooting bullets into the air has resulted in injuries and deaths across the nation. Bullets can rise up to two miles into the air and remain in flight for more than a minute. As a bullet falls, it can reach a velocity of 300 to 700 feet per second.

A velocity of 200 feet per second is sufficient to enter the human skull. In most cases where a falling bullet strikes a person, it does so in the head or upper body which is very likely to cause serious injury or death, according to the press release.

In the state of California, discharging a firearm into the air is considered a felony and is punishable by up to three years in prison. If a stray bullet strikes an individual, the shooter can potentially be charged with murder. 

Extra LBPD officers will be on duty during New Year's Eve, and according to the press release, "will not tolerate those firing guns in the community."