France
French Soldier Used Wrong Ammunition, Fired Into Crowd, Injured 17
Times (UK)
1 July 2008
PARIS -- A French paratrooper who fired his assault rifle into a crowd of spectators during a hostage-freeing exercise will face charges of grave negligence, prosecutors said yesterday. A three-year-old boy and his parents were among the 15 civilians and two military personnel who were wounded in the shooting, which took place during an open day at the 3rd Marine Parachutist Regiment barracks on Sunday afternoon. The boy... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Celebratory Shooting, Stray Bullet Injury Require Urgent Action - Turkish MP
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
27 June 2008
ANKARA -- A member of Parliament's Human Rights Commission has recommended that a parliamentary commission should be set up to address the problem of deaths and injuries caused by stray bullets fired into the air in celebration, a common problem in much of Turkey. Speaking to Today's Zaman, Democratic Society Party (DTP) Diyarbakir deputy Akin Birdal stressed that a cultural and social transformation was needed to prevent deaths... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Soccer Fans Will be Arrested in Iraq if Caught Firing Guns in Celebration
Los Angeles Times
22 June 2008
BAGHDAD -- Sports became a surprise topic Sunday during a routine news briefing by the U.S. and Iraqi armed forces on the battle against the insurgency. With Iraq's beloved national soccer team poised to qualify for the World Cup in its game against Qatar on Sunday night, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Iraqi government's "Imposing the Law" campaign, delivered a stern warning to gun owners -- essentially every adult male... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Turks Wound At Least 23, Firing Guns in Air to Celebrate Soccer Win
International Herald Tribune / AP
21 June 2008
ANKARA, Turkey -- At least 23 people across Turkey were wounded by stray bullets following the firing of shots across the country to celebrate the win over Croatia in the European Championship quarterfinals. Governor Muammer Guler said Saturday that 11 people were accidentally shot in Istanbul, the country's largest city where all night festivities were the wildest. Twelve other people, including a 10-year-old girl and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Nigeria
Stray Bullet from Police Rifle Kills Boy, Shatters TV in Nigerian Sitting Room
Daily Trust (Abuja)
18 June 2008
MINNA -- A 14 year old boy, Abubakar Onifade was killed in Minna on Monday night by a stray bullet from a police officer while watching television in his father's sitting room. Our correspondent gathered that the stray bullet which went through the door of the sitting room hit the boy, an SS2 student of Hill Top Secondary School Minna on the chest and shattered the television screen. It was also gathered that the tragedy... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Increasing Armed Violence by Licensed, Unlicensed Turkish Gun Owners
Turkish Daily News
9 June 2008
Turks are already regrettably accustomed to media reports about victims of stray bullets at wedding ceremonies and New Year's parties, where some people lose their lives and others -- sometimes even children -- become murderers in a heartbeat. The percentage of those using licensed guns in crimes in Turkey has increased, police data reveals, while experts who spoke with the Turkish Daily News warned that the state must not give... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Celebratory Gunfire, Occasional Deaths Inexplicable Feature of Turkish Life
Today's Zaman (Turkey), Column
11 May 2008
I have always been awed by the inability of people around me to celebrate joyful events. Weddings and soccer games that end victoriously are celebrated with guns held aloft, fired incessantly into the air. Someone who is not familiar with the local culture may feel they have fallen into an ambush, just as the foreign guests did at the wedding ceremony of one of my younger family members last year. They gathered around me in bewilderment... ( gunpolicy.org )
Lebanon
Fear, Male Identity Cause Price of Assault Weapons to Soar in Lebanon
Washington Post
24 April 2008
BEIRUT -- Abu Omar, a money changer and father of 11 who lives in Beirut, has bought at least 10 firearms since the beginning of last year. "Everything I can put my hands on and I can afford, I buy. I never sell," he said. "Now is a time for buying arms." Many Lebanese, increasingly worried about the country's political paralysis devolving into violence, are preparing themselves in the same way. One measure of their anxiety is the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Hit by Stray Bullet While Sleeping at Home, 21yr-old California Woman Dies
Bay Area News Group
10 April 2008
OAKLAND -- Shock and sadness hovered over the family of Shaneice Davis, a 21-year-old woman who was struck by a bullet while she slept in her bed Monday night when she was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon. "I'm just so sad. It hurts so much," said her father, John Davis, who described his daughter as a sensitive, sweet child who never bothered anyone -- which makes her death seem even more random and unfair. Davis, the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Lebanon
Stray Bullets Often Kill Passersby, Children in Lebanese Celebratory Gunfire
Agence France Presse
4 April 2008
The frequent celebratory gunfire in this heavily armed city is killing Beirut, literally, as one man's burst of joy turns into another's mourning. The parents of 14-year-old Ahmed Ali al-Sahili know this all too well -- they lost their son when a bullet pierced his skull as he played outside their home in the capital's suburbs. And Sonia Saade, 49, thought her ulcer was acting up when a pain so sudden and sharp knocked... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Mother of 3 Killed by Stray Bullet as Locals Mourn Death of New York Rapper
Post Chronicle (New York) / UPI
31 March 2008
A stray bullet fired by a mourner killed a mother of three as she walked by a memorial for a popular local rapper in New York. Police say Nancy Williams, 27, of Brooklyn, was struck once in the chest as she passed an area Sunday night where fans of hip-hop performer Leval Lyde had gathered to mourn his death, The New York Post reported. They were all out back having an Irish wake and someone decides to fire an automatic... ( gunpolicy.org )
United Arab Emirates
Celebratory Shooting Turns Wedding Into a Funeral in United Arab Emirates
Gulf News (Dubai)
10 February 2008
RAS AL KHAIMAH -- A wedding celebration here turned to tragedy when one revellers was killed by a stray bullet. Mohammad Ahmad Samt, a 45-year-old Emirati, was fatally hit on Saturday while revellers were firing shots in the air at a wedding in the Shamal area. His friends said Samt cupped his chest during celebrations, fell to the ground and died. Lieutenant Colonel Salem Saeed Al Alkim, head of Al Ma'amourah... ( gunpolicy.org )
India
Celebratory Shooting Kills Bride's Cousin, 19, at Indian Wedding Party
Express India
28 January 2008
GURGAON -- A 19-year-old boy lost his life when a stray bullet fired in the air at a marriage party hit him. The incident took place in Gurgaon on Saturday night. Gaurav Sharma, the deceased, was the bride's cousin and lived in Ashok Vihar, New Delhi. According to the police, the shot was fired by a youth, Rishi Yadav, who was accompanying the groom. Rishi, a resident of Gurgaon, is said to be at large. Gaurav's... ( gunpolicy.org )
Ghana
Single Celebratory Bullet Fired at Police Funeral Kills 2, Injures 2 in Ghana
Samuel Duodu's Stories (Ghana), Blog
28 January 2008
The funeral and burial service for a police officer at Asueyi, a farming community near Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region, on Saturday turned fatal when one of the shots fired by some of his colleagues to show solidarity killed two mourners. The bullet, allegedly fired by Constable Andrew Yankey of the Police Dragon Unit, who police sources say was not part of the official police delegation to the funeral, hit Opanin Kwaku Addai... ( gunpolicy.org )
Montenegro
Passenger Jet Hit, Damaged by Celebratory Gunfire Over Montenegro
Associated Press
9 January 2008
PODGORICA, Montenegro -- A stray bullet struck a passenger jet while it was landing in Montenegro, slightly damaging the aircraft, the state airline said Wednesday. No one was hurt as the bullet, apparently fired into the air during a traditional Orthodox Christmas Eve celebration, hit the tail stabilizer on the Montenegro Airlines Fokker 100, company spokesman Nenad Markovic said. Police were investigating who fired the shot. ... ( gunpolicy.org )
Lebanon
AK-47, Other Assault Rifles Double in Price, Sell Swiftly in Lebanon Crisis
Times (UK)
5 January 2008
BEIRUT -- Wearing tatty green Israeli army webbing over his black leather jacket, Walid shoulders an M16 rifle and squints down the barrel. "How much is this one?" he asks. "It's worth $1,200," replies Abu Rida, a tough, barrel-chested arms dealer. Arrayed on a bed in Abu Rida's home in southern Beirut were more weapons for sale -- an automatic pistol, two AK47 rifles and a Heckler & Koch G3 rifle, altogether worth about $3,000... ( gunpolicy.org )
Italy
Italians Killed, Injured as Celebratory Gunfire, Stray Bullets Rattle New Year
United Press International
3 January 2008
Wild West-style gun play during New Year's celebrations is symptomatic of a growing gun culture in Italy, authorities said. Gunshots rang in the new year in several cities, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Wednesday. A 30-year-old father in Naples was killed when a stray bullet went through a window and struck him in the chest as he played cards with his family. A 10-year-old Naples boy clung to life after a bullet... ( gunpolicy.org )
Antigua & Barbuda
'Reckless, Illegal' New Year's Stray Bullet Pierces Antigua Woman's House
Antigua Sun (St John's)
3 January 2008
A householder in the Horsford Hill area had an unpleasant New Year's Day surprise when a shot was fired through a window in her home. According to information reaching the Antigua Sun, the woman was at home shortly after midnight on New Year's Day, when she heard the sound of breaking glass. When she got up to investigate, she stepped on the bullet that had broken her window. The incident occurred during the fireworks... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Stray Bullet Hits 5yr-old Tucson Boy in New Year's Celebratory Gunfire
Associated Press
3 January 2008
With blood streaming down his face, the parents of a little Tucson boy didn't know what hit him early New Year's day. The mother and father of Rafael Moreno-Razo, 5, later learned the boy was struck by a stray bullet that ripped through their apartment. Rafael's father Humberto Moreno, 42, called 911 and Rafael went to the hospital, where he was treated and released that morning. The little boy escaped with a grazed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Woman, Child Killed by Colorado Man Celebrating New Year with Handgun
KWGN-TV News (Denver)
3 January 2008
DENVER, Colorado -- The Fort Collins woman and her 11-year-old cousin who were shot and killed while celebrating New Year's Day early Tuesday were both victims of the same stray bullet, fired by another holiday reveler, police said Wednesday. Rebecca "Becky" Yanez, 48, of Fort Collins was gathered with family and friends inside a house in the 4700 block of West Eleventh Avenue, when the bullet pierced the home's exterior just after... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Man Fires Gun in Celebration, Kills 11yr-old Boy Playing Hide & Seek
WPLG-TV News (Florida)
2 January 2008
OPA-LOCKA, Florida -- An 11-year-old boy who was hiding behind an old piece of furniture at an Opa-Locka apartment was shot and killed after his neighbor celebrated the New Year by shooting a gun into the trash. Police said Zenon Fernandez shot his neighbor Joshua Arroliga after Fernandez, 49, randomly fired a semiautomatic handgun into a trash pile of old furniture near a Dumpster, not knowing the boy was there. Police... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Woman Lifts Champagne to Ring in New Year, Catches Stray Bullet
WOFL-TV News (Florida)
2 January 2008
ORLANDO, Florida -- Titusville resident Regina Lifton was very excited to ring in 2008. This is the year she and her family have been waiting for to relocate to Florida's west coast. Just like millions of people around the country, on the night of December 31, Lifton and her family gathered together, with champagne glasses in hand watching the ball drop in New York's Time Square to toast to the New Year. "I was... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
St. Petersburg, Florida Police Report 16 Stray Bullet Incidents in NYE Gunfire
Tampa Tribune (Florida)
2 January 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- In a single half hour during New Year's Eve festivities, bullets presumably fired into the air in celebration returned to earth, hitting two people and narrowly missing two others, police say. At 12:08 a.m. Tuesday, David Tyson Mink, 23, of Clearwater, was walking with some friends in the 700 block of Third Ave. S. when he felt "something hard" hit him on the left shoulder, St. Petersburg Police Department... ( gunpolicy.org )
Trinidad & Tobago
Stray Bullet Hits 12yr-old Trinidad Boy in Celebratory New Year's Gunfire
Newsday (Port of Spain)
2 January 2008
A 12-year-old boy had his New Year's eve celebration cut short, almost permanently, after he was hit by a stray bullet which still remains lodged in the right side of his chest. Aaron Ford was ringing in the New Year by lighting fire crackers a short distance from his Faustin Trace, Maraval home on Old Year's Night, when the incident occurred. With firecrackers going off noisily all around him, Ford could not say where the shot... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Woman in Alabama Church Hit in Face by Stray Bullet During NYE Gunfire
Mobile Press Register (Alabama)
2 January 2008
A woman inside a Prichard church was shot in the side of her face shortly after midnight on Tuesday, police said, apparently as a result of New Year's gunfire. The woman, whom police did not name, was hit by a bullet that entered through the sanctuary roof at the Showers of Blessings Church of God in Christ, according to Prichard police Maj. Marvin Whitfield. She was taken to the University of South Alabama Medical Center,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Brazil
Celebratory Gunfire Kills Brazilians, Stray Bullets Fly in Rio's New Year Bash
International Herald Tribune / AP
1 January 2008
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- One man was killed and five people were wounded by gunfire at a New Year's bash that drew some 2 million people to Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, the government's official news agency said Tuesday. A 29-year-old man died of a gunshot wound in the stomach, and a 63-year-old woman shot in the back and a 24-year-old man shot in the head were hospitalized in critical condition, the official Agencia Brasil... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Fresno, California Logs 500 Reports of New Years' Eve Gunfire, Stray Bullets
KSEE-TV News (California)
1 January 2008
FRESNO, California -- It seems when the clock strikes midnight, a lot of people forget about the laws of gravity: what goes up must come down. They celebrate the New Year with gunfire, careless of what happens to those bullets. One of those bullets ended up in Jerry Lopez's kitchen in West Central Fresno. "That's the hole where the bullet came through. You can see how big that hole is, all the insulation is on the floor... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Kindly Curb Your Enthusiasm: Celebratory Gunfire Discouraged in Missouri
Examiner (Missouri)
31 December 2007
Here's an issue that you might not think is important to the Blue Springs Police Department: celebratory gunfire. Certainly there is a concern for the typical New Year's Eve issues, including driving while intoxicated. That in itself puts officers on alert, and Sgt. Bob Harman said police will keep the obligatory eye out for such offenders. But those residents who step outside of their home into the cold night air, brandishing... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Baby Killed, More Injured by Stray Bullets, Celebratory Gunfire in Philippines
Pacific News Center (Guam)
28 December 2007
MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Health (DOH) disclosed that one infant died and 87 people were hospitalized due to injuries caused by firecrackers and stray bullets. Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III disclosed that the indiscriminate firing of guns has already claimed the life of an infant who was hit by a stray bullet. As of December 27, the DOH also said it has monitored 87 cases of firecracker-related... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Weapon Ban, Celebratory Wedding Shootings Hike Gun Prices in Pakistan
Daily Times (Lahore)
26 December 2007
LAHORE -- The prices of small weapons and ammunition have increased since November, weapon dealers have told Daily Times. Some dealers said the weapons' prices had increased because of an increase in their use at wedding ceremonies. The other dealers said an increased risk in keeping the weapons and a fear of the cancellation of selling permits had pushed up the prices after the government had imposed a ban on carrying the weapons.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Iraqis Celebrate by Firing Guns Into the Air, Stray Bullet Hits British Officer
Sky News (UK)
23 December 2007
An RAF officer had a lucky escape despite being hit by a stray bullet during celebratory gunfire by a group of Iraqis. Flight Lieutenant Neil Lawrenson was wearing body armour -- but the round went into his upper arm. However, it entered at such an angle that it left almost no damage and did not hit any bone or muscle. If the bullet, which fell from the sky in Basra, had gone in at a different angle, the British... ( gunpolicy.org )
Namibia
Nine People Wounded by Celebratory Gunfire at Namibian Wedding Party
Namibian (Windhoek)
17 December 2007
WINDHOEK -- Nine people were wounded when revellers fired shots during a wedding reception at Ombundamuti village in the Omusati Region on Saturday afternoon. The Police arrested three young men but found that only one of them could be charged, said Sergeant Linekela Shikongo. He said it was difficult to figure out who shot whom, because there were many people at the wedding, "dancing, singing and celebrating". "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bahamas, United States
Virtually Impossible for Bahamians to Legally Possession a Firearm - Minister
Bahama Journal
24 November 2007
It is virtually impossible for Bahamians to legally come into possession of a firearm, according to Desmond Bannister, Minister of State For Legal Affairs, who says firearms legislation in this country is among the toughest in the region. Mr. Bannister said the police are quite diligent and strict when it comes to the licensing of firearms. He said the problem with The Bahamas is that its archipelagic nature, which law... ( gunpolicy.org )
Pakistan
Pakistani Wedding Party Drinkers Blamed for Shot Infant, Wounded Mother
International News (Karachi)
30 October 2007
RAWALPINDI -- A stray bullet fired by someone in a group of drunkards killed an 18-month-old boy in the lap of his mother here late on Sunday night, police said. The gunmen started firing on people standing on rooftops of their houses when they prevented them from firing in the air, police said. Zafar Iqbal, son of Raja Gulistan, resident of Haji Chowk, told the Sadiqabad police that he runs a shop adjacent to his house. He said... ( gunpolicy.org )
Jamaica
Jamaican Cop Held After Giving Gun Salute at Slain Colleague's Funeral
Jamaica Observer
1 October 2007
SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine -- A police constable who discharged his firearm at the graveside of a murdered colleague on Saturday in the presence of Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller was immediately taken into custody by the Spanish Town police for questioning and his firearm seized. According to the police, the interment of Sergeant Edgerton Brown, who served in Simpson Miller's security... ( gunpolicy.org )
Macedonia
Another Stray Bullet Injures 4yr-old Girl in Macedonia Playground
Dnevnik Macedonia, Transcript
6 August 2007
The celebration bullets kill people too. We seem to not be able to learn this lesson, and because of that, we are often witnesses of incidents in which stray bullets end up hitting innocent bystanders. A family celebration for someone can easily become tragedy for others. Only by chance the 4-year-old Jana from Skopje did not end up being the new victim of the stray bullets, and from representation of life and hope to be turned... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, Middle East, United States, World
Celebratory Gunfire Kills Bystanders, Children Around the World
Star Phoenix (Saskatoon), Column
31 July 2007
Why is it that anytime there is a celebration in the Middle East, the first thing people do is reach for a gun and start firing in the air? Watching the recent victory celebrations following Iraq's big soccer triumph, I found it hard to focus on what winning the Asian Cup means for the future of the country. All I could think of is where those bullets might be landing. Reports out of Baghdad suggest at least four people... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
7 Dead, 50 Wounded by Stray Bullets as Iraqi Soccer Fans Fire Guns in Air
Reuters
29 July 2007
BAGHDAD -- Crowds of ecstatic Iraqis wept tears of joy and fired rifles into the air on Sunday after their soccer team's victory in the Asian Cup triggered the biggest street celebrations since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Police in Baghdad and Kut reported at least seven deaths and more than 50 people wounded by stray bullets as gun-toting revelers took to the streets in a wave of euphoria unprecedented after four years of war.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Stray Bullets Killed At Least 7 Iraqis in Previous Soccer Win Celebrations
Associated Press
29 July 2007
BAGHDAD -- Defying orders from authorities, revelers fired celebratory gunshots and poured into the streets after Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to clinch its first Asian Cup soccer championship today. Mosques broadcast calls for the shooting to stop, and security forces enforced a vehicle ban in an effort to prevent a repeat of car bombings that killed dozens celebrating Iraq's progress to the finals Wednesday. Iraqis welcomed... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
4yr-old's Celebratory Gunfire Death Has Arizona Police Ready for 4th of July
Arizona Republic
20 June 2007
If you're tempted to fire a gun into the air this Fourth of July, you'll pay for it. That's the message from Mayor Phil Gordon, who joined law enforcement and other leaders Wednesday to urge residents against firing guns. "What goes up, comes down and kills individuals like 14-year-old Shannon Smith," said Gordon. "Random gunfire is a crime, a felony. Police will be out." On June 14, 1999 a bullet fell from the... ( gunpolicy.org )
West Africa
Disarmament Convention Hears Nigeria's Call for Global Gun Trade Treaty
Vanguard (Lagos)
21 March 2007
GENEVA -- The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor Joy Ogwu has called on international community, includding manufacturers of Small Arms and Light Weapons as well as brokering firms to take a cue after the ECOWAS Covention, which imposes a ban on arms transfers into, from or through the West African sub-region. The Convention, which was adopted last June, places outright ban on the transfer of these small arms and light weapons... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Woman's Bra Slows Falling Bullet Fired in Celebratory Gunfire
Associated Press
5 January 2007
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- A woman watching New Year's Eve fireworks from a picnic table found out that her bra can do more than lift and support: It also slowed a falling bullet. The .45-caliber bullet struck Debbie Bingham, 46, after someone fired a gun into the air about 20 minutes before midnight. She still needed stitches, but the wound might have been much worse except for the bra strap, police spokesman George Kajtsa said.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Macedonia
Policeman's Daughter Killed by Stray Bullet in Celebratory Wedding Gunfire
Dnevnik Macedonia, Transcript
6 September 2006
'My daughter was killed by shrapnel from a stray bullet, she did not fall from a merry-go-round.' said the sad father, a Kumanovo policeman Adnan Iljazi (36), who lost his 10 years old daughter Herolinda tragically, on July 27. He wants to put an end to all presumptions and speculations that his daughter died from a stab by a buckle or that she fell from a merry-go-round, and he claims that she died from a stray bullet. He... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Turkish Handgun Sale At Odds With Curbs on Celebratory Shootings
ADN Kronos International / AKI
30 August 2006
ISTANBUL -- Seventeen-year-old Ahmet Sahin died after being hit by stray bullets fired in celebration at his sister's engagement ceremony in the western Turkish village of Agri. On the same day, 27 August, Turkey's state-owned gun manufacturer, MKE launched a campaign to sell off its pistol stocks -- offering discounts and installment payment schemes to buyers of any of its 42 firearm models. Gun-control activists say MKE's campaign... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Police Arrest 5 Carloads of Revellers Shooting Guns in the Air
WKMG-TV News (Florida)
1 August 2006
An undercover sting in Orlando, Florida, led to the arrest of five carloads of people for allegedly firing high-powered rifles into the sky for fun, according to a Local 6 News report. Officers stopped the group of people in a parking lot located on Colonial Drive and John Young Parkway Monday night. "The crew that gathers here are gun happy, according to police," Local 6 reporter Samantha Knapp said. "In fact, they bring... ( gunpolicy.org )
Turkey
Celebratory Gun Shots Kill Two More Young Women in Turkey
Hurriyet (Turkey)
27 July 2006
Following the highly publicized deaths this week of two young women in Turkey, both victims of bullets shot from guns fired into the air at celebrations, the head of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ali Bardakoglu, has issued a strong statement to Muslims on the implications of the use of gunfire at celebrations. Said Bardakoglu, "No matter what reason it is done, whether it is at a wedding, a picnic, or after a football match,... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Many Iraqi Soldiers Wounded by Own Guns
Associated Press
3 April 2006
BIDIMNAH, Iraq -- The two bloodied, wincing Iraqi soldiers -- bandages wrapped around their legs -- hobbled onto the waiting ambulance, wounded during a house-to-house search near this farming town. The culprit was a common one: not insurgents, but gunfire from fellow soldiers. U.S. trainers who mentor Iraqi troops say a lack of gun safety, or what they call "muzzle discipline," has led to many injuries and deaths across the country.... ( gunpolicy.org )
Macedonia
Campaign in Macedonia Raises Awareness of Dangers Posed by Gunfire
SEESAC (Belgrade) / South East European Times
27 January 2006
The start of the New Year is traditionally a time when people make resolutions. This year, one of the resolutions Macedonians were asked to make was to refrain from celebrating with gunfire. "Bullets Are Not Greeting Cards -- Celebrate Without Weapons" was the slogan of a five-week campaign launched by the interior ministry in December, in co-operation with the UNDP's Southeastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia
Authorities, Church Call for End to Celebratory Gunfire
SEESAC (Belgrade) / Blic Daily
12 January 2006
In the night of the Orthodox New Year of 2003, Boris Bankovic (37) was killed by a bullet that came through the closed window and lowered blinds while he was sitting in his home armchair. Zorica Simic from New Belgrade since her earliest age counts the last seconds of the old year in her bathroom. Her first memories of the craziest night are not nice at all, as from her early childhood she recalls the broken window pane burst into... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Florida Police Seek Tougher Gun Laws After 2 Hit by Stray Bullets
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale)
12 January 2006
DELRAY BEACH -- Police officials have asked legislators to strengthen gun laws after two people were hurt by stray bullets during the city's First Night celebration. Although police are still looking for whomever was responsible for firing those gunshots into the air, officials said it would have been difficult for an officer to make an arrest that night unless he actually saw someone fire a gun. "An officer could hear... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
In Chicago, 70 Face Felony Charges for Celebratory Shootings
Chicago Tribune
2 January 2006
More than 70 Chicago-area people were behind bars Sunday facing felony charges for ringing in the New Year with celebratory gunfire. Dozens appeared on closed-circuit TV in Bond Court before Cook County Criminal Court Judge Maura Slattery-Boyle, who ordered them held in lieu of bail. Many were charged with weapons offenses ranging from reckless discharge of a weapon to unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. They face sentences... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
In Manila, 26 People Hit, One Killed in Celebratory Gunfire
Philippine Daily Inquirer
2 January 2006
MANILA -- At least three people were killed and more than 600 others were injured in Christmas and New Year's celebrations as many defied a government ban and continued a tradition of reckless celebrations. Most of the injuries, as usual, were caused by firecracker blasts, officials said yesterday. One victim died from indiscriminate gun firing and two men from accidentally eating a popular candy-looking sparkler, called... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Young Mother Loses Eye in New Year's Celebratory Gunfire
WFTV News (Florida)
2 January 2006
ORLANDO, Florida -- Orange County detectives are searching for the person who fired a gun into the air on New Year's Eve. The stray bullet struck a young mother in the head and she lost the use of her right eye. It was supposed to be a night of fun, watching the fireworks in their lakefront yard in Hyland Oaks. But mixed in with those blasts was the sound of a .45-caliber gun. "By the time I hear the sound of the bullet,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Arrests on Rise as Dozens Fire Guns in Celebratory Shootings
WPMI-TV News (Alabama)
1 January 2006
MOBILE, Alabama -- Shots are fired in Birdville, but these bullets don't have a target. "I heard countless numbers of shots from different sides of the neighborhood." Sean Johnson is one of about a dozen people arrested overnight for firing a gun into the air. He says he didn't do it. "No was nobody shooting. We was drinking. We was trying to celebrate the New Year." Celebrating at the Birdville Carwash ... A party Johnson... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Los Angeles: Six Arrested for Shooting Guns on New Year's Eve
KCAL-TV News / CBS (Los Angeles)
1 January 2006
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.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
US Soldier 'Fired in Air,' in Queens, Killed Muslim Woman at Window
New York Times
31 December 2005
The Army private accused of killing a Queens woman with a stray bullet from a gun he fired into the air was arraigned yesterday on manslaughter and weapons charges. The arraignment of the private, Daniel Carpio, came on the same day as an emotional funeral for the woman, Selina Akther, 28, where angry mourners said that the private purposely shot her because she was a Muslim and that the killing should be prosecuted as a hate crime.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Queens Woman Killed by Stray Bullet Through Her Window
New York Times
30 December 2005
It is not clear what prompted Selina Akther to move toward a window of her fifth-floor apartment in Queens, the police said. Her two children were sleeping and her husband was on a phone call to Bangladesh in another room, so they did not see the stray bullet that crashed through the closed window and hit her in her right eye, leaving her an unintended homicide victim. It was shortly before midnight on Wednesday when a man in the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Former Celebratory Shooter Urges Ceasefire on New Year's Eve
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Wisconsin)
29 December 2005
Jeffrey Boler, 35, fired a gun in to the air at midnight on New Year's Eve for most of his life. But now he urges others to refrain, saying the sometimes deadly practice can become addictive. Boler works at a shop that sells T-shirts such as the one he is wearing, with violent and gun-related themes. Boler has continued the tradition of firing shots in the air virtually every New Year's Eve since then. Now 35, he says:... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States, World
Global Efforts to Curb Celebratory Gunfire
Voice of America
29 December 2005
Every year, people around the world celebrating the arrival of a new year by firing guns into the air injure and kill others. The city of Houston, Texas is making a special effort this year to discourage gunfire on New Year's Eve. The coming of the new year is a time of celebration that often turns rowdy and dangerous in some Houston neighborhoods. The tradition of shooting guns in the air at midnight is especially popular in Hispanic... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia, Montenegro
Serbs Admonished to Celebrate New Year Without Firing Guns
Canadian Press / AP
28 December 2005
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro -- Police, sports clubs and even the United Nations have a message to Serbs celebrating the New Year: "Don't shoot!" Worried about the risk to life and limb from celebratory gunfire, the UN Development Program in the Balkan republic, as well as several sports clubs and the police have launched a campaign warning residents to refrain from the annual tradition of firing guns into the night sky as a way... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
End Gun Violence: Youths Should Distribute Trigger Locks
Detroit Free Press (Michigan), Editorial
16 December 2005
Death or serious injury by gun violence is almost always as senseless as it is tragic -- but never more so than when a young person is shot while playing with a loaded gun. Detroit received another reminder of the dangers of having loaded guns in a house last week, when 3-year-old Robert Allen Deason III apparently shot himself in the chest with a 9mm handgun in southwest Detroit. He remained in critical condition Thursday at Children's... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Newark Again Offers to Buy Firearms from Residents
Newsday (New York)
16 August 2005
NEWARK, New Jersey -- Hoping to reduce violence and replicate the success of earlier gun buyback programs, the state's largest city on Monday embarked on two months of purchasing weapons from residents. In 2001 and 2002, Newark spent more than $100,000 to purchase 1,099 firearms from residents. This year's program will use $50,000 seized from wrongdoers. "This is an opportunity for Newark residents to turn in their guns... ( gunpolicy.org )
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Bosnia Awash With Weapons 10 Years After War
Agence France Presse
2 March 2005
British Major Sebastian Wade had a rude awakening when he returned to Bosnia for his second tour of duty as a peacekeeper earlier this year -- the Balkan country is still awash with weapons 10 years since the end of its bitter inter-ethnic war. "I'm surprised that we are still devoting so much manpower to seizing illegal weapons and I'm also surprised that there are still weapons coming in," Wade told AFP during a recent house search... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Man Who Fired Gun in Air Charged in Death
Tampa Tribune (Florida)
16 January 2005
ORLANDO -- An Orlando man who celebrated New Year's Eve by firing his rifle has been charged in the shooting death of a man who lived more than a mile away. Richardo Roach, 24, was charged Friday with manslaughter with a firearm in the death of Henry McDaniel, 75, sheriff's officials said. Roach was released later Friday on $2,500 bail, jail officials said. "It's hard for him to accept that a bullet from his gun hit somebody,"... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Holiday Gunfire Can Be Deadly
Tampa Tribune (Florida), Column
15 January 2005
South Shore isn't the rural area it used to be. Even in the less-populated communities, people need to be more conscious of being good neighbors than they have ever been. The random firing of guns to celebrate holidays, and sometimes on weekends, too, "just for fun" is a long-standing tradition in some areas of Ruskin and Wimauma. But on New Year's Eve, one of those stray bullets almost hit innocent neighbors. Ruth Kelly,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
California City Cracks Down on Celebratory Gunfire
San Mateo County Times (California)
31 December 2004
REDWOOD CITY, California -- A lot of revelers like to ring in the New Year by firing guns in the air. But the dangerous practice is a felony in California, and police in Redwood City have some of the most sophisticated technology available for tracking down the source of gunshots. In an action dubbed "Operation Silent Night," police tonight will go after anyone who fires a weapon at the stroke of midnight. "The... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Newark, New Jersey Pleads With Residents to Avoid 'Celebratory Gunfire'
Associated Press
31 December 2004
NEWARK, New Jersey -- In a city already reeling from a string of recent fatal shootings, police pleaded with residents Friday not to mark the arrival of the new year with bursts of celebratory gunfire. It is an appeal being made across the country in places like Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, New Orleans and other cities where residents typically let loose with gunfire to celebrate New Year's. "I urge the... ( gunpolicy.org )
Philippines
Philippines Police Chief Leads Move to Seal Service Firearms
Philippine Star
30 December 2004
To ensure that policemen do not fire their guns during the welcoming of the New Year, Metro police chief Director Avelino Razon Jr. sealed with tape the issued firearms of the 14,000-strong National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). In his rounds of the five police districts in Metro Manila, Razon warned officers that those found to have fired their guns on New Year's Eve will be dismissed from the police service. "Let... ( gunpolicy.org )
South Africa
Celebratory, Stray Bullets Rain on Homes: Injuries Common
Sunday Times (South Africa)
14 November 2004
Bullets are raining on Bramfischerville, shattering windows and TV sets, and even injuring residents. Some say the mystery missiles come from a shooting range 2km away -- but the manager of the rifle club claims residents are shooting off their guns in the streets When residents who lived near the Jukskei River in Alexandra were relocated to Bramfischerville three years ago, they thought their lives would change for the better.... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
The Right to Bare Arms
New York Times, Editorial
19 July 2004
The latte grande at the Starbucks in Tysons Corner, Va., must have seemed extra steamy last month when two college students bellied up to the bar packing pistols on their hips, as casually as if they wore cellphones. Someone called the police, who confiscated the handguns and charged the students. But wait: the Catch-22 in Virginia's enfeebled gun control laws has kicked in. Sure there's a state law against carrying loaded firearms... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Tennessee Man Takes Stray Bullet to the Head in Ku Klux Klan Initiation
CNN / AP
25 November 2003
JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee -- A bullet fired in the air during a Ku Klux Klan initiation ceremony came down and struck a participant in the head, critically injuring him, authorities said. Gregory Allen Freeman, 45, was charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in the Saturday night incident that wounded Jeffery S. Murr, 24. About 10 people, including two children, had gathered for the ceremony. The man who... ( gunpolicy.org )
Serbia
Plane Reported Shot Down by Wedding Celebratory Gunfire
BBC News
12 October 2003
Guests at a wedding in central Serbia have apparently shot down a small aircraft by mistake. They were celebrating in the traditional way -- firing off shot after shot into the air above the wedding party. Unfortunately, there was a two-seater aircraft flying overhead. One eye-witness told reporters the plane was shot in the left wing. He saw flames coming from the aircraft which a few moments later it... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq, United States
Small Weapons Prove the Real Threat in Iraq
USA Today
29 September 2003
WASHINGTON -- U.S. forces haven't found Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, but they're literally stumbling over a much more immediate threat: weapons of individual destruction. Spc. Moses Rodriques carries rocket-propelled grenades Saturday after the discovery of a large arms cache near Tikrit. These are the mines, booby traps, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers and Soviet-made automatic rifles that are killing... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kosovo
Gun Culture Stymies the UN
Christian Science Monitor
26 September 2003
CERNICA, Kosovo -- The victim was a schoolteacher, killed by a grenade as he sat in a grocery store in the village of Cernica in eastern Kosovo. "He was drawing up lesson plans for the beginning of the school year," says Radusha Brankica a fellow teacher. Crying, she then pleads, "I can't take any more of this violence. With grenades and guns everywhere, how can we stop the killing?" The blast this month was part of a recent... ( gunpolicy.org )
Kosovo
KFOR Operations Seek to Weed Out Illegal Weapons
Stars and Stripes (USA)
20 July 2003
PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Even four years after NATO troops ended the conflict in Kosovo, illegal weapons are presenting a security concern and also a destabilizing factor in development of the province. One way of tackling the problem is frequent intelligence-led Kosovo Force operations. In just one week of such operations, working together with United Nations Mission in Kosovo and Kosovo Police Service, KFOR has confiscated 15 rifles,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Review: Gun Show at Minneapolis Institute of Arts Misfires
Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St Paul)
18 July 2003
Should you be naive enough to imagine that the 65 guns now on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts are really just fancy-pants decorative art -- as the museum's promotional materials claim -- the gun sights will set you straight. Angle your head just right and you can peer through the gleaming telescopic sight on the 1987 "American bolt-action rifle, Mauser" or the 1999 "American single-shot sporting rifle, Hagn action" and... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
U.S. to Clamp Down on Iraqi Weapons
Associated Press
23 May 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- A new U.S. policy aimed at drastically reducing the number of weapons in Iraq will allow people to keep guns for self defense at home but outlaw them almost everywhere else, the commander of American ground forces in Iraq said Friday. Lt. Gen. David McKiernan said permits will be granted to keep guns at home. There will be limits on the type of weapon allowed and the bullet caliber, he said. "The intent... ( gunpolicy.org )
Iraq
Iraqis to Keep Small Arms at Home for Protection
New York Times
21 May 2003
BAGHDAD -- Iraqi citizens will be required to turn over automatic weapons and heavy weapons under a proclamation that allied authorities plan to issue this week, allied officials said today. The aim of the proclamation is to help stabilize Iraq by confiscating the huge supply of AK-47's, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons that are used by criminal gangs, paramilitary groups and remnants of the Saddam Hussein... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Boy, 9, Shot in Buena Park During 4th Festivities
Los Angeles Times
5 July 2002
A 9-year-old was shot and critically wounded in Buena Park late Thursday as he took part in a Fourth of July celebration in a crowded public park, police said. The boy, who was struck once above the waist, was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange with a wound that could be life-threatening, said Police Lt. Corey Sianez. The boy was at Boisseranc Park on Dale Street, north of La Palma Avenue, celebrating with thousands,... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Stray Bullet Kills 8yr-old Louisiana Boy in 4th of July Celebratory Gunfire
Advocate (Louisiana)
3 July 2002
Sandra Pfister didn't know what had happened to her 8-year-old son until she saw the blood seeping from his head. Seth Pfister was killed in his own front yard July 4, 2001, by a falling bullet. He was walking to the car at 4464 St. Gerard St. when he suddenly crumpled to the ground. His older sisters, both outside at the time, thought he was joking. Then came the blood. Sandra Pfister walked outside carrying... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Judges Upheld Ban on Possession in Academic Victory for Gun Lobby
Sun News (South Carolina), Opinion
6 January 2002
The nation's gun lobby is still cheering the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in U.S. v. Emerson, but its enthusiasm may be short-lived. Timothy Joe Emerson, the criminal defendant, had been charged with violating a federal law that banned him from possessing firearms ... The nation's gun lobby is still cheering the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in U.S. v. Emerson, but its enthusiasm may be short-lived. Timothy... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
2 Celebrating With Handguns Are Shot by Police
New York Times
2 January 2002
Two revelers who fired handguns into the air to celebrate the New Year were wounded in separate exchanges of gunfire with the police early yesterday after they turned their weapons on officers, the police said. Hours later, after another year in which the number of murders in the city had declined sharply, the first homicide of the new year occurred. The shootings of the revelers occurred minutes apart, one in Queens, the... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Police Issue Holiday Reminder: No Gunfire
Los Angeles Times
29 December 2001
Bullets fired in celebration, usually on New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July, have killed at least 40 people since 1985 in Los Angeles County. In recent years, however, a major publicity effort by city and county law enforcement agencies has helped reduce the carnage. The Los Angeles Police Department says gunfire reports on New Year's Eve in the city, for example, fell from 788 in 1992 to 500 last year. A device known... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Don't Enact Federal Law to Solve Local Issues
Denver Post (Colorado), Editorial
4 September 2001
Coloradans used to love bashing Texans who thronged here in summer or during hunting season, often in motor homes that should have been registered as aircraft carriers. That's passe now that we can blame Californians for every ill from overbuilding to halitosis. I think the Left Coasters deserve a time out, so I will bash the place of my birth, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, for indirectly giving me and some other Coloradans... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Bill Targets Celebratory Gunfire
Courier-Post (New Jersey)
12 January 2001
In the early moments of 1999, Greg Jaskolka was outside his boyhood home in South Philadelphia, "ringing bells and blowing horns," as he puts it, when his son, Joseph, 11, suddenly fell to the sidewalk. At first, the elder Jaskolka was confused. But leaning down, the former police officer realized what had happened. His son had been hit in the skull by one of the literally hundreds of bullets that were fired into... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Man Killed by Stray Bullet on New Year's
Los Angeles Times
2 January 2001
Benjamin Velasco carried a gun for his job as a security guard, but he did so reluctantly. He rarely touched it at work and refused to bring it near his family. But his caution around guns was not enough to protect him. The 31-year-old father of two girls was killed early New Year's morning after a stray bullet hit him in the back as he stood outside his mother's home in Willowbrook. Sheriff's investigators believe... ( gunpolicy.org )
Palestine
Palestinians' Gun Culture Poses Political, Social Perils
Los Angeles Times
18 August 2000
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- When Ahlam Duqmaq was gunned down in her father's butcher shop by gangs looking for her brothers, Palestinians were outraged. Is our life this cheap? they asked. Who will protect us? Duqmaq's killing became a glaring example of what Palestinians complain is a growing scourge: the militarization of their society, in a land where rival security forces shoot it out in public, young civilian men swagger through... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
New Technology Locates Shooters in Seconds
Channel 2000 (CBS)
29 December 1999
LOS ANGELES -- If you're planning on shooting a gun into the air to celebrate when the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve, change your plans unless you want to get arrested. Los Angeles County officials have adopted a zero-tolerance policy about firing celebratory rounds into the air. And now, they have the technology to back it up. Law enforcement officials will be using a locator computer program called Shot... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
A Gunshot in the Dark Shatters a Family
Cleveland Live
26 December 1999
Friday at dusk, Eudice Tracey observed an ancient tradition: She lighted two candles to signal the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Then she observed another more personal and painful tradition that is nearly five years old: She lighted a third sabbath candle in memory of her daughter, Amy. "Every day is hard, but the holidays, oh, I hate the holidays," she said at a Shaker Square coffeehouse one chilly December evening. "Because... ( gunpolicy.org )
United States
Guns vs. Hired Guns
Wall Street Journal, Editorial
24 February 1999
The mish-mash verdict that came out of the Brooklyn case against handgun manufacturers threw off one clear signal: The jury didn't like gun makers selling their wares to dealers who don't operate from fixed premises, who'd rather deal informally at gun shows or out of their car trunks. Whatever it lacked in evidentiary rigor, it was a nice little pat on the head to Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger, which have policies of selling only to gun... ( gunpolicy.org )
|
|
