MPW: "Let’s stop dangerous celebratory gunfire"

It’s time to call a cease-fire to the celebratory gunshots, which have become a New Year’s Eve ritual as reckless as drunken driving.

A Chesterfield County home was apparently hit late Tuesday night by a stray bullet that struck the exterior of a child’s bedroom but did not enter the house, police said.

That incident was a sad reminder of the Fourth of July death of 7-year-old Brendon Mackey, of Chesterfield, who was killed by a stray bullet while waiting to see a fireworks show on Swift Creek Reservoir in Brandermill. The case remains unsolved.

...

As it is, the applicable charge for celebratory gunfire is reckless handling of a firearm, a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail, Shand said.

State Sen. Henry L. Marsh III wants to up the ante, even for celebratory gunfire that doesn’t find a target.

Marsh, a Richmond Democrat, and Del. Joseph D. Morrissey, D-Henrico, have submitted legislation that would increase penalties for celebratory gunfire. The so-called “Brendon’s Law” would make the willful discharge of a firearm with no discernable target within a city or town limits, or within 2 miles of an occupied building, punishable by five to 40 years in prison if the bullet kills someone.

Such gunfire resulting in injury but not death would be a Class 3 felony (five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000); such conduct that results in no bodily injury would be a Class 6 felony (up to five years incarceration and a maximum fine of $2,500).

“I’m asking them to increase the punishment so it would be a deterrent to people who don’t think about it,” Marsh said Thursday. “They really don’t focus on the fact that if you shoot a bullet in the air, it’s going to come back down.”

The legislation provides an opportunity to educate the public and save lives, he said. “It happens in the rural areas, it happens in inner cities, it happens regardless of the race of the shooter or the victim. It’s a universal problem.”

...

“I don’t think the gun lobby should oppose this,” Marsh said. “This is not about people having guns. It’s about shooting guns in situations where injury or death can occur … Most people follow the law. If we can change the law, we can change the conduct. If we can save one child’s life, it’ll be worth the effort.”

But Marsh can expect opposition from the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a gun-rights lobby.

Its president, Philip Van Cleave, called the bill “too vague and loaded with felonies,” and said it’s directed at people who would be charged with other offenses. “We just don’t find that it’s a very good bill, or even if it’s necessary.”

As for the idea that the legislation will educate people to the risks of such behavior, he said: “If the state wants to do that, run some commercials every now and then. If you really want to educate people, just changing the law won’t educate people.”

Still, the VCDL strongly discourages anybody from doing celebratory shooting in the air with rifles and handguns. The bullets in those firearms can travel a considerable distance, and have a weight and mass that create dangerous force upon descent. “Rifles and guns are not really designed to be fired up in the air,” Van Cleave said.

Shotguns, on the other hand, are intended for bird hunting, and use relatively lightweight pellets that disperse and lose energy quickly, he said.

Click to expand...

Nightmare said:

On information and belief, that was the result of a drive-by shooting.

It is not possible to prove the source of a random bullet without further evidence - a match between bullet and barrel, e.g. The chances of a truly random air-shot hitting a man sized target are on the order of 1:10^7 - the ratio of the surface area of a semi-sphere of radius range to the surface area of the target.

Click to expand...

TFred said:

Interesting, the PC police are hard at work. I saw an article a few days ago which noted that this is a tradition commonly observed in Latin culture... and increasing here as that culture increases here... the article has since been deleted.

TFred

Click to expand...

Citizen said:

I love the little weasel quote at the end that makes it seem like Philip implied firing a shotgun into the air isn't dangerous. Make it look like he might not be opposed to celebratory shotgunning.

Click to expand...

Thundar said:

Nah, Philip has just been listening to Shotgun Joe. :banghead:

Ask Marsh if he really believes that those that follow Biden's advice should be turned into felons. :shocker:

Click to expand...

Thundar said:

Nah, Philip has just been listening to Shotgun Joe. :banghead:

Ask Marsh if he really believes that those that follow Biden's advice should be turned into felons. :shocker:

Click to expand...

2a4all said:

SNIP Elmer Fudd was never pwosecuted for firing his shotgun at that pesky wabbit.

Click to expand...

Repeater said:

Michael Paul Williams provides free advertising to Henry Marsh; don't know how this could be enforced:

Let’s stop dangerous celebratory gunfire

Click to expand...

thnycav said:

Why do they not just fire blanks. They do make them for many different calibers.

Click to expand...

The Legislative Black Caucus this morning outlined its legislative priorities for the General Assembly session starting today, including support for a bill criminalizing celebratory gunfire.

“Brendon’s Law” would make it a felony to shoot a firearm without a “discernible of designated target” within any Virginia city or town or within two miles of an occupied building. It is named for Brendon Mackey, a 7-year-old Chesterfield County boy who died July 5 after being struck in the head with a bullet fired into the air, said the bill’s patron, Sen. Henry Marsh, a Chesterfield Democrat.

Violating the law would be a Class 6 felony, punishable by one to five years in prison. Celebratory gunfire that results in a death would be punishable by five to 40 years behind bars.

“Shooting a gun has consequences,” Marsh said during the press conference at the Capitol. “When you shoot up, the bullet is eventually going to come down.”

Click to expand...

Repeater said:

Why is this a 'Black' issue?

Any insight?

Va. bill seeks to criminalize celebratory gunfire

The Legislative Black Caucus this morning outlined its legislative priorities for the General Assembly session starting today, including support for a bill criminalizing celebratory gunfire.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...