Fun for some, deadly for others: celebratory gunfire kills dozens
Dozens of people across the region and the world were wounded by a dangerous New Year tradition – celebrating by firing guns into the air.
Bullets fired into the air return to the ground at up to 330kph, the Saginaw Police Department in Michigan said. Recent research has indicated that 220kph is enough to penetrate the skull.
Bystanders around the world were wounded by celebratory gunfire in places including Pakistan, the US and the Philippines on New Year’s Eve. At least 19 people were injured by stray bullets in the Pakistani city Karachi on Monday night.
The number of injuries are just as high in the Middle East, where the popular practice regularly results in the death or injury of bystanders.
In Iraq, where it is a tradition to fire guns at occasions such as weddings, funerals and sporting events, 104 people across the country were wounded because of it and firework accidents on Monday night, the Iraqi Health Ministry said.
Most of the incidents took place in Baghdad, which recorded at least 47 injuries, including 10 from stray bullets.
The health directorate of Al Rusafa district in Baghdad said 78 were wounded in the area, including at least 20 by stray bullets.
In war-torn Syria, the conflict did not stop people celebrating the new year. In the coastal city of Latakia, at least 15 people were wounded by celebratory gunfire, the Aleppo Media Network reported.
There were unconfirmed reports that a young girl was killed by a stray bullet, Hama
Now news outlet said, and a man lost one of his fingers.
Videos on social media networks showed heavy gunfire and fireworks in Latakia overnight, with the sound of blasts echoing across the city.
In Lebanon, where such celebrations are deadly and common, at least five people were
injured because of stray bullets, including a 10-year-old in the southern city of Tyre who was shot in the neck, the Internal Security Forces said.
Victims also included two people in the northern city of Tripoli, a man in the northern district of Akkar and one bystander in the Beirut suburb of Ouzai.
Security forces say they have arrested suspects believed to be responsible for the shooting.
The figure is significantly lower than previous years, partly because Lebanese security forces have been posted in mass to prevent offences. This year there were 13,000 security personnel across the country.
The Lebanese army said before celebrations that legal action would be taken against anyone who shot into the air.
There are an estimated four million licensed guns in Lebanon, where celebratory gunfire is illegal according to a 1959 law that states “anyone firing in residential areas or in a crowd, whether their gun is licensed or not” faces up to three years in prison or a fine.
Lebanese police say they have made hundreds of arrests since 2016.
In Iraq, popular opinion seems to be slowly turning against celebratory gunfire and officials have warned against it.
The country’s former prime minister, Haider Al Abadi, promised to launch a campaign to stop people doing it.
In Lebanon, security officials have been joined by party leaders, including Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah, in denouncing the practice.
One member of parliament has submitted a draft law increasing the jail time for such gunfire to up to 20 years, and the maximum fine to the equivalent of $12,500.
The bill has received support from various political parties, but it has yet to be passed in parliament.