Six people were arrested last New Year's Eve for discharging a firearm within the Charleston city limits while celebrating, Police Chief Jerry Williams II said Tuesday.
The individuals were found guilty, fined and had their guns confiscated, he added.
For some people, discharging a shotgun or other firearm into the air at the stroke of midnight is simply part of a New Year’s tradition, but no allowance is made for celebratory gunfire in Charleston.
Simply put, it is illegal.
“There is a zero tolerance for anyone to discharge a firearm in the city of Charleston on any given day,” the chief explained.
Historically, there have been “a lot of firearm discharges on New Year’s Eve” in the city, Williams said.
Police Chief Jerry Williams II
While there are no known occurrences in Charleston, there have been cases in rural Tallahatchie County and elsewhere of people being killed by falling projectiles from guns that were fired into the air. Stray bullets can be lethal.
Experts note that a bullet fired straight into the air will come down at a slower velocity than it went up, but it will still be traveling fast enough to penetrate a human body. A bullet fired into the air comes down 20-90 seconds later, and it can harm someone as far as two miles away, they say.
Williams said there will be serious repercussions for anyone who is found violating the law, even in celebration, noting that a person’s freedom to celebrate ends when the celebration endangers the life of someone else.
“If you are caught or identified discharging a firearm in the city, you will be arrested and taken to jail,” he noted. “There will be a fine and jail time asked for by me for anyone found guilty by the judge.”
Per city ordinance, discharging a firearm within the corporate limits is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine of up to $500 for the first violation and/or up to 90 days in jail. Conviction on a second violation basically doubles those penalties.
