Don't Bring In The New Year With Gun-Fire Demonstrations

Detroit has "unique" traditions. One such tradition is the burning of cars (i.e. car-be-cues) and abandoned buildings on Angel's Night (AKA Devil's Night). However, recent governmental administrations have called upon the community to conduct citizen's patrols to help the police and fire department monitor the city. Recent efforts have been successful to keep the number of arsons down during this period.

However, another Detroit tradition continues unabated. Many people in this town feel the need to shoot their firearms at midnight. In fact, some idiots can't wait and start shooting at early as 11:00 p.m.

A casual observer to our town may think it is a celebratory gesture. Nothing could be further from the truth. The truly astute people here know that people engage in this reckless behavior for essentially one purpose: to let other folks in the hood know that this house has guns and that its residents are not afraid to use them.

Shooting a firearm while it is aimed at the sky is reckless. Simple physics dictates that what goes up (i.e. the bullet) must come down. The perpetrator of this self-less act is often deluded that his act is harmless. A bullet falling from the sky is traveling at 700 feet/second when it comes to rest. This velocity is more than enough to penetrate the skull of an adult.

Sometime during the night tonight and a throughout a period in the wee hours of the next morning, it will be literally be raining bullets in the city of Detroit. As a consequence of the hail of lead falling from the sky, many Detroiters are forced to bring in the New Year in their basements. Apartment dwellers will be forced to take their chances by only being able to lie on the floor of their units. You know how the saying goes, "bullets don't have any names on them."

Thus, I ask you - my fellow Detroiters - to end this practice of shooting guns in the sky at the dawn of a new year. This irresponsible act could needlessly end someone's life. If you don't own a gun, but know someone who does and has plans to shoot it in the sky take a moment to talk him out of it.