“Celebratory gunfire anywhere is unacceptable and against the law,” Tampa police Chief Brian Dugan said Wednesday in a statement. “We want everyone to have a safe, enjoyable New Year’s Eve without the fear that their life or someone else’s may be cut short by a falling bullet.”
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The police department on Wednesday released a public service announcement to remind people of the dangers of celebratory gunfire.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a bullet fired into the air can return to the ground at speeds exceeding 200 feet per second, "a sufficient force to penetrate the human skull and cause serious injury or death."
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Tampa police warned that bullets shot into the air can put anything or anyone within a 2-mile radius at risk of damage or injury.
“Don’t ruin a good time with dangerous, unnecessary celebratory gunfire,” Dugan said in the PSA. “There are consequences to your actions.”
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