INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — There are a lot of ways to ring in the New Year, but Indianapolis police say shooting a gun into the air shouldn’t be one of them.
Every year, dispatchers get calls about people firing weapons into the air on New Year’s Eve, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.
IMPD says this isn’t just illegal, it’s also dangerous.
“A bullet fired into the air can ascend a mile or more in the air. Smaller caliber ammunition can fall at a rate of 300 feet per second and larger caliber ammunition can fall at a rate of 500 feet per second,” IMPD said. “A rate of 150 to 170 feet per second can penetrate the human skin, while a velocity of 200 feet per second is sufficient to penetrate the human skull.”
A person arrested for shooting a gun into the air could face a charge of felony criminal recklessness punishable and spend up to 2.5 years in jail if convicted. There is also a possible fine of up to $10,000.
IMPD encourages anyone who sees someone firing a weapon to call 911.