Millions of people will celebrate the start of 2013 Monday night – and South Florida leaders are asking that you do it without a gun.
“Celebrate with family, friends, party all night long if you'd like to, use sparkles if you'd like, anything, but do not, do not shoot guns into the air,” Miami-Dade County Commissioner Audrey Edmonson said. “As you know when a bullet goes up, this is Earth. We have gravity. That bullet will come back down and it can come back down on someone’s property or on someone themselves.”
Miami-Dade Authorities Push Firework Safety for New Year's
Five-year-old Rickia Isaac was killed in 1997 by a falling bullet on New Year’s. Earlier this year on the 4th of July, two people were hit after someone fired into the air at a Coral Gables fireworks show. One of them was Anaid Romero.
“They probably don’t even know that they hurt people and they hurt families that had to observe it and look at it, the pain that it caused,” Romero told NBC 6 South Florida.
So, the mayor has a message for everyone celebrating.
“Please party. Do not kill the party with a bullet,” Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado said. “If you want to hear a bang, just go to Bayfront Park and just hear the fireworks and see the Big Orange come up.”
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VIDEO: No Celebratory Gunfire on New Year's Eve, Miami Officials Urge
Law enforcement also advises people to be on the lookout. No matter how many times people here the message, unfortunately there continue to be victims hit by stray bullets.
“We will have enough police officers out there tonight, that if you do see somebody shooting a gun up in the air, please call,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Orosa said. “Call quickly, because you may be saving a life.”
