No Raining Bullets This New Year's Eve

Firing a gun in the air this new year's will land you in jail

Miami-Dade authorities want you to have a safe and happy New year's and that means keeping your gun in your holster.

Officials banded together Thursday to remind people that New year's might be made for noisemakers, but guns and stray bullets can bring a deadly mix to the party.

"Guns are not the answer,'' said The Rev. Jerome Starling at a press conference. "Please do not shoot. Just don't shoot. Just don't fire.''

Since 2007, there have been a hand full of deaths on New Year's Eve that can be attributed to random gunfire to celebrate the occasion.

Last year, a little boy was shot to death in Opa Locka while hiding behind a sofa that was the target of someone emptying a clip as the clock struck midnight.

A year before that, Corey Baker and Audley Ebanks were the unintended victims of stray bullets, the Miami Herald reports.

Even shooting a gun in the air can kill someone. The bullet eventually has to come down and it travels at a deadly rate of speed as it descends, police officials said.

So remember, popping champagne bottles is good for celebrating. Making your gun pop is not.

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