Dear Morons: Don't Shoot Your Guns in the Air on Fourth of July

It is the year 2024, and unfortunately, we still have to remind Miamians not to shoot their guns in the air on the Fourth of July.

For more than 20 years, Miami-Dade County officials have kindly reminded residents not to fire their guns in the air in celebration of July 4 and New Year's Eve. The announcements are part of the "One Bullet Kills the Party" campaign, which launched after someone was shot on New Year's Eve in Overtown in 1997. Miami politicians have teamed up with rapper Pitbull and other celebrities in years past to get the message out.

"Celebratory gunfire is prohibited and will be taken seriously if it were to occur," Miami Beach Police Department spokesperson Christopher Bess tells New Times.

The Miami Police Department issued a similar warning.

"Celebratory gunfire is not only illegal but very dangerous," the department posted on social media. "If you see something like this, report it right away."

(Part 2 of 6) 4th OF JULY SAFETY!
Celebratory gun fire is not only illegal but very dangerous. If you see something like this, report it right away.@CityofMiamiFire @CityofMiami pic.twitter.com/IKPobn2W1N

— Miami PD (@MiamiPD) July 3, 2024

You are probably wondering, Are these reminders really necessary all these years later? Yes, people seem to forget that whatever goes up must come down — a basic law of gravity — and stray bullets have continued to injure folks amid holiday celebrations in Florida.

During Fourth of July celebrations in 2019, a 2-month-old baby was struck by celebratory gunfire. Six months later, on New Year's Eve, a woman visiting downtown Delray Beach was hit in the leg by a stray bullet. As a woman watched fireworks with her 13-year-old daughter in West Palm Beach on July 4, 2022, she was struck by gunfire out of nowhere. Another woman was hit in the face by a stray bullet, presumed to be celebratory gunfire, on New Year's Eve in 2022 in Lake Mary.