# Iraqis (and others) shooting guns into the air **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 15, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033 "2003-12-15T01:34:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/1 "2003-12-15T01:34:42Z")
Those bullets have to come down somewhere. For those who shoot their guns into the air in a city like Baghdad, these could come down and hit people causing harm, I suppose. Do those who shoot into the air not think of this possibility, or do they just not care? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/2 "2003-12-15T01:48:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Standup Karmic \* > \*\*Those bullets have to come down somewhere. For those who shoot their guns into the air in a city like Baghdad, these could come down and hit people causing harm, I suppose. Do those who shoot into the air not think of this possibility, or do they just not care? \*\* They probably don’t care. The same thing happens around New Year’s here. Just plain stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/3 "2003-12-15T01:52:31Z")
Obligatory [Uncle Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a950414b.html) and [NewScientist](http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw142) links. As for _why_ that do it, I think they do it in lieu of fireworks (WAGs are allowed since this is posted in IMHO, right?). They make nice banging sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/4 "2003-12-15T02:18:50Z")
From what I understand, ammunition is more plentiful in Iraq right now than fireworks are. And enforcement of any laws restricting gunfire in the city limits might well be a bit tricky right now… ---
**Author:** ![Astra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@Astra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astra)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/5 "2003-12-15T05:09:28Z")
Shooting guns into the air used to be really popular on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans. A couple years ago, WWL was covering the renovation of the Super Dome and showed workers sweeping up the bullets that had collected on top of it over the years, along with some pictures of the damage done to the roof itself. How stupid are people? Wait, don’t answer that. ---
**Author:** ![Standup\_Karmic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Standup\_Karmic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Standup_Karmic)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/6 "2003-12-15T05:22:23Z")
So…do you think that where this kind of thing is a tradition that the people don’t think of the ramifications, or don’t care? ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/7 "2003-12-15T05:45:38Z")
I don’t know how much of a tradition it is in Iraq. One of the news stories I read earlier today about Saddam’s capture noted that a previous gun-firing celebration in Iraq (fall of Bahgdad, perhaps?) had resulted in 12 deaths from falling, spent bullets. We’ve had problems at New Year’s here in Houston. ---
**Author:** ![censored](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/35a633/32.png) [@censored](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/censored)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/8 "2003-12-15T08:17:56Z")
I read that there was quite a few deaths from celebratory gunfire when Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed. ---
**Author:** ![Bernard\_Marx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@Bernard\_Marx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bernard_Marx)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/9 "2003-12-15T11:20:38Z")
**Iraqis (and others) shooting guns into the air** …also known as a “Beirut unload” ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/10 "2003-12-15T12:56:02Z")
> [@](#): > > As might be expected, measurements are rather difficult and the above values come from a computer model of the flight. From watching tracer fire, there ain’t no way the bullets travel up for 17 seconds. Did not time it, but it seems closer to four seconds. So the disclaimer is a good thing for that article ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/iraqis-and-others-shooting-guns-into-the-air/219033/11 "2003-12-15T16:50:03Z")
This drives me batshit. I just don’t get it. If I’m happy, the last thing I’m thinking about is firing a weapon. Sheesh, why don’t you lay a big wet one on your neighbor instead?