Fireworks aren’t the only potentially dangerous objects the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office discourages people from shooting into the air for the Fourth of July weekend.
The ECSO reminds the public not to celebrate the holiday by firing a gun recklessly.
“What goes up, must come down,” pointed out ECSO spokesman Detective David Ehsanipoor.
A bullet coming down from being shot into the air can reach a velocity of more than 200 feet per second, which can penetrate the human skull, he added.
“It’s always been a problem at New Year’s and the Fourth of July – people like to celebrate with gunfire,” Ehsanipoor said.
Effingham County has had “a couple incidents in recent years” of people being struck from so-called celebration shootings, Ehsanipoor said. However, the ECSO’s message to stop that type of revelry seems to be getting across.
The ECSO hopes for the community’s continued support after receiving “a lot of cooperation from the public last New Year’s,” Ehsanipoor said. Deputies are asking people to encourage their friends and family not to endanger others by firing guns to celebrate a holiday.
“Please put your guns down. Don’t fire into the air,” Ehsanipoor said.
Also, the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office will have extra deputies patrolling local roads this weekend to watch for people driving under the influence, speeding or not following seat belt and child restraint laws.
“Putting more patrol deputies on the road will help make the holiday weekend safer and help families avoid needless tragedies,” said Sheriff Jimmy McDuffie.
In addition, the ECSO’s traffic enforcement team will have random safety checkpoints throughout the county.
“This is zero-tolerance,” Ehsanipoor said. “If you drink, get a designated driver. We’ve already had too many traffic fatalities this year.”