Celebratory gunfire is the shooting of a firearm into the air in celebration. It is culturally accepted in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and in Latin regions like Puerto Rico as well as southern and rural areas of the United States. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Balkan peninsula with northwest border Isonzo-Krka-Sava The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe a region of southeastern Europe. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... Latin peoples and cultures are related, in some way, to the language or culture of the ancient latin-speaking population of Italy. ...

A Lebanese unload is the practice of firing off all remaing rounds from an automatic weapon into the air.^{[citation needed]} M2 machine gun An automatic firearm is a firearm that will continue to load and fire rounds of ammunition as long as the trigger (or equivalent) is activated or until it runs out of ammunition. ...

Injuries due to celebratory gunfire

People are sometimes injured when bullets discharged into the air fall back down. In ballistics, this is called space bullet trauma. A round travelling 820 meters per second will climb more than three kilometers before beginning its slightly slower descent.^{[citation needed]} The mortality rate among those struck by "space bullets" is about 32%, compared with about 2–6% normally associated with gunshot wounds.^{[citation needed]} This alarmingly high number is indicative of the fact that the vast majority of SBT wounds are head wounds. A study[1] by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80% of celebratory gunfire-related injuries are to the head, feet, and shoulders. Firearms expert Julian Hatcher studied falling bullets and found that they reach terminal velocities of 60 meters per second or more — enough to pierce a human skull. Ballistics (gr. ... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, is recognized as the leading United States agency for protecting the public health and safety of people. ... Julian Hatcher, 1888-1963, was a noted firearms expert and author of the early twentieth century. ...

In 2005, the United Nations Development Programme ran education campaigns on the dangers of celebratory gunfire in Serbia and Montenegro.[2] The United Nations Development Programe (UNDP), the United Nations global development network, is the largest multilateral source of development assistance in the world. ... Anthem: Bože pravde (English: God of Justice) Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Serbian written with the Cyrillic alphabet1 Government Republic  - Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica  - President Boris Tadić Establishment    - Formation 814   - First Serbian Uprising 1804   - Internationally recognized July 13, 1878   - Kingdom of SCS created December 1, 1918   - SCG dissolved... Anthem: Oj, svijetla majska zoro Oh, the bright dawn of May Capital (and largest city) Podgorica Serbian (Ijekavian dialect)1 Government Republic  - President Filip Vujanović  - Prime Minister Željko Å turanović Independence from Serbia and Montenegro   - Declared June 3, 2006   - Recognised June 8, 2006  Area  - Total 13. ...

See also

• 21-gun salute
• Shannon's law — a law in Arizona prohibiting this practice

The 21-gun salute is a military honour performed when 21 rounds are fired from a cannon, rifle, or other form of firearm. ... Shannons law in the US state of Arizona, makes it an offence to fire guns into the air. ...

External links

• UN Development Programme activity report
• Can a bullet fired into the air kill someone when it comes down? The Straight Dope
• AnswerBag