Making a dent
Kevin picked up on my post to the PAC2 listserv about "celebratory gunfire" around town on New Year's Eve. In years past, i've heard maybe half a dozen to a dozen burst, from one or two shots to maybe 6 or 7 at a time in the period immediately surrounding midnight. This year in the same location gunfire was pretty much non-stop between 10:30 and 1 am (one emailer tells me it continued to 5 am where he was), and it certainly sounded like hi capacity magazines being emptied. I counted 17 or 18 shots on more than one occasion.
Commenters on Kevin's thread are posting all over the place. DR writes:
He then adds:
Meanwhile, MS writes:
A quick google search on the terms "celebratory gunfire" reveals, as expected, that this problem is not unique to Durham. And in many cases, it has taken a "high profile" tragedy to inspire action. But in many cases that action has been effective, and the concept isn't that hard to dollow or the tactics that hard to duplicate.
First, City Council has to make it a felony to recklessly discharge a firearm in the city limits. currently it's a misdemeanor, punishable by 30 days or $500. Make it a felony punishable by up to 36 months and a $25,000 fine. (It may be that this falls under the "needs permission from the legislature to enact" part of our state constitution. If anybody knows for sure, please let me know. For now, i'm assuming this is within council's purview.)
Then, beginning December 1, the city and DPD make an intensive effort to inform the citizenry that celebratory gunfire will not be tolerated. A dozen billboards around town, bus sides, PSAs, newspaper articles and ads, a couple of high profile press conferences with Jose Lopez and Bill Bell announcing the new higher penalties for recklessly discharging a weapon in town. Also set up a special number for folks to call to report gunfire in their neighborhood, and publicize the heck out of it.
On NYE, put an extra couple of dozen patrol cars out on the streets specifically to respond to gunfire reports.
Make a couple of dozen arrests.
Repeat as necessary.
Experience shows that within two or three years, people get the message.
Of course, we could always wait until there's a "high profile death" resulting from this practice before we decide to do anything about it. That seems to be the way most things get done around here.
Commenters on Kevin's thread are posting all over the place. DR writes:
I think legalizing more types of fireworks would help. Or we could urge people to shoot blanks, as Michael suggested on the PAC2 listserv.
Blanks are pretty hard to come by (they're not sold at Dick's), but I usually have the more common cartridge varieties from boy scout firearms instruction. I actually thought about distributing these in the neighborhoods where I do some volunteer work, but was worried about running afoul of some law.
He then adds:
More enforcement will help, though I don't think it will eliminate the problem. With all of the drinking, assault, arson, and other shenanigans on NYE I think the police are pretty busy.(emphasis added)
Most effective would be a public education campaign; this seems to have helped in other cities. Unfortunately it usually takes a high profile shooting death, as happened in my home town of New Orleans in 1994.
Meanwhile, MS writes:
I would be interested to know what the DPD would like to say about this method of celebration, and how, if at all, can it be curtailed in the future? I disagree with David Rollins via Michael of PAC2, comments about handing out blanks. How can the sound of blanks being shot reassure me as a responsible, law abiding citizen, that they weren't real? I would never know that. Regardless, why should the celebration of a handful of folks in my neighborhood be impressed upon me with the uncontrolled sound of gunfire? I take pride in treating my neighbors with respect. Shooting real or blank rounds to celebrate New Year or 4th of July, or whatever holiday, is not excusable. I agree with Barry that folks should be arrested for discharging a firearm in the City limits, but when it was so widespread as it was on Monday night, how would they be able to make a dent?
A quick google search on the terms "celebratory gunfire" reveals, as expected, that this problem is not unique to Durham. And in many cases, it has taken a "high profile" tragedy to inspire action. But in many cases that action has been effective, and the concept isn't that hard to dollow or the tactics that hard to duplicate.
First, City Council has to make it a felony to recklessly discharge a firearm in the city limits. currently it's a misdemeanor, punishable by 30 days or $500. Make it a felony punishable by up to 36 months and a $25,000 fine. (It may be that this falls under the "needs permission from the legislature to enact" part of our state constitution. If anybody knows for sure, please let me know. For now, i'm assuming this is within council's purview.)
Then, beginning December 1, the city and DPD make an intensive effort to inform the citizenry that celebratory gunfire will not be tolerated. A dozen billboards around town, bus sides, PSAs, newspaper articles and ads, a couple of high profile press conferences with Jose Lopez and Bill Bell announcing the new higher penalties for recklessly discharging a weapon in town. Also set up a special number for folks to call to report gunfire in their neighborhood, and publicize the heck out of it.
On NYE, put an extra couple of dozen patrol cars out on the streets specifically to respond to gunfire reports.
Make a couple of dozen arrests.
Repeat as necessary.
Experience shows that within two or three years, people get the message.
Of course, we could always wait until there's a "high profile death" resulting from this practice before we decide to do anything about it. That seems to be the way most things get done around here.
Labels: 27701, Durham, Durham police, local government
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5 Comments:
Excellent suggestions, Barry. These are specific action items that officials can start working on right away.
By
Anonymous, at 10:57 AM
Shotspotter!
By
Anonymous, at 12:24 PM
"Celebratory gunfire" is a long tradition in Chicago, where I lived before moving to Durham. It was something you just expected every year (and whenever the Bulls won a championship during the Phil Jackson/Michael Jordan era). People do get hit by stray bullets all the time ... what goes up must come down. I think the city of Chicago has dampened the ardor for celebratory gunfire in recent years with public education and increased patrols/enforcement. I think Durham could quash the trend before it becomes more widespread if officials take it seriously and get on the stick now.
By
Lisa B., at 12:57 PM
My old neighborhood in East Palo Alto (which borders Menlo Park, where the Shotspotter noted by "anonymous" was invented) was the original testing ground for this system. We didn't have to wait until New Year's Eve to hear gunfire, which sucked for living, but it did make it a useful beta site for gunshot detection.
By
Anonymous, at 3:46 PM
I'd be happy to see more arrests under the current law. Changing the law might run afoul of the gun lobby (including me, DR). I get worried enough about being prosecuted for "warning shots" (though I always aim for soft ground or a thick bush rather than up in the air).
Shotspotter is cool, but I thought it was only for larger cities until I saw it was being used in my hometown of Baton Rouge and in smaller cities such as Charleston.
Probably the best Durham can muster is a public awareness campaign.
By
Anonymous, at 4:23 AM
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