As festivities ramp up for the Fourth of July, municipalities across the 狐狸视频 region are reminding residents about the danger of celebratory gunfire.
The Missouri Legislature passed a bill this year seeking to enact harsher penalties for celebratory gunfire, and the bill now awaits Missouri Gov. Mike Parson鈥檚 signature. In the meantime, local leaders say they鈥檒l use existing tools to try to rein in the dangerous practice this year.
鈥淲hat goes up must come down, and spent bullets can kill or maim a child, adult, or pet, and cause expensive property damage,鈥 Florissant Mayor Tim Lowery and police Chief Tim Fagan said in a recent news release.
Several people in the 狐狸视频 region have been hit by stray, celebratory gunfire in recent years, including a man last year who was shot in the hand while walking on Goodfellow Boulevard in 狐狸视频.
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And in 2011, an 11-year-old girl was killed after shots were fired in the air on the Fourth of July in Kansas City.
Florissant police Officer Steve Michael said there were no incidents of celebratory gunfire this past weekend, but that there were many calls for fireworks being set off.
鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 hard to tell whether they鈥檙e fireworks or gunshots,鈥 Michael said. 鈥淧assing gunfire off as fireworks, that is definitely against the law.鈥
狐狸视频 police Sgt. Charles Wall said during a weekly crime update that the city aims to curtail the issue by increasing the number of uniformed officers downtown through the department鈥檚 summer detail force.
鈥淲ith the holiday and the planned festivities downtown, we鈥檒l have additional resources that day,鈥 Wall said.
The Lake County man was in critical condition at a hospital.
Fair 狐狸视频 is taking a break from its usual three-day celebration, but there are plenty of other ways to spend the July Fourth holiday.
There will be July Fourth fireworks framed by the Gateway Arch, and the 140th America鈥檚 Birthday Parade will roll down Market Street in the morning.
Firework sellers are seeing similar sales to years past despite inflation and dry weather ahead of Fourth of July.