FLORIDA, USA — As families and friends celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, law enforcement officials are urging Floridians to be safe and steer away from celebratory gunfire.
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office is reminding residents that firing celebratory shots into the air is both dangerous and illegal.
"In years past, many people have been seriously injured or killed by falling bullets," the sheriff's office said in a news release on Thursday.
Additionally, the sheriff's office said it will have a no-tolerance on illegal gun use, including celebratory gunfire on holidays.
Firing celebratory gunfire is illegal across the entire state of Florida, actually. Discharging a firearm in public or on residential property is a punishable first-degree misdemeanor, according to Florida law, with exceptions for a person lawfully defending life or property, or when hunting.
Choosing safety is not limited to firing shots, but also when putting on fireworks displays.
"The Hernando County Sheriff's Office recommends either leaving it to the pyrotechnics professionals or maybe finding an alternate way to celebrate the holiday," the sheriff's office said.