Don't shoot
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on December 30, 2016 6:37 AM
What goes up must come down -- including bullets.
Plenty of people celebrate New Year's Eve by shooting fireworks or firearms into the sky when the clock strikes the 12, but law enforcement is urging people in the city to resist the urge to shoot guns at midnight on New Year's and to use caution if doing so in the county.
"There is no law against shooting a gun out in the county, but just shoot in a safe direction or at a target," said Maj. Tom Effler with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.
But shooting a gun at all in the city limits of Goldsboro is against the law and is explicitly prohibited by Chapter 130.01 of the city's code of ordinances, which can be found at http://www.amlegal.com/codes/client/goldsboro_nc/.
The city implemented an automatic gunshot detection system -- called ShotSpotter -- on July 22 of this year at 7 p.m.
With the technology, officers can quickly respond to anywhere a gun is fired if it falls within the several mile radius covered by the system.
Goldsboro Police Chief Mike West said the system can differentiate between fireworks and gunshots.
Regardless, officers are urging people to let the guns lie and not shoot any rounds in any direction when the calendar switches to the new year.
"Be mindful of any laws or city ordinances about firearm laws," said Capt. Leann Rabun, supervisor of the Goldsboro Police Department's D-shift.
Rabun said during her 12 years on the police department, gunfire incidents on New Year's Eve have varied by location and frequency, but the number of occurrences has steadily been on the rise.
"Your first year here they warn you about New Year's Eve and fireworks and firearms being a celebratory way to bring in the new year," Rabun said.
With how densely populated the city is, there is no telling what -- or who -- the bullets could strike when they fall back down from the sky.
"When you shoot a gun in the air, what goes up must come down," West said. "Some people say, 'Well I won't shoot it in the air, I'll shoot it in the ground.' If you shoot it in the ground, it might hit something hard and ricochet. It's just never a good idea to be discharging any kind of firearm in the city."
Effler said law enforcement will be patrolling all over the county New Year's Eve, and while it isn't illegal to shoot a gun off in the county, people still should not shoot them into the air.
"We're reminding people to stay safe and stay indoors around the midnight hour because there are people that don't abide by the laws and do shoot guns into the air," Rabun said.