&gt; sure, there were probably a few drunks firing into the air, but that&#x27;s more reckless than violent<p>Seeing as it can lead to fatalities to bystanders [1], I would be fine calling it &quot;violent&quot;. [EDIT: &quot;potentially violent&quot; being perhaps a better term].<p>In my opinion, this is why at last <i>gun education</i> would be a good bipartisan way to reduce gun accidents (if not gun crime). If a police dispatcher does not think that firing into the air is serious problem and can <i>kill people</i>, that in itself is a big problem.<p>I was browsing the ShotSpotter website, and they have a paper that talks specifically about celebratory gunfire. [2]<p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;magazine-14616491" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bbc.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;magazine-14616491</a><p>[2] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.shotspotter.com&#x2F;system&#x2F;content-uploads&#x2F;MYTHS_about_Celebratory_Gunfire.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.shotspotter.com&#x2F;system&#x2F;content-uploads&#x2F;MYTHS_abou...</a>