HOUSTON — It’s that time of the year when fireworks and gunfire could light up the night skies on New Year's Eve, but in the city limits of Houston, both are illegal.
“It is illegal, let me underscore illegal and dangerous, let me underscore dangerous to fire a gun into the air,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.
Firing off random gunfire could get you a hefty fine or land you in jail.
“We’re going to have plain clothes officers, and we’re going to have uniformed officers just out on patrol for that,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said.
Last year, there were nine arrests for celebratory gunfire and 392 calls for services. Two people were injured by celebratory gunfire, a 21-year-old and an 8-year-old.
“It’s unsafe and downright dangerous and we want to put an end to it,” Finner said.
Setting off fireworks in Houston could lead to a fine between $500 and $5,000, and according to Assistant Fire Chief Rodney West, nationally there are “3 to 10 deaths, 9000 injuries annually due to fireworks.”
The Houston Fire Department sees a 20 percent increase in calls during this time of year and is asking people to be considerate of others because fireworks could lead to serious damage.
“Houses are being destroyed, apartment complexes are being burned, people are being injured,” Turner said.
Crime Stoppers will offer rewards of $5,000 if someone is caught shooting a gun into the air.
You can watch the message from Houston city officials on fireworks and celebratory gunfire in the video below: