<P> Celebratory gunfire (also called aerial firing or happy fire) is the shooting of a firearm into the air in celebration . It is culturally accepted in parts of the Balkans, the Middle East, the Central Asian region of Afghanistan, and the South Asian region of Pakistan . In regions such as Puerto Rico and continental areas of the United States it is practiced illegally, especially on holidays like New Year's Eve . </P> <P> Common occasions for celebratory gunfire include New Year's Day as well as the religious holidays Christmas and Eid . The practice may result in random death and injury from stray bullets . Property damage is sometimes another result of celebratory gunfire; shattered windows and damaged roofs are often found after such celebrations . </P> <P> Bullets fired into the air usually fall back with terminal velocities much lower than their muzzle velocity when they leave the barrel of a firearm . Nevertheless, people can be injured, sometimes fatally, when bullets discharged into the air fall back down to the ground . Bullets fired at angles less than vertical are more dangerous as the bullet maintains its angular ballistic trajectory and is far less likely to engage in tumbling motion; it therefore travels at speeds much higher than a bullet in free fall . </P> <P> A study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 80% of celebratory gunfire - related injuries are to the head, feet, and shoulders . In Puerto Rico, about two people die and about 25 more are injured each year from celebratory gunfire on New Year's Eve, the CDC says . Between the years 1985 and 1992, doctors at the King / Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, treated some 118 people for random falling - bullet injuries . Thirty - eight of them died . </P>

What happens when a bullet is shot in the air