After the Gwinnett County Solicitor General's Office threatened a year in jail for anyone charged with shooting guns in celebration of the new year, no arrests for charges associated with the practice were recorded in jail logs.
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Generally, people suspected of celebratory gunfire would be charged with shooting guns near a public road, on private property without authorization or while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. No inmates booked into the Gwinnett County Detention Center between Dec. 31 and Jan. 2 were charged with these offenses. Last year, two men were charged with shooting guns under the influence of alcohol and near public roads on New Year’s Day, according to jail records.
The solicitor general’s office said on Dec. 30 its prosecutors would recommend anyone convicted of misdemeanors associated with celebratory gunfire be sentenced to a year in jail, the highest possible fine and have their gun taken away. Judges take prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations under consideration, but the decision is ultimately theirs to make. The solicitor’s office prosecutes misdemeanors, and the district attorney’s office prosecutes felonies.
Shooting guns in the air can be dangerous to bystanders and cause damage to property. A Lilburn man was killed by celebratory gunfire on Dec. 31, 2010.
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