Hizbullah Scouts Rally against 'Celebratory Gunfire'

The Hizbullah-affiliated al-Mahdi Scouts movement on Sunday organized sit-ins and rallies in several southern towns and villages to voice rejection of the celebratory gunfire trend, state-run National News Agency reported.

“A large scout rally was held in the city of Nabatieh during which speeches were delivered to condemn the practice of firing weapons into the air,” NNA said.

The rally involved speeches for representatives of the Nabatieh Municipality, the Nabatieh merchandisers association and civil society groups.

“All speakers called for putting an end to the celebratory gunfire trend, stressing that the bullets must be 'saved for confronting the Israeli and takfiri enemies,'” the agency added.

The southern town of Kfar Rumman also witnessed a scout march on its main street, during which banners urging residents not to fire into the air were raised, NNA said.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had several times urged supporters not to fire their weapons into the air during his televised speeches but his calls have fallen on deaf ears. Some supporters would also fire into the air during funerals of Hizbullah fighters killed in the Syrian conflict.

The growing trend has reportedly prompted Nasrallah to issue an internal memo to Hizbullah's members in recent days, in which he warned that those who fire into the air would be expelled from the party without any compensations.

The latest municipal and mayoral polls that were held in May witnessed several injuries caused by celebratory gunfire in many regions.

The phenomenon is not limited to Hizbullah's supporters or a certain political party and Lebanon's modern history has witnessed numerous cases of deadly celebratory gunfire.

While some citizens would fire into the air during weddings and funerals others might go trigger happy to celebrate religious and national holidays, most notably New Year's Eve.

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, the South Asian regions of Pakistan and Northern India. In regions such as Puerto Rico and other areas of the United States it is practiced illegally, especially on holidays like New Year's Eve.

The practice may result in random death and injury from stray bullets. Property damage is sometimes another result of celebratory gunfire and shattered windows and damaged roofs are often found after such celebrations.

Y.R.