You see it on TV all the time, especially, it seems, in the Middle East.
Men celebrating by shooting their guns in the air.
You see it in the old western movies, too, but you can figure those were blanks.
The current shots in the Middle East — not so much.
And you may have wondered, just where do those bullets end up?
After all, the old expression is tried and true: What goes up, must come down.
The other day, one came down in Wichita and landed in a man’s bed. Close enough to be uncomfortable.
It could easily have been in a person instead of the furniture and that has Wichita cops more than a little concerned, as it should.
According to the Associate Press report: “Police in Wichita say a bullet that came through the window of home where four people were sleeping may have been fired from several blocks away.
“No one was hurt, but a man who lives in the house in south Wichita found the bullet lodged in his bed several hours later.
“Four people ages 1 to 31 were asleep shortly before midnight Thursday when some of them heard an object come through the window. Police were called after the man discovered the bullet in the bed Friday.
“Investigators said the bullet was so disfigured that they’re not sure what type of gun it came from.”
We are entering into that time of the year when people are outside more, when people celebrate more, when it’s not that unusual to add alcohol to celebrations. And what does not need to be added to that mix is a firearm.
It’s hard to say why the Wichita shooting happened. It may well have been an accidental discharge. But here’s the thing: It could have happened a long way from the people who almost got hurt. And if one of them had been wounded, or worse, we would never have known why.
There are a lot of great things about guns, but one of the down-sides is, after a bullet is fired, you can’t call it back.
And everything that goes up — or even sideways — will come down somewhere.
It’s up to shooters to make sure it ends up where they intend it. Somewhere safe.
— Chuck Smith