As 4th of July celebrations commence, Birmingham residents should remember that fireworks and celebratory gunfire are not only illegal, but can be fatal.

During the holidays, police tend to set up patrols to ensure that residents are celebrating safely, but will that fix this persistent problem? While Independence Day is normally marked with both the sounds of fireworks and gunfire, some residents say they are fed up.

“The fireworks don’t bother me in the least. That out on the East side that there are so many idiots out with firearms putting thousands of rounds up with no regard for the results, however, does! Just stop it! It’s nuts,” Richard Rutledge commented on a Nextdoor post urging residents not to shoot off fireworks for the holiday.

“What goes up WILL come down, folks, stop this insanity!”

In 2024 police reportedly had to shelter from falling bullets on New Year’s. And two people in Birmingham and one in Tuscaloosa were injured by celebratory gunfire.

City councilor Valerie Abbott described her trek home on New Years as a war zone as the sounds of gunfire surrounded her.

“It occurred to me I could die on my way home from a bullet from one of those idiots who are shooting their gun in the air,” Abbott said during the Jan. 2, Birmingham City Council meeting.

That same year, Truman Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for the Birmingham Police Department, said officers were out in numbers on 4th of July night to catch those who broke the law, according to reports.

“We can’t catch everyone, but we can catch a lot more than we used to in the past,” Fitzgerald told WBRC at the time.

Earlier this year, celebratory gunfire led to an Alabama man being shot in his bed.

Police say that the gunfire will result in going to jail or paying a fine, yet it continues. Policing it remains difficult even with improvements in shot detector technology.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department recently reminded residents of the dangers of celebratory gunfire.

“Celebratory gunfire is dangerous in more ways than one,” Henry Irby a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office told CBS 42.

“People tend to think that just because the bullet didn’t come directly out of a gun that it’s not dangerous, but it is very dangerous and in some cases can be deadly.”

AL.com reached out to the Birmingham Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, but did not receive a response prior to publishing.