Manama: A clip of trigger-happy partygoers firing in the air for more than one minute in Saudi Arabia has sparked angry calls for prompt action to prevent the loss of lives and ensure greater security at weddings.
The clip showed the men firing bursts of bullets into the air as members of two tribes met to celebrate a wedding.
Witnesses said that the firing lasted several minutes and that many guests were angry with the insistence of some men on firing bullets despite calls to stop their irresponsible action.
It was more like a military manoeuvre with live ammunition, one witness said, Saudi news site Al Marsad reported on Tuesday.
“When will we see very tough measures against such frivolous, but dangerous action. Those who engage in such behaviour suffer from deep psychological disturbances and a love for crime that can materialize at any time,” a commenter writing under the moniker of The Pen posted.
“There should be absolutely no tolerance towards for these dangerous men equipped with dangerous weapons,” Abu Nayef said.
“The main problem is that when the law is applied and there are arrests, so many people interfere on behalf of those who were arrested to free them with great pledges not to have a repeat of the drama. It is too bad that the law is not allowed to take its full course.”
For the Falcon, the celebratory fire is part of a tribal tradition to show its power and strength.
“It is an awful exercise to show off, and I do pray for all those who are weak within the society without a strong backup,” he said.
007 said that the police should arrest all those firing bursts of bullets and send them to the war front in the south.
“If they are talking about virility and manhood, let them prove it at the front, not at a peaceful gathering.”
Authorities in Saudi Arabia have regularly cautioned against celebratory fire and warned their zero-tolerance policy towards firing bullets in the air to celebrate events would be fully applied.
As a measure to help curb and then eliminate the phenomenon, they requested all multi-function halls to install surveillance cameras that cover the open spaces outside in order to monitor the situation.
Halls can no longer be rented without signing an agreement there would be no celebratory fire and the event host is obliged to commit to report any violation or any attempt to fire bullets.
The authorities assigned policemen to monitor palaces, wedding halls and relaxation areas to ensure full compliance with the law amid warnings that whoever breaks the law will be severely punished.
The decision to apply the strict policy was made four years ago following a noticeable increase in the incidence of fatal and serious injuries to innocent people by stray bullets during public celebrations.
Under Saudi regulations that outlaw the dangerous celebratory gunfire, even the groom can be arrested in case guests start shooting in the air.
In August, a wedding turned into a tragedy after a young man was left in a coma by celebratory fire.
The 20-year-old was among the guests celebrating the wedding of his relative in the town of Turbah near Makkah when he was hit by a stray bullet.
However, the spokesperson for the police in Makkah said that the victim was the one who fired the gun and that he unwittingly shot himself in the head.
In March, the authorities arrested two grooms on their wedding night, following the death of a five-year-old girl in a house next to the wedding halls. As the weddings were being celebrated in the neighbouring halls, one of the guests fired bullets in the air to mark his jubilation.
However, one stray bullet hit a girl playing in the courtyard of a nearby house and killed her.
The police who were called to investigate the incident decided to arrest the grooms until the real culprit was identified.
In April last year, a wedding party in Saudi Arabia almost turned into a tragedy after the groom’s brother lost control of his Kalashnikov in celebratory fire.
A 30-second clip posted on social media showed the brother walking alongside bridegroom towards the wedding hall while firing one bullet at a time in the air in jubilation and to show off his skills.
However, he suddenly lost control of the Kalashnikov and unleashed a hail of bullets that ricocheted off the wall, prompting the guests to run for cover to avoid being struck.
Several studies have been conducted into the hazards of falling bullets and the researchers warned of their ominous perils.
A study at the Martin Luther King/Drew medical centre in Los Angeles on spent bullets and their injuries said that “people often celebrate holidays by firing guns into the air without realizing that this can cause serious injury or death.”
“The present study identified 118 patients treated since 1985 who were hit with spent bullets. Most (77%) were hit in the head. The mortality rate was 32%, which is significantly higher than for all gunshot wound victims in general seen at the same medical center,” the study said.
A spent bullet falls back to Earth with a speed of between 90 and 180 metres per second. A bullet travelling at less than 60 metres per second can cause a fatal skull injury, the doctors warned.
“Laws have been enacted to help prevent people shooting into the sky, but more education and enforcement are required to prevent these serious and preventable injuries,” the study said.
