Shannon's law (Arizona)
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Shannon's law in the US state of Arizona, makes it an offence to fire guns into the air.
History
Shannon's law is named after Shannon Smith, a Phoenix fourteen year old girl who was killed by a random bullet in June 1999.
Shannon's parents decided that they wanted the shooter punished and to prevent future tragedies of this kind. Injuring or killing someone with random gunfire was only a misdemeanor in Arizona, so they started pushing for stronger laws.
Their campaign took them all over Arizona, and the councils of other large cities, such as Tucson, backed them up. Then Governor Jane Hull joined them in their cause. After failing to pass the law twice in 1999, the Arizona senate finally passed it in April of 2000, and it was enacted in July of the same year. Many groups, such as NRA, and gun right advocates, protested the law before it was installed.
Current
Breaking Shannon's law is a felony in Arizona. However a person charged with this offense can plead guilty and receive a lesser sentence than they would if they pleaded innocent and were found guilty (this is quite common for many offenses in many legal systems). During December 31, 2003, police in the city of Glendale began using equipment which alerted them to the location from which a shot was fired. Four arrests of Shannon's law violators were made that night, and it is expected that more Arizona police departments will receive the equipment.