Arab News Japan

The Lebanese have a peculiar way of confronting emotional situations, whether its joy from a celebratory event, melancholy from grieving events, anger or passion from charged political standpoints and civil unrest, the conjoined way of expression is: by lifting a gun and firing rounds into the air.

The tradition, which is a common yet deadly activity that is practiced in many Arab countries, has come under scrutiny due to the prevalence of unintentional gunshot injuries and deaths from stray bullets.

The Japanese ambassador to Lebanon OKUBO Takeshi renewed warnings about stray bullets in Lebanon after his residence in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, unintentionally became the landing location of bullets from random aerial shootings for the second time this year.

“For the second time, my residence was exposed to a stray bullet, most likely from a Kalashnikov type. This time the bullet rebounded and landed in the hall of the house, but no one was hurt. I am very sad about what is happening. Please stop shooting in the air so that this does not turn into harm or tragedy for others,” Okubo said in a tweet.

للمره الثانيه يتعرض مقر اقامتي الى رصاصه طائشة على الارجح من نوع كلاشنكوف. هذه المره ارتدت الرصاصه واستقرت في بهو المنزل لكن لم يصب آحد بأذى .انا حزين جدا لما يحصل. رجائي ان تكفوا عن اطلاق الرصاص في الهواء كي لا يتحول ذاك الى ضرر او ماساة عند الاخرين. pic.twitter.com/lbY59OsqU2

— Takeshi Okubo (@TakeshiOkubo3) October 6, 2022

In May, Okubo found a stray bullet that was presumed to be from celebratory gunfire following the announcement of parliamentary election results in his garden.

الرصاص في حديقة منزلي .ربما هذا جاء من الاحتفالات. خطر في المساحة المفتوحة. انتبهوا على انفسكم! pic.twitter.com/GiRW8qfR5U

— Takeshi Okubo (@TakeshiOkubo3) May 18, 2022

While no injuries occurred during both incidents, nor was Okubo’s residence intentionally targeted as a landing site for the bullets, the occurrence showcases the wide-spread and frequent nature of this activity, which has resulted in a significant number of unintentional deaths.

Celebratory gunfire is illegal in Lebanon in accordance to a 1959 law which stipulates that “anyone firing in residential areas or in a crowd, whether their gun is licensed or not” faces up to three years in prison or a fine.

The government has also implemented measures to discourage the practice, such as the insurgence of police arrests of people firing in the air, and the creation of a hotline to report such shooters.

Nevertheless, the widespread availability of weapons and ammunition among civilians and the ease of access to weapon purchase makes such measures ineffective in the face of this obstinate tradition.