Lebanon has been cracking down on celebratory shooting. However, many get away with it due to lack of enforcement, wasta (connections), and weak laws Celebratory shooting is common following the results of the official exams, during a funeral, or at a wedding. However, these new laws will hopefully put an end to this. This year, there were several incidents of people losing their lives due to celebratory shooting. From now on, fines cannot replace prison sentences.
Here are the punishments that will be applied:
A person whose gun fired in the air:
- A prison sentence of 3 months to 6 years.
- A fine that costs 8 to 10 times more than the minimum wage in Lebanon.
- The confiscation of weapons.
A person who caused any damage to another person except for death:
- Temporary hard labor and a prison sentence of 10 years maximum.
- A fine that costs 15 to 20 times more than the minimum wage in Lebanon.
A person whose gun fired and caused death to another person:
- A prison sentence of 10 years minimum in addition to temporary hard labor that will not exceed 15 years.
- A fine that costs 20 to 25 times more than the minimum wage in Lebanon.
We hope that this law will be applied aggressively to avoid losing innocent lives. Lebanon has mourned a lot this year, let’s do our best to keep our loved ones safe.
