Virginia officials warn against celebratory gunfire ahead of Fourth of July

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WWBT) - State leaders are reminding Virginians about the danger of celebratory gunfire as people prepare for Fourth of July celebrations.

More than a decade ago, 7-year-old Brendon Mackey was killed by a bullet fired into the air, leading to tougher penalties in Virginia.

In 2013, what should have been a simple walk to watch fireworks turned tragic for a Chesterfield family. Brendon was hit by a bullet that was shot into the air miles away.

Bryan Mackey, Brendon’s father, was with him at the time.

“I had him in my hands, and I looked at his face, and I knew he wasn’t there. I could see it in his eyes,” Bryan Mackey said.

That tragedy pushed then-Chesterfield Delegate Betsy Carr to change the law, aimed at stopping people from firing guns into the air during celebrations.

It’s now known as “Brendon’s Law,” signed in 2014.

“Reckless use of firearms used to be a misdemeanor, and after this, people felt like that wasn’t strong enough. So it was made a class 6 felony,” Carr said.

Carr said what stood out most was the support on both sides of the aisle.

“I remember one of my Republican colleagues came to me. He wanted to co-patron it. He’s a gun advocate, but also very aware of safety issues,” Carr said.

Even now, she said enforcement can be difficult because stray bullets are hard to trace.

But she hopes the law continues to raise awareness, so no other family lives what the Mackeys did.

“We can always say that what goes up has to come down and also it’s not necessarily to have gunfire or shooting to have a celebration. That’s just basic public safety. We don’t need to be shooting guns to have a celebration,” Carr said.

Chesterfield police say to this day, no one has been charged in Brendon Mackey’s death.

In Virginia, reckless handling of a firearm is a class 6 felony, which can carry one to five years in prison.