“
“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.
“
12 On Your Side: Virginia officials warn against celebratory gunfire ahead of Fourth of July