Peacekeepers Discourage Gunshots to Ring in New Year

We will be ringing in the New Year late Saturday night. In Kahnawake, it has become a tradition for several community members to fire off their weapons to celebrate at midnight.

Kyle Zachary is the Public Relations Officer with the Kahnawake Peacekeepers. He says that people must keep safety in mind. “It’s a no-brainer why we’re discouraging the practice, Zachary said. “Some of the projectiles from a firearm can travel anywhere up to and including one kilometer. That puts everybody in the surrounding community and even our neighbouring communities in danger so we discourage the practice. The Peackeepers will have additional patrols out on New Year’s Eve. We’re going to do our best but we need the help from our residents and the members of our community to look out for one another and to celebrate as safely as they can.”

There have been numerous reports of property damage and some near misses in recent years as a result of the gunshots.