JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man is speaking out after a bullet pierced through his sunroom on the Fourth of July, 2023. 

As people prepare to celebrate Friday night, he’s hoping to remind others of the very real dangers of celebratory gunfire. 

The morning after that Fourth of July, Curtis Houston stepped inside his sunroom to check his roof. 

“After the Fourth and after New Year’s I always come out and check,” Curtis Houston said. 

However, when Houston’s foot touched the floor, he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“When I stepped out I saw the bullet on the floor. picked it up, looked up and as you can see the hole where it came through,” Houston said. “That just totally frightened me, to see that happen.”

Houston believes someone firing celebratory shots in the air on the Fourth of July resulted in this bullet landing in his home. 

“I could have been sitting on this sofa and the bullet hit me in my head and never know where it came from. It’s crazy. Just so inconsiderate and not being mindful of others and the dangers at hand,” he said.

In the state of Florida, firing celebratory gunshots is dangerous and illegal. 

Florida law states that if you discharge a firearm in a public or on residential property, you can face a punishable first-degree misdemeanor. 

A stray bullet can travel and lead to property damage, serious injury or death.

This News Year, Miami Dade police reported a 10-year-old girl was killed by a stray bullet fired into the air by someone.

Houston keeps this stray bullet and hopes what happened to him will serve as a reminder.

“I saved it as a reminder just as a reminder of what can happen,” Houston said. “Enjoy the Fourth, think about others and use common sense in your celebration. anything that comes up must come down.”

There are only three days you are allowed to light fireworks in Florida, on the Fourth of July, New Years Eve and New Years Day.