Florida Police Warn Residents Against Shooting Weapons at Hurricane Irma

Florida authorities are warning people against firing their weapons at Hurricane Irma.

This may seem like a crazy idea to many, but two men created a Facebook event titled “Shoot At Hurricane Irma,” and over 54,000 people showed interest.

“Let’s show Irma that we shoot first,” says the description of the event.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s office addressed the event on Twitter Saturday night, just hours before Irma hit the Florida Keys.

“To clarify, DO NOT shoot weapons at Irma,” the Twitter account of the Pasco County Sheriff’s office tweeted. “You won’t make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effects.”

Any weapon that is fired into a storm system like hurricane can have unpredictable outcomes and potentially dangerous trajectories.

Ryon Edwards, one of the creators of the Facebook event, said the event was a joke that took on a life of its own. “I am amazed that anyone could see it as anything else than a joke,” he said.

Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys Sunday morning, and is expected to touch down again in the central and northwestern parts of the state on Sunday and Monday.