Compiling the data on stray bullet incidents per month from 1990 through November 2012, January comes out as the bloodiest month with 13% of total cases (377). Close behind is December with 11% of cases (325) and November with 9% (264).
Graph 4 represents the above discrepancy of total victims per month between 1990 and November 2013. As mentioned, January is considerably more violent than the bulk of the other months, whose stray bullet incidence remains more or less constant
The increase in violence during these months is thought to be related to two factors. On the one hand, the various holidays and celebrations (Christmas, New Years and extended vacation time for much of the country’s population); on the other hand, the marked uptake in alcohol consumption and relative purchasing power that accompany the holidays. Both of these factors exacerbate the incidence of violence when firearms enter the picture.
This does not, however, mean that stray bullets are strictly related to “celebration shots” or fighting brought about by an increase in alcohol consumption. The consistently high levels of victims of stray bullets during the rest of the year are proof enough of that.
