Agra/Meerut: Despite a complete ban , celebratory firing in Uttar Pradesh claimed 31 lives in the past 35 months. All district police forces have clear instructions to cancel arms licences of persons involved in celebratory firing. Ten years ago, the celebratory firing menace was huge, but it has gradually declined.”“We often issue advisories to avoid firing bullets in celebrations, as most of the victims are children and innocent bystanders. In Lucknow, one in 81 people has an arms licence.In 2013, the Allahabad high court had come down heavily on the state government over the increasing number of deaths caused due to celebratory firing incidents. The victims included 12 minors and four women..