Why are fireworks illegal?

In my county (and I know it’s not the only one in America of its kind), it is illegal to purchase or possess fireworks without a valid entertainment license. That means any kind of firecracker, bottle rocket, sparkler, etc. is extremely difficult to come by around here, although it’s relatively easy to purchase a firearm and bullets for it. This leads to the unpleasant practice in these parts of firing your weapon into the air to celebrate Independence Day, New Years, or any other traditionally noisy holiday. Which begs the question: why ban fireworks when it will just lead to an increase in deadly missiles whizzing through the air?

The natural political preference for stupid ineffectual laws…

But it sells papers and probably gets votes when someone reads the plight of some parents who had a child get his hand blown off on the 4th. Of course no mention is made of where the parents were when the kids was having his fun.

You didn’t actually expect the laws to make sense did you?

At least the guns do the damage one person at a time and don’t damage property very much. An errant firecracker can start a fire and burn down a whole house or forest.

Personally, I’ve always felt that small explosive devices should be left in the hands of trained professionals. Get your stupid cherry bombs away from me.

I would also like to see any empirical data which shows an increase in firearm usage in areas where fireworks are illegal.

not to nickpick Hedgemeister, but the discharge of a firearm in a town is illegal as well.

otherwise, I think BobT is on target.

      • My county is the same way; you can only legally buy/posess sparklers, smoke “bombs” and small fountain-type things. Yet 45 minutes away across the state line you can buy an arsenal that would do most third-world soldiers proud, and today most radio ads said “five for the price of one”. It’s quiet now, but three hours ago it looked & sounded like the West Bank outside.
      • Interesting factiod: a couple days ago, a newspaper story pointed out that the (discontinued) M-80 had 20 times the explosive of a regular firecracker, and a (discontinued long-ago) cherry bomb of yore had 13 times the explosive of an M-80! 260 firecrackers going off at once! That ain’t a toy, that’s a munition!! Take cover!!! - MC

I already did a post on this. Personally I don’t think allowing fireworks one day a year is such a horrible idea, after all, we’re supposed to be celebrating freedom, yet don’t have the freedom to light off some fire crakers? I’m so tired of the pussies in this screwed up country writing the rules! Pay your health/house insurance, cover your ears, and enjoy the bang!

Of course, only adults should be allowed to have fireworks, and those who are negligent and hurt someone should be severly punished!

If we’re celebrating freedom, why not the right to insert wacky idea here just for one night?

Its the old “mandatory seatbelt” argument which I don’t want to get into, but considering that these are small explosives maybe I don’t need every careless mouthbreather in my neighborhood celebrating with flaming projectiles. Especially in a densely packed city where I live, the fire hazard is too real. Even if you could defend the right for people to blow their own fingers and faces off, you’re still stuck with a huge property liability problem.

Every year when July 4 is coming up I see warnings on TV about how dangerous Fireworks can be and the show a few examples of what they can do to a dummy.

Every year I think to myself I am sick of hearing the same stuff over and over and why do they have to repeat it again this year when we already know this full well.

Every year a few people are seriously hurt or killed by using fireworks.

Every year I realize the world is full of idiots who just do not have a clue and all the warnings in the world will not keep them from exercising their idiocy. I would not have a problem with them harming themselves but they are dangerous to others and the property of others.

I know!

Because they are dangerous. duh

PS: The FBI isn’t too keen on the citizens have explosives.

Why is everyone bitching about the “don’t blow your hand off” justification for fireworks to be illegal? What about the “don’t burn down 500 houses and a forest” justification?

Many areas where fireworks are illegal are in extreme fire danger areas. Lighting fireworks during the rainy season may not be as bad as during the dry season, but July 4 is pretty much smack dab in the middle of summer for most parts of the country.

I don’t give a rat’s patootie if you blow off your hand with a cherry bomb. Just don’t burn down my neighborhood.

I lived for years in a small housing tract surrounded by a fairly wild area (read, lots of mustard and tall grass, plus some trees at the top of the hill).

When I was 15 we very nearly had to evacuate the house because a fire got started on the hill behind us.

And how did this fire get started? A couple of %&*(heads with fireworks decided all that dry brush would be a great place to play with explosives.

Frankly, I think it’s this danger - to many people - rather than the individual danger of some yoyo killing or maiming themselves, that has led to the banning of fireworks.

And despite this, there are Red Devil stands all over the place. Go figure.

I agree with Doug too. I know that in Utah, it was an especially large danger. I wish stupid people would pull their heads out of their asses and realize that destroying property, homes, and people is not the way of having a good time.

The fire hazard is legitimate. That however doesn’t speak to the situation in Illinois. You couldn’t start a wildfire in this damn state if your life depended on it. Yet fireworks are illegal. It is the “don’t blow your hand off” politicians that want us all living in padded rooms for our protection who wrote that law. Its stupid, and if anything does two things. Props up Indiana’s economy, and makes the state some hefty revenue in the form of fines and court costs. Chances are if money was the real factor, and I think it probably should be, the state would make much more money taxing fireworks sales. Spend the cash currently spent on holiday border patrols on education and saftey instead.

I’d like to see some empirical data showing the “firework injury” statistics between Indiana and Illinois (curved for typical Hoosier foolishness of course ;)). I wonder how effective fireworks laws are, or if they are just window dressing for the sensitive lawmekers.

I believe that in Illinois that if you throw burning objects on top of someone’s wood roof, it will catch on fire just like it would in Indiana or any other state.

If it was only so simple that if someone injured himself with a firecracker had to pay all of his own medical expenses, but that’s never the case. There is going to be some taxpayer expense involved in this. Is the cost of enforcement greater than the cost of the medical expenses and extra firefighting? That’s for each state to decide.

There is no inherent right to own small explosive devices.

Most states realize that the potential for danger from fireworks is not insignificant.

On the very slim hope of keeping this thread in General Questions, so would I.

Buying firecrackers is a waste of money in my opinion. They are usually pretty boring and dull and nothing like the city sets off. Try choreographing your blackcats to music…
We can buy firecrackers here in Tampa. They get banned every now n then beccause of dry conditions. We almost had them banned this year. Fortunately people can buy their little bang bangs and bottle rockets… As for me, I will save my money and go downtown for a real fireworks display. And it is free too!

Also, if you are going to fire off your guns like a lunatic, do not be a fucking moron and fire them into the air. That is what soft ground is for. Do you think the bullets just vaporize when they are up there??? They will come back down! Unfortunately it will not always be the shooter who gets a hole in his or her head, it will be an innocent bystander. Last year a three year old was hit in the leg by a bullet that was fired in the air here.

Ok, here are some stats and safety percautions: (the first link is the best one)
http://www.cgsystems.co.uk/ncfs/stats.htm
http://205.243.101.84/safetyZ/firewrk.htm
http://www.fireworks-safety.com/plate.main/Newsroom/Fact_and_Figures/injuries_by_device.html
http://www.indianahandcenter.com/htfirwrk.html

pepperlandgirl, those pale in comparsion to tobacco.

WTF does tobacco have to do with fireworks?

Nothing, dear, that’s just his way. Move along.

–Tim