# Fireworks Ban



## Drac (Jun 24, 2009)

Does your state forbid the use of fireworks by private citizens? Ohio has one and guess what 99% of the calls are? Fireworks complaints..Its really funny because soon some of the local states that sell fireworks will start their yearly major advertizing campaign to intice residents of Ohio and other states to make the journey and stock up, all ya gotta do is sign a piece of paper saying you wont blow them off in states that forbid their use..So what's your opinion?


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## Drac (Jun 24, 2009)

FYI..If one of your neighbours calls us and we respond to your residence and advise you to stop, *PLEASE STOP*..That means for the rest of the evening, not until you see my cruiser leave your street..I usually warn the homeowner and leave, BUT radio dispatch is aware of the call and my response and has entered it into the CAD (Computer Assisted Dispatch)..

If officers have to respond again they are aware that you have been warned earlier and can confiscate the fireworks and cite the homeowner..It happened here last year, I warned them and about 3 hrs (after I went off duty) later they started up again and the officers responed and confiscate over $ 500.00 worth of fireworks..

Yes, its a BS law, but it is *THE LAW..*


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## JadecloudAlchemist (Jun 24, 2009)

I think morons and fireworks should be banned.

 But for Adults who are careful and use caution I think it is a fine way to celebrate it is traditional on 4th of July.

If your state bans it well I guess you have to follow the law or pay the consquences. 

My father who worked for fire rescue use to tell me all sorts of horror stories involving fireworks most of the time it was stupidity or some sort of impairment causing substance.


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## terryl965 (Jun 24, 2009)

I love fireworks but this country has to many stupid people that do not know any better.


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## MA-Caver (Jun 24, 2009)

Where I live right now (TN) you can buy semi-professional air burst type of fireworks displays. Some are quite nice and just as powerful (read: dangerous) as those used by professional displays. I'm sure fire stations throughout the county and surrounding counties are on high alert during the 3-4-& 5th of July as there *are* morons out there who fire off these things too closely to theirs or their neighbor's house and the hot pyrotechnics fall on the roof and there goes the house. Not to mention the surrounding forests... the canopy is quite green but the undergrowth is littered with dry leaves... 
It's hard to say if eventually they'll have a nation wide ban of total public use of fireworks... in a lot of cases it makes sense because (again) there *are* morons out there. 
When I lived in Utah the biggest problem was idiots going up in to the mountains and shooting off fireworks and then starting forest fires that burn off hundreds of acres of the mountain sides. 

Used to be okay to buy a huge display of fireworks and shoot them off basically at anytime. But over time people have gotten more careless or more stupid and restrictions were put in place for "our protection".


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## jks9199 (Jun 24, 2009)

In Virginia, anything that flies into the air or explodes is generally illegal.  An exception exists if you obtain the appropriate permits through the fire marshal's office.

Overall -- I think it's a good idea.  There are too many idiots who don't consider their surroundings and safety, would burn down the community to have their fun...


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## CoryKS (Jun 24, 2009)

Banned in our area a few years ago, which sucks.  To be fair, though, they only banned them after the umpteenth apartment complex was burned down.  Can't say they didn't have a valid reason.

Used to live in an apartment with lots of wood - wood balconies, wood shingles, etc.  So you can imagine my horror when I came home one night to find the neighbors on the second floor balcony next to us sitting out with a roaring Weber grill shooting crackers and bottle rockets off the balcony.  Didn't sleep very soundly that night.


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## celtic_crippler (Jun 24, 2009)

Recently smokers and sparklers were legalized in GA, but it doesn't matter because our border states (SC, AL, FL) all sell the good stuff and all have stores right at the border. 

I make an annual trip to AL (will be doing so this year next Thursday) to stock up on quality explosives. 

I've never had the police show up to any of my parties, and the neighbors actually appreciate the show. 

I do believe that one should be at least 18 to purchase, but being a Libertarian feel that if you blow yourself up because of stupidity...it's just thinning the heard. lol


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## Bob Hubbard (Jun 24, 2009)

When did Ohio pass the law?  When I lived in Parma, you could buy them at KMart.

In WNY, it's been illegal as long as I can remember....7/4 it's like a war zone out there, and the week leading up to it too.


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## jim777 (Jun 24, 2009)

They're illegal in Jersey, but I would probably make a trip and get a few smallish aerial mortars if I knew where to get them. As has been mentioned, fireworks do seem to be disproportionately in the hands of idiots.


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## girlbug2 (Jun 24, 2009)

Fireworks are illegal in my county. It's treated as a joke by nearly everyone, we just go to a neighboring county and stock up.

IMO the laws against fireworks have prevented many injuries if not lost lives...of really stupid people, or of kids whose parents that aren't paying attention. But as I don't count myself or my dh in either category, it sucks to be deprived every year. I can remember the awesome fireworks my family enjoyed as a kid in our driveway, and running around with REAL sparklers, not the pathetic things kids have to make do with nowadays (seriously, they don't work--there are no such things as quality sparklers anymore). 

Thank goodness at least there's a free public fireworks display at the High School next door every year. We will probably sit on the roof and enjoy


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## MA-Caver (Jun 24, 2009)

jim777 said:


> They're illegal in Jersey, but I would probably make a trip and get a few smallish aerial mortars if I knew where to get them. As has been mentioned, fireworks do seem to be disproportionately in the hands of idiots.


I'm curious about something... after you get the aerial mortars do you drive down to the shore and launch them out to sea? One would think this would be the safest things to do.


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## MA-Caver (Jun 24, 2009)

Well... this dumbass isn't going to help matters in terms of firework safety... 

http://www.biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=14407

*WHAT* were they _*THINKING?? *_


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## Ken Morgan (Jun 24, 2009)

Here in Ontario fireworks are legal, firecrackers are illegal.

Always been popular to bring firecrackers up here after a trip down to the States.

You can only buy them, I believe, ten days before an event like Victoria day or Canada day.

If fireworks are not legal, what about model rocketery? No pun intended, but it's a blast to screw around with.


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## CuongNhuka (Jun 25, 2009)

In my area (not sure if it's State or Local) you're only allowed to set off fireworks the 3-5 of July (I'm geussing that's the norm), but there are a few exceptions (events, or anytime you get a waver from the authorities). And there are also bans on certain fireworks (mostly homemade, altered, very large artillery shells, and anything with power greater then a 1/2 stick of dynamite).

On a related note to some of the above posts -- my neighbor every year goes to (I'm geussing) Missouri (God how I hate that State) and buy a bunch of fireworks that are very illegal here. For example, those really nice mortars that they set off at pro-baseball games, which are unbeleivably illegal here. Not only that, last year they almost caught there house on fire becuase they were stupid enough to fire it off a stick, and they were unlucky enough to a faulty one. It didn't go up at all, just exploded out in every direction. It gave there kid (17 at the time) a nice couple burns on his calves, and nearly caught there house on fire. This is not the first time these morons did this -- I look forward to this happening again this coming fireworks season.

They started to put up fireworks stands some time last week. There's about 3 in a 5 minute drive from house.


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## Drac (Jun 25, 2009)

Bob Hubbard said:


> When did Ohio pass the law? When I lived in Parma, you could buy them at KMart.
> 
> In WNY, it's been illegal as long as I can remember....7/4 it's like a war zone out there, and the week leading up to it too.


 
You could buy them ANYWHERE, ya just couldnt shoot them off..


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## Drac (Jun 25, 2009)

The common theme in the previous threads is "In the hands of morons"..Since they don't require an intellegent test prior to purchase I guess it will never be lifted..Then of course you get the moron that has no fireworks and decides to get in the spirit and let off a dozen or so rounds from whatever fireams he/she owns...


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## Jade Tigress (Jun 25, 2009)

JadecloudAlchemist said:


> My father who worked for fire rescue use to tell me all sorts of horror stories involving fireworks most of the time it was stupidity or some sort of impairment causing substance.



They are illegal for private citizens here in Illinois, have been for years. But they are easy enough to get if you cross the state line, one of my neighbors does it every year. 

I do have a horror story, this happened to a friend here while we were living in Tennessee. A very, very close friend of ours obtained some illegal fireworks for the 4th. He had his best friend over and they were shooting them off. 

Our friend tossed an M80 type explosive to the end of his driveway. He *H* and friend *J* waited and waited. Nothing. 

*J* started walking toward the end of the driveway. *H* said wait. *J* kept going. He went to pick it up and it exploded blowing off his head and killing him instantly. Our poor friend *H* was horrified. He just witnessed his best friend get killed in his driveway with his fireworks. 

Needless to say, aside from the legal prosecution, he was also sued by his friends family, and lost. A real tragedy and just not worth it.


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## MA-Caver (Jun 25, 2009)

Jade Tigress said:


> They are illegal for private citizens here in Illinois, have been for years. But they are easy enough to get if you cross the state line, one of my neighbors does it every year.
> 
> I do have a horror story, this happened to a friend here while we were living in Tennessee. A very, very close friend of ours obtained some illegal fireworks for the 4th. He had his best friend over and they were shooting them off.
> 
> ...


 No less horrifying for the EMS who arrived on the scene. 
If it was an illegally made M-80 then I can see how that would've been powerful enough to do that kind of damage to someone. Properly manufactured M-80's have been known to blow off fingers and cause massive tissue damage to the hand holding it but never completely blow it off.. unless they had it in a "death-grip" thereby concentrating the explosive effect. 
I remember cherry bombs (now nigh impossible to find) being those super loud fun things and the real M-80's where they go off and you can feel a concussion wave from the blast... loads of fun ... if done right. 
It's those idjits who don't do it right that causes these bans. 
Sad.


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## Jade Tigress (Jun 26, 2009)

MA-Caver said:


> No less horrifying for the EMS who arrived on the scene.
> If it was an illegally made M-80 then I can see how that would've been powerful enough to do that kind of damage to someone. Properly manufactured M-80's have been known to blow off fingers and cause massive tissue damage to the hand holding it but never completely blow it off.. unless they had it in a "death-grip" thereby concentrating the explosive effect.
> I remember cherry bombs (now nigh impossible to find) being those super loud fun things and the real M-80's where they go off and you can feel a concussion wave from the blast... loads of fun ... if done right.
> It's those idjits who don't do it right that causes these bans.
> Sad.



It was an M-80 *type*. I'm not exactly sure what, but it was purchased legally over the state line. In any case, it's terrible.

I remember cherry bombs too, and sparklers, and smoke bombs. The neighbor here gets regular rockets. Even if you do it *right* accidents can happen.


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## celtic_crippler (Jun 26, 2009)

Can you imagine what the world would be like if we outlawed everything that could hurt you? You can't legislate intelligence...nature has a process in place to weed out those that don't contribute to the perpetuation of the species; natural selection. I think we should allow nature to take it's course. LOL


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## CoryKS (Jun 26, 2009)

celtic_crippler said:


> Can you imagine what the world would be like if we outlawed everything that could hurt you?


 
No need to imagine it... I think we'll get there eventually.


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## Tensei85 (Jun 26, 2009)

CoryKS said:


> No need to imagine it... I think we'll get there eventually.



Yea, it seems that way...

The way I see it is people are going to get fireworks one way or another, illegal or not. So might as well let people have there fireworks shows, displays etc... It's only once a year anyways.

I'm all for Pro Fireworks!


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## Drac (Jun 28, 2009)

MA-Caver said:


> It's those idjits who don't do it right that causes these bans.
> Sad.


 

Yup..I remember one year my Father almost coming to blows with one of these idjits that was lighting bottle rockets and the were landing dangerously close to where we had the boats tied up..All he had asked them to do was aim in the other direction and it got ugly..I was alerted to the situation by my daughter and I had to get in between these to men without igniting the situation..Guess what alcohol was involved on the part of the offenders..go figure..


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## Kacey (Jun 28, 2009)

Most, if not all, fireworks are illegal in Denver - not that that stops most people, but it does keep the sizes down.  Until this month, when we've had record-setting rain (10.38" - 0.1" more and it will be the wettest month on record) we've had drought conditions for the last 10 years or so, making the risk even higher.  

I'll give the kids who were shooting them off last night credit - they were in the sandy part of the playground in the park across the street - but yes, I still called the police on them.  This whole area of Colorado, recent rain notwithstanding, is plagued by wildfires, many of them started by people, and I have no desire for my house to be incinerated in one of them.


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## Carol (Jul 1, 2009)

I love fireworks.  My grandaddy in Virginia would buy them for me and my sister when we came to visit.  He taught both of us early on to be respectful and cautious of not only the fireworks but also the environment (be mindful of the neighbors, never set them off when it was too dry, etc.  My parents enjoyed them too, and would generally promise a stop at a roadside fireworks stand on the return trip back up North.

They are illegal in MA but legal in NH.  Which means, all the folks from MA that like fireworks simply make the drive up to NH to get them 

Target has had a gigantic display of them since April.  Now, if you walk in to a supermarket, drug store, or convenience store, there's a rack of them within a few feet of the door.


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## Drac (Jul 2, 2009)

Carol Kaur said:


> Target has had a gigantic display of them since April. Now, if you walk in to a supermarket, drug store, or convenience store, there's a rack of them within a few feet of the door.


 
Ditto up here Carol..Plus the major ad campaign for the big fireworks companies have been in full swing shortly after I started this thread.. I have to work on the 4th, thankfully it will be the day trick so I won't have alot to deal with..


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## Steve (Jul 2, 2009)

I'm all for a ban.  Leave explosives to the professionals.  The displays are better.  And you don't have the problems with injuries, ER visits, general death and dismemberment, fires and people losing their pets or having to dope them up for the night.


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## Frostbite (Jul 2, 2009)

I voted against but I honestly don't care either way.  I think they're an incredible waste of money for very little payoff and I don't know anyone who hasn't had at least one accident when messing around with fireworks, myself included.  But I think people should be allowed to blow themselves up if they want.  As long as I don't have to hear them cry about it later.


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