Earlier this year, Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed a bill that would make aerial fireworks legal in Minnesota.
At the time, Dayton said fire officials convinced him that some Minnesotans are not responsible enough to light fireworks that explode in the sky.
A day before the 4th of July, we want to know what you think of the law.
Can you have enough festive fun with sparklers and ground spinners? Or do you feel you should be able to light bottle rockets, firecrackers and aerial spinners?
Answer our poll questions and explain how you feel in the comments.
(Oh, and have a wonderful Fourth of July, everyone!)
Also, fire chiefs don't set laws.
Then help society by please not doing it.
- The majority of fireworks injuries occurred during a 30 day period (June 23rd - July 23rd). In addition to July 4th other periods for injuries are New Years Eve and other holidays. - Annually, over 9,000 people in the United States are treated at hospital emergency rooms for fireworks-related injuries. - Burns are by far the leading type of fireworks injury. Contusions and lacerations were second. Hands or fingers were injured the most followed by injuries to the eye. - Injuries to children 5 and under were caused by sparklers which are viewed as harmless and not dangerous. Sparklers burn at temperatures of 2,000 degrees, which is the same as a burning match. Injuries to children 5-14 years of age were caused by firecrackers and bottle rockets. - Males accounted for three-fourths (75%) of fireworks injuries. - Annually, firecrackers cause the greatest number of injuries followed by bottle rockets and sparklers. - BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND QUANTITIES IN USE, FIREWORKS POSE A HIGHER RISK OF FIRE DEATH THAN ANY OTHER CONSUMER PRODUCT. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency United States Fire Administration National Fire Data Center
- ABSOLUTELY NOT. Random acts of fireworks can send troops with post traumatic stress into a tailspin. - I don't get it. The state wants to save us from ourselves with some laws (seatbelt, texting, drunk driving, et all - all good) but may allow some of the most dangerous activities. Will the state be subsidizing cities' EMS and FD personnel to cover the added incidents?
Michelle: Your comments just proved Caitlins point, how many innocent bystanders have been mamed or killed in a car crash because of some irrisponsible person. Those people are prosocuted by the law, just like anyone who is irrisponsible with fireworks. Your "fear" that you talk about are you really afraid of someone with fireworks when you leave your home, or the person that is trying to abduct your child, or the criminal that breaks into your home, or mugger that stabs you to get your purse. Is fireworks really what worries you the most? In the end folks no matter what man uses, there will be those that use it correctly and those that misuse them. As responsible adults it is our job to teach people the right way to use these and punish those that do it wrong. Making laws that are very difficult to enforce just makes responcible people made because they are being punished for the small number of people doing it wrong and the bad people will still do it and the police will not be able to enforce it. In the end who loses. The honest, responsible person.
Great profile name. :)
Trust me, there were never any "horror" stories about kids or adults destroying themselves with aerial or concussive/report style fireworks where I grew up. Once it's legalized, people get used to them, plain and simple. The state may allow "real" fireworks to be purchased and used, but it boils down to the city ordinances. That's how it worked in Kansas. You'd have to go out of city limits to purchase/use for most towns, but some towns did in fact allow it. Those were where the responsible people lived. I do have a suggestion though that could promote a safe 4th of July holiday while using "real" fireworks should the law change: cities could designate some parks as legal areas to shoot them off, under the supervision of the local fire departments. If anyone was doing something irresponsible or stupid, give them a warning and/or write a citation. Teach the citizens and the children how to be safe, and should something bad happen, help is right there immediately available. This is also how some towns in Kansas operate. I can see the fire officials point though, but I think their argument is essentially: "If 100% of all participants cannot act in a safe manner then they should be illegal." That's never going to happen.
Last night (the 4th), there was a longer than two-hour window of constant fireworks in Stonemill Farms going until at least 11 when I nodded off. It was a bit like being in a war zone. And that followed some truly spectacular fireworks which occurred the night before. If the amount spent on fireworks is any indication (my neighbor spent more than $1000 on his show this year), I'd say we've turned the corner on the recession (which is worth celebrating).
Fire Chiefs don't set laws. The city councils pass ordinances that can regulate fireworks and the state legislature can pass laws that regulate fireworks but city police chiefs and fire chiefs have nothing to do with "setting laws dealing with fireworks" as you imply. They enforce the laws and ordinances that are passed by city councils and the State Legislature. The problem with your little analogy that more people are hurt and killed with automobiles so let's ban cars is a bit of a stretch. Cars and driving are strictly regulated by the state so when an accident happens and somebody is hurt or killed by another driver's negligence it is very easy to find out who was responsible and you can take action against them by making them pay a fine or get jail time and by revoking their license to drive. But with fireworks, which does not take a license to buy or use, it would be very difficult to prove to a jury who was the person that bought and was setting off fireworks that hurt an innocent person and therefore it would be nearly impossible to hold that person accountable for their negligence. It's a huge difference. Hopefully now you know a little more about what you were trying to talk about and people can't complaint you are ignorant anymore.
Dogs are obviously a danger to others, just like fireworks. They obviously make lots of unwanted and often annoying noises, and certainly the 'litter' they leave behind is every bit as unpleasant as shredded fireworks. I'd be interested in someone explaining to me how dogs should be allowed and fireworks shouldn't?
I've posted statistics above, with the most important one being in CAPS. I agree, dogs can be dangerous when having irresponsible pet owners and/or bad circumstances, but I think if you factor in the number of dogs vs. the statistic information above, you would have to come to the conclusion that, as a whole fireworks are more dangerous than the average pet dog.
The 1st time my son was bit was on the 4th of July in Gordon Wisconsin. He was a toddler walking with one hand held by my wife and the other waving free as he toddled. A dog came racing by and took a bite on his hand, puncturing and tearing his skin. The 2nd time he was 6 years old and at his grandfathers house in St. Paul, and a dog raced up and when my son understandably was frightened and raised his hands, the dog slashed him in the arm. 3rd time he was 9 and we were hiking in 7 Mile Creek park near Mankato. A dog owner opened a van door releasing a couple of excited little girls and two hyperactive dogs. The dogs were running all over scenting and barking crazily, and they ran by me snapping as I dodged and a second later they hit my son, tearing up his leg. If he hadn't been wearing very heavy hiking pants, he would be crippled rather than just punctured. Per http://www.dogsbite.org, 1000 people per *day* require emergency treatment due to dog bites. And all that said, I do agree that dog owners are the problem - in each case, the dog owner claimed the dog was perfectly safe, and in all cases the dog was off the leash and overly stimulated, and with my son giving off understandable fear signals, he seems to now be the target. I'll continue to believe dogs are at least as dangerous as fireworks.
Doing a quick search to try and compare statistics (using your link for dog statistics), I found some interesting information. I couldn't find studies for the same years, but I did get somewhat close: In 2008 there were about 316,000 ER visits for dog bites, and my statistic above shows about 9,000 ER visits for fireworks plus 2,000 reported fires. In 2011 there were 31 deaths from dog bites, and 5 deaths from fireworks (not including those who may have died in structures having caught on fire). A couple other stats: 200,000 gun injuries each year, with 31,000 deaths. 520,000 people injured by alcohol related accidents, with 25,000 people killed. 67% of Americans drink alcohol. 10% of Americans will drive drunk each year. 44% of Americans have dogs. 30% of Americans own a gun. ??% of Americans use fireworks. It's hard to make direct comparisons without knowing the final percentage, but I found the stats interesting.