$2,500 and or 12 months of jail time?! for SPARKLERS?!?

[luvsJack]

our dog FREAKS OUT about the fireworks....how do the horses react?

They do ok. We usually put them in the barn but sometimes if they are out they will just go to the other side of the field and glare at us .

 

[rowbear]

I buy fireworks and shoot them off but I will not do sparklers. They are dangerous and they the only firework where you are encouraged to stay near the flame. There is nothing about them that is not dangerous. You are waving a super-heated wand around in the air. Not a smart "toy" for a child.

 

[ma2jr]

I get the fine but jail time?

 

[luvsJack]

I buy fireworks and shoot them off but I will not do sparklers. They are dangerous and they the only firework where you are encouraged to stay near the flame. There is nothing about them that is not dangerous. You are waving a super-heated wand around in the air. Not a smart "toy" for a child.

You are right. Definitely not a toy. But we make that clear from the get go with the kids (all of whom are too old for sparklers now actually). They are shown how to hold them and how not to get them close to anyone or anything and they don't wear anything that might hang down on the thing. Also, we always bought the ones that have a really long handle part so the hot part doesn't come close to their hands.

 

[rowbear]

You are right. Definitely not a toy. But we make that clear from the get go with the kids (all of whom are too old for sparklers now actually). They are shown how to hold them and how not to get them close to anyone or anything and they don't wear anything that might hang down on the thing. Also, we always bought the ones that have a really long handle part so the hot part doesn't come close to their hands.

My last stab at them was the really long ones and everyone was bored and wanted to get rid of them before they were done. I have seen too many adults get burned with them. They just aren't worth it in my book.

Fireworks are almost not worth the trouble anyway. Over the years I have gone for less is more and gotten much bigger fireworks instead of a bunch of small stuff that is almost done seconds after you light it and, once again, increases your odds of something going wrong. I have firecrackers and smoke bombs this year but other than that I bought 3 huge displays, one has 15 shots, one 16, and one has 32. The wow factor may not last as long but at least I won't be making trip after trip in this humid heat lighting things for 30+ minutes that lasts for under 20 seconds a piece.

 

[luvmy3]

Just an FYI....They aren't legal in NY either.


New York State’s Fireworks Law

Section 270 of the state Penal Law governs the possession, sale and use of illegal fireworks.

“Fireworks” include “any blank cartridge; blank cartridge pistol or toy cannon in which explosives are used, firecrackers, sparklers, or other combustible or explosive of like construction.”

“Dangerous Fireworks” include “any fireworks capable of causing serious physical injury and which are: firecrackers containing more than 50 milligrams of any explosive substance, torpedoes, skyrockets and rockets such as Roman candles, bombs, sparklers more than ten inches in length or one-fourth of an inch in diameter, or chasers including all devices which dart or travel about the surface of the ground during discharge.”

Under the law, fireworks do NOT include railroad or marine flares, or toy devices that use paper caps containing .25 grains or less of explosive compound. Such devices must be designed so that the hand cannot come in contact with the cap when in place for use.

*

A person who possesses, uses, or explodes any fireworks or dangerous fireworks is guilty of a violation.
*

A person who offers, exposes for sale, sells or furnishes fireworks or dangerous fireworks to another person is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor; when the value of the fireworks is more than $500, the provider is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
*

A person who offers, exposes for sale, sells or furnishes fireworks or dangerous fireworks to a person under age 18 is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
*

A person who has been convicted of a fireworks violation during the previous five years and who offers, sells or furnishes fireworks to a person under age 18 is guilty of a Class E felony.

Possession of fireworks or dangerous fireworks valued at $50.00 or more shall be a presumption that such fireworks were intended to be offered or exposed for sale.

Wow, unless that is a new law for this year many retail establishments and campground stores are breaking the law and have been for decades. I have always had sparklers as a kid and my oldest has for many of her 11 years.

 

[luvsJack]

My last stab at them was the really long ones and everyone was bored and wanted to get rid of them before they were done. I have seen too many adults get burned with them. They just aren't worth it in my book.

Fireworks are almost not worth the trouble anyway. Over the years I have gone for less is more and gotten much bigger fireworks instead of a bunch of small stuff that is almost done seconds after you light it and, once again, increases your odds of something going wrong. I have firecrackers and smoke bombs this year but other than that I bought 3 huge displays, one has 15 shots, one 16, and one has 32. The wow factor may not last as long but at least I won't be making trip after trip in this humid heat lighting things for 30+ minutes that lasts for under 20 seconds a piece.

Now we are just the opposite. We don't get the big displays (cost waaay too much) We buy bottlerockets, roman candles, a some little things that do different things before they go off (rolling tanks or little helicoptors that will lift off) Mostly though bottle rockets and roman candles. We watch the displays at the local parks that will have big, free displays going on and do our fireworks afterwards.

 

[disney1990]

Welcome to Alexandria, VA, folks. A great historical city where if you have any sort of firework including sparklers(!!!!) they will arrest you and fine you 2,500.....

Way to celebrate the great freedoms of America by putting such extreme laws in place!!!
What are the laws in your town in re: to fireworks??? Are they allowed??

I don't know what the penalties are, but you cannot have fireworks in the county I live in, in Maryland. No not even sparklers.

 

[JR6ooo4]

Okay this might sound stupid but do your cities publish the laws someplace that sparklers and such are illegal?

have you ever seen the law written that states it is illegal to kill someone? me neither. I guess we are expected to read through the our town's thousand page local ordinance book every couple months to see what has changed. hehehehehe

I don't know what the penalties are, but you cannot have fireworks in the county I live in, in Maryland. No not even sparklers.

My hometown has banned anything that needs to be lit with flame!

Mikeeee

 

[TinklednPants]

One of many, many, many articles out there on fireworks.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JCA/is_2_10/ai_82475641/

I have a very good friend who is an Emergency room nurse. What day does she hate to work? Not New Years Eve. It's the 4th (as you've probabaly guessed) when every year kids and young adults come in with arms that are now permanently spaghetti.
Home fireworks displays are plain stupid. Including sparklers.
Have a safe and great Holiday and leave the fireworks displays to the professionals.

 

[MomNeedsVacay]

I don't know what the penalties are, but you cannot have fireworks in the county I live in, in Maryland. No not even sparklers.

where do you live? I grew up in Frederick.

 

[Stacerita]

Are you actually saying a sparkler could cause my city to burn down?!?!!!!!

Yes, it could happen.

They are legal in my city though.

 

[rie'smom]

have you ever seen the law written that states it is illegal to kill someone? me neither. I guess we are expected to read through the our town's thousand page local ordinance book every couple months to see what has changed. hehehehehe

My hometown has banned anything that needs to be lit with flame!

Mikeeee

That's sad. No BBQ and no fire pits or fireplaces on a cold night.
One of my earliest memories is of holding a sparkler on the 4th of July. Independence Day was the only time we had sparklers. It was a very big deal.
What about people who smoke? DO they have to light their cigarettes on the coils of an electric stove?

 

[DarthKTrava]

sparklers burn at 1800 degrees F! That is hot enough to melt aluminum!

This is a kids toy?

Mikeeee

Yup. We held them when we were kids.

 

[HelenePA]

That's sad. No BBQ and no fire pits or fireplaces on a cold night.
One of my earliest memories is of holding a sparkler on the 4th of July. Independence Day was the only time we had sparklers. It was a very big deal.
What about people who smoke? DO they have to light their cigarettes on the coils of an electric stove?

Do they pay for new electric oil burners because I'd be fined. My home is heated with a oil burner that uses a flame

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Not illegal here, but I wish they were. My nieghbors have been setting them off all hours of the night (last night whent til well after midnight.) They aren't cleaning up after themselves either. we took my dogs for a walk today and one street was covered in fireworks trash. I'm scared my dogs will get something when we are walking. People are too irresponsible to clean up after themselves.

One house we walked by they were setting off some in the middle of the day. The guy was handing a lit match to a 6 year old to light it with. We couldn't tell if it was live or not and it was pointed straight at us. Needless to say we hurried through.

I wouldn't mind it if people could be responsible about it (like not aiming at people or actually cleaning up your trash so the neighborhood doesn't look like a dump) but clearly they are not responsible. Plus, one of my dogs is kind of skittish and when I take them outside to potty he is a nervous wreck. I can't wait for it to be over. At least it has been raining a lot so hopefully nothing will burn down.

 

[C.Ann]

Sounds like a great place to live..

You may view the law as "extreme" - where others might view it as the stiffer the penalty, the less likely people will be foolish enough to break it..