Time to ban ???

[The PIT]

Nov 5th used to be a nice time for kids to havea bit of fun. However now some fireworks are now basically small bombs. WhereI live we've had phone boxes blown up and houses have had there windows and doors blown in. Luckily no ones been killed but no doubt will be.
Since shop owners and Parents have shown no responsibilty is time to ban fireworks. What do you think??
By the way as I write this it sounds like I'm in a middle of a battlefield.

[lecter]

I have only one word for u: Prohibition. Like with all the stuff that's been banned throughout history, banning firecrackers will only make it worse....just get used to it man.

[The PIT]

Get used to having your windows blown in yeh luv it.

[mutz]

Well Pit, it's usually only when a few people get killed, or some other disaster, that some politician sees an opportunity to get some mileage for himself and starts some campaign for change.

I think the reality is that you may someday get curbs on what fireworks are sold and some unenforcable laws with minimal fines, but that's it. Banning firearms is one thing, fireworks quite another.

[RedRed]

Actually, in Northern Ireland foreworks WERE banned this year - I believe the republic of Ireland did the same thing - result: a MASSIVE drop in the ammount of these things going off this year - not completely stopped, but a major improvement... (we set them off on halloween, rather than nov 5th)


They were banned here for years (for obvious reasons), but the restrictions were lifed a coupleof years ago... I am glad to see it back... Thats one good thing the Assembly here did...


Good job, I say!

some of those 'mortor' types are really dangerous!

RedRed

[Admiral]

Here they thought it best they should control such commerce only after a few people died from heart attack and petards exploded in children's hands leaving some scared, some def, some blind. So people who want to sell them must have special authorization, that doesn't mean you can't get hold by other means

[Sasq]

Yup, my home state has had them banned for 20 + years, recently they've started letting people do a "fireworks" course.

You have to apply to the council etc, and the fines involved for letting kids get their hands on them......

So yup banning does work

[thop]

here fireworks are banned troughout the whole year except from 28.12 - 31.12.

[Wombat]

They aren't allowed at all in New Jersey. People can still get their hands on them by driving out-of-state, but this greatly reduces the quantity in NJ.

Here in Colorado they are allowed, but usually they are banned within city limits.

[rugger]

Fireworks are banned down here too (Australia)

You need a permit to buy and operate fireworks here.

It seems to work very well. There a very few fireworks outside of public events.

[Dr Mordrid]

The problem with banning them is that absent cheap, small, properly and consistantly constructed fireworks a lot of kids & stupid adults will try to construct their own stuff which will have none of those characteristics. They are also likely to be of much higher potency than the lady fingers or M80's they could legally buy.

We once had a case where some kids wanted to get some fireworks, but in Michigan anything bigger than sparklers or fountains are illegal.

Not having a means (or age) to drive to Ohio to get some , where they are legal to posess, they instead got hold of a US Army training manual at a surplus store and started making a small quantity of picric acid (high explosive) and fulminate of mercury (primer). These days they could get the info from the 'net.

The "firecracker" they created ended up blowing up most of one kids house, putting all three in the hospital with multiple injuries and breaking windows for a considerable distance. They were lucky not to have been killed just making the picric acid.

Other instances here involve such "substitutes" as bottle bombs; aka MacGyver Bombs because the TV show actually showed how to make one , balloon bombs, sugar bombs etc. etc. etc.

Similar events happen on a regular basis in Michigan but are fairly rare in states where the laws allow small fireworks.

This isn't to say that small fireworks are safe, but they are a lot safer than what a lot of people come up with as a substitute

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease....

Dr. Mordrid

[The PIT]

Basically some control is needed I suppose non will come until someone important is injured or a load of school kids injure themselfs when they sent one of these chinese "bombs" in a stupid place, like say their school bus.

[Dr Mordrid]

Problem: you can't legislate out stupidity. All you do by making something illegal is move the market underground where safety/sales of the available devices cannot be regulated.

Dr. Mordrid

[The PIT]

Doesn't look like it's been regulated anyway if fireworks can blow up phone boxes.
No you can't stop stupidity hopefuly nature will do this by allowing them to remove themselfs from the gene pool.

[Marshmallowman]

Yesterday two youths were caught on a train in Perth with flares stolen from some boats.
They had the flares down there pants, how stupid can you be, stickiing self igniting flares down your pants
Fireworks are completely banned in West Australia, so kids just find whatever they can.
I hate to think what would happen if they went off, not only them but the people on the train