Ban Fireworks

[Erebus]

Fireworks cause distress, injury and deaths. Pets, wildlife and people (eg those with PTSD, anxiety or autism) are affected. Selling explosives? What are we thinking?
Increasing numbers of people (including senior representatives of the emergency services) are calling for at least the restriction on their sale to the general public. Personally I want a total ban.

The UK campaign:
- The Firework Campaign UK

(PS So-called silent fireworks are NOT silent).

I'm currently staying with family for my dog's sake. I live in the town center which hosts a fireworks display so I'd be right next to it. My family at least live a bit further away.

I'm not sure about a total ban but I'd absolutely be in favour of heavier restrictions, perhaps limiting their sale to events rather than the general public. I'm fine with making arrangements to stay with family so that people can enjoy bonfire night. However, people set off fireworks from mid October right through to February and there's no way to plan around it.

 

[Twilight Hue]

In the UK it has nothing to do with this.

I would think. Particularly for the 4th of July.

 

[Twilight Hue]

American will never win #1. Not while the right and evangelical christianity are stealing peoples freedoms.

Somebody is causing it.

Already America is not even close in the top ten.

Land of the free, home of the brave is a running joke now.

 

[Secret Chief]

I'm currently staying with family for my dog's sake. I live in the town center which hosts a fireworks display so I'd be right next to it. My family at least live a bit further away.

I'm not sure about a total ban but I'd absolutely be in favour of heavier restrictions, perhaps limiting their sale to events rather than the general public. I'm fine with making arrangements to stay with family so that people can enjoy bonfire night. However, people set off fireworks from mid October right through to February and there's no way to plan around it.

Every year a neighbour's terrified cat runs into our house because the neighbour doesn't seem to think it sensible to keep her much loved pet indoors for the evening.
Every year a friend's horse is sedated by a vet because it had previously injured itself in its stable on Nov 5.
And so on...

 

[Erebus]

Every year a terrified neighbour's cat runs into our house because the neighbour doesn't seem to think it sensible to keep her much loved pet indoors for the evening.
Every year a friend's horse is sedated by a vet because it had previously injured itself in its stable on Nov 5.
And so on...

I've always been careful to keep my dog indoors on bonfire night and for a long time she was absolutely fine with the fireworks going off outside. That changed when I took her for a walk one evening and somebody started setting off the incredibly loud ones nearby. This wasn't on any national holiday, just a random Autumn evening. She's been afraid of them ever since.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

In the Netherlands they're pretty strict regarding the usage of fireworks.
Many kinds of fireworks are illegal and one is only allowed to use them on the night of New Year's eve.
I heard many people still went to Belgium or even all the way to Poland to get their hands on the "harder" stuff though.

 

[Aštra’el]

Honestly- and I don’t care how this sounds- it’s kind of magickal. Watching a dark night sky light up with bright colorful explosions, the scent of gunpowder in the air, celebrating some great moment in time with people you care about. Maybe you are just watching, or maybe you light the sky yourselves. It is a great feeling.

Also… what I see in the sky in that moment also mirrors something inside. Something difficult to put into words. It is… nice to be reminded.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I'd ban them for personal use, even if such sounds a bit mean for all those who have nice little responsible events in their own back gardens. Much of the fireworks are essentially explosives and can especially injure children even though they are mostly not allowed to buy them until a certain age - but they can still obtain them. I can remember my irresponsible youth as to such - fortunately not causing any injuries, but it might not have been so. Public events are fine but just keep them out of the public's hands - just too many injuries caused by this clinging on to old ways.

PS You need a firearms licence in the UK to own some yacht flares and similar, and these are hardly any different from many fireworks.

 

[RestlessSoul]

How things have changed.
As a kid I used to buy fireworks, some very dangerous, Bangers, Rip-raps (Jumping Jacks) and Air Bombs. We had a bonfire in the garden, all ate parkin and drank mulled wine (Well the kids had juice)
The harm to animals was not mentioned. We used to make guys and go round collecting money (begging) for more fireworks. As a kid it was great fun.
Halloween was not a thing. Then commercialism came in and costumes, pumpkins, trick or treat took over as the norm, the UK became more American again.

I understand the problems with fireworks and, yes, we should only have organised displays BUT it was great fun whilst it lasted.

Penny for the Guy mister?


Happy days. Can you still get Catherine Wheels and Jumping Jacks?

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

I can remember my irresponsible youth as to such - fortunately not causing any injuries, but it might not have been so.

Lol, same here.

When I was 15 or so, I scorched some of my hair because I aimed a roman candle at a tree and the fireball bounced back.

I also remember a moment where my brother and I where having some kind of duel with firecrackers.
We never meant to hit one another, but we just threw them in each other's direction for fun.
My brother was in the garden and I was in my bedroom, throwing firecrackers from my window into the garden, until one of my brother's firecrackers came in through my window and landed on my windowsill right in front of my face.
I panicked and as I was trying to throw it back outside it exploded.
My ears were ringing and my eyes hurt and was sort of scared to look at my hands out of fear they might be badly injured.
Luckily no injuries though, but we never did something stupid like that again!

 

[Mock Turtle]

Lol, same here.

When I was 15 or so, I scorched some of my hair because I aimed a roman candle at a tree and the fireball bounced back.

I also remember a moment where my brother and I where having some kind of duel with firecrackers.
We never meant to hit one another, but we just threw them in each other's direction for fun.
My brother was in the garden and I was in my bedroom, throwing firecrackers from my window into the garden, until one of my brother's firecrackers came in through my window and landed on my windowsill right in front of my face.
I panicked and as I was trying to throw it back outside it exploded.
My ears were ringing and my eyes hurt and was sort of scared to look at my hands out of fear they might be badly injured.
Luckily no injuries though, but we never did something stupid like that again!

I refrained from detailing mine - lest it gave ideas to the more irresponsible members of RF.

 

[Brickjectivity]

In USA most towns have restrictions against firework use. Away from towns restrictions are less frequent. We still have regulations about large explosives. For example its not cheap or easy to get a stick of dynamite (like it was in the 1950's), and you have to have a license to blow things up for a living.

Dogs exist to lead miserable existences only to comfort humans. Dogs suffer terribly, because they are inbred monstrosities stuck in a permanent state of childhood and have lost the ability to mate for life. They live solitary and desperate lives, grateful for the tiniest amount of familial connection.

Cats are much better off than dogs, however they are monstrous murderers of wildlife. Bred to kill mice for us, they'd rather kill everything.

 

[ChristineM]

I refrained from detailing mine - lest it gave ideas to the more irresponsible members of RF.

Me too

 

[ChristineM]

Penny for the Guy mister?

Burning the guy, look at the history. Thats why we called Guy Fawkes night burn a catholic night.

 

[Altfish]

Happy days. Can you still get Catherine Wheels and Jumping Jacks?

Sadly no, oh the excitement when the catherine wheel escaped and was heading towards the box of fireworks.

 

[ChristineM]

Sadly no, oh the excitement when the catherine wheel escaped and was heading towards the box of fireworks.

Been there, done that. It makes a wonderful, of short lived pyrotechnics display

 

[Brian2]

Fireworks cause distress, injury and deaths. Pets, wildlife and people (eg those with PTSD, anxiety or autism) are affected. Selling explosives? What are we thinking?
Increasing numbers of people (including senior representatives of the emergency services) are calling for at least the restriction on their sale to the general public. Personally I want a total ban.

The UK campaign:
- The Firework Campaign UK

(PS So-called silent fireworks are NOT silent).

When I was a kid we used to have bon fires and fireworks on a block of land nearby and the kids in the area were going to the local bush land up the top of 100 ft pine trees collecting pine cones and wood for the fire.
I remember once when a Roman Candle did not work I went over to it and looked down on it just when it decided to work. Luckily I was standing up.
It was a different era then.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Burning the guy, look at the history. Thats why we called Guy Fawkes night burn a catholic night.

Not in our house.

Guido Fawkes was one of only very few men ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Sadly no, oh the excitement when the catherine wheel escaped and was heading towards the box of fireworks.

And when the Jumping Jack threatened to hop into your wellies

 

[PureX]

They are banned in many places. But it's sort of like prohibition, when people just ignore the bans. They were banned in Chicago when I lived there, but on the 4th and on some Hispanic holidays the whole city looked like a war zone with people drinking and shooting off cases and cases of fireworks on every block, late into the night.

On New Year's Eve drunk people went outside at midnight and fired their guns in the air, and the police would all vanish for about a half hour, knowing that if they were on the street, they could very well become targets.