I get saddened this time of year thinking about American-made fireworks, once the mainstay of our Independence Day celebrations. Since 1954, domestic production has nearly been eliminated, in the name of "safety", by new federal entities. The producers simply cannot compete with their overseas counterparts because of regulations imposed by various Departments, Commissions, Administrations, Offices, and Agencies. Never mind the fact that misuse of fireworks ranks right up there with stepladders, roller skates, and bicycles as one of the many causes of serious injuries. Reminds me of how so many mail-order firearms and other 'destructive devices" were prohibited in 1934 under the guise of "crime control" even though these items were seldom used by criminals.

Oh well, celebrants in some jurisdictions can still shoot imported fireworks, often made by children and semi-slave labor, as long as they make sufficiently muted sounds at or near ground level. The 4th just isn't as much fun as it used to be without some great old noisemakers produced by Backe's, Kent, Tipp's, Triumph, Unexcelled, United, and Victory to name a few of the biggest. They employed a lot of people.

Yes, Hal, for most of my life fireworks were illegal here in PA. Now they are legal, but unless I'm wrong you can't legally buy them here you have to go to Ohio, where they are also illegal unless you buy them in PA. Yes, fireworks are sold in Pa and in Ohio just not to the corresponding residents! Safety First! Very Happy Independence Day to All!

We can shoot anytime here in ND, but can only buy during the week of the 4th and around Christmas/New Year. No rockets under 2 oz or Roman candles over 10=ball are the only restrictions. CPSC tried to ban all firecrackers nationally in 1976; only thing that saved us was the fact that they are used for religious purposes by some faiths. That is how we ended up with the miserable little 50mg crapcrackers we have today. I've been collecting firecracker packs and labels for 75 years.

I suspect a lot of those old firecracker labels would deem the manufacturers racist these days.

I was surprised to see how much fireworks have gone up in price in the last year. Each year I buy my F250's back seat full of big, multi-shot fireworks aerial displays (some with as many as 640 shots). From last year to this year there was a big difference. I bought $474, after the 40% discount my close friend gives me) Friday, to shoot Saturday evening. I've done this for several years, each 4th of July, at some pre-determined place on the Savannah River. Last night it was at Stoney Bluff Landing. All of the fireworks originated in China. It would be nice to be able to have fireworks that were all made in the USA, but the truth is that if they had been my bill would have likely been closer to $2474, instead of $474. Make of that what you will. For my part........... "thanks, labor unions".

We can shoot fireworks off anytime of the year outside the city limits unless the area says it’s restricted

However we can only buy the at the 4 of July time and New Years time,


All the good stuff is federally restricted ( 50 milligrams of powder) unless you have a connection


Not as fun as it use to be

Even the stuff when you could make the really good stuff is restricted now. Can’t even buy dynamite fuse anymore

Seems a shame


John Boyd

Nineteen years living in the Ponderosa Pines in a dry climate I've come to hate fireworks!!

I'm with Researcher. Two years ago in September, the wildfire smoke in No Cal was so thick that it was as if the sun never rose all day. Last summer was the same in much of Oregon. CA barely had any rain this winter, and the fire potential is off the charts.

House about 20 houses down from me on same street burned down last night. Empty, new owners were going to move in today. About an $900,000 home. It's toast. A tear down. Fire department is pretty sure it was embers from fireworks, which were non stop last night, and with no one living in the house, it was raging before anyone noticed.

We've had lots of moisture so far this year but nothing for close to two weeks.

Fireworks are fundamentally different from firearms. The right to be arms exists in our constitution for a well thought out purpose.

While I no longer like setting fireworks off myself, and I am bothered by the week of booms all over the neighborhood, I tolerate it. Toleration takes us a distance in this country.

Just for grins oc. If we must split hairs, I am bothered by the daily barage from the antis all over this fine country, which is what after all we are celebrating with these fireworks. But, tolerance in the US today takes us to yet another hard dividing line. Tolerance gets us absolutely no where.

No offense taken Craig, the tolerance I spoke of is of fireworks.

There are many rights we have as Americans that sometimes infringe on others' little Utopias. I have a neighbor who is attempting to protect his large (60 acre) sunflower field from deer predation by using LP gas cannons, which go off every few minutes all night, and are exceedingly loud, much more so than any of the very large fireworks displays I fired off Saturday night. I can lie in bed and hear those cannons. I could complain about them but I wouldn't dare. I am grateful for all those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our way of life, and our freedoms, one of which is celebrating those freedoms on July 4th. And I respect my neighbor's rights to protect his property. The tolerance you speak of can be used for good, or misused for evil. Being tolerant of other's rights is a good thing. Tolerance of evil only drags us down.

The main problem with fireworks is that if they're too close to you and your dogs, they can end up being gunshy. I live right across the road from a large lake. No close neighbors. Many of those who live along the shore shoot fireworks over the lake. A few years ago, one of them must've had one head in the wrong direction. Exploded pretty close to our house. (Kind of dangerous from a potential fire hazard, because we're surrounded by trees.) Ever since then, my setter--who was never spooked by thunder before that--became very nervous. Fortunately, did not carry over to hunting. But I'm glad he was an old veteran and not a pup.

Owning bird dogs I do not like fireworks at all.

IMO shooting off fireworks in a residential neighborhood is just stupid - as others have pointed out potentially very dangerous to your neighbors in a residential neighborhood.

I just follow the lead of our first Vice President John Adams concerning our Independence:

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Those who live in areas where fireworks are a nuisance have the right to work to change their local ordinances. If the majority want to change the law it can be done, by voting..

If there isn't a majority who want the ordinance changed there is another alternative .........live somewhere else where the ordinances suit them better.

Have never seen such ordnances put to the vote of the electorate. Ditto with noisy music concerts.

One of the problems is that there are ordinances in place, but are rarely ever enforced. A problem in our area isn't the 4th of July, which you can prepare for, but the random shooting off of fireworks from Memorial day through Labor day. Having a 15 week old pointer we were very prepared for the events of the 4th. What stung us was taking him outside around 7 pm on July 3rd when about a half block away someone started having their celebrations early and launched a series of large mortars. It took us several minutes to get the puppy back out from under the deck, finally coaxed him out with a treat.

May or may not have ruined him for life. Going to keep him away from all loud noises the best we can for the next couple months until we simultaneously introduce him to birds and primer pops this fall when he is at 6 months old. Will have to take it real slow with him.

When things were really going on the 4th I sat with him all evening inside making sure he was distracted with a chew toy or whatever. With a few of the biggest booms he would look up at the patio door, but went back to chewing after a few seconds. Didn't attempt to get up and hide or start whining at the noise. Hopefully it's a sign that he wasn't too scared from the night before.

You vote the politicians out of office that pass ordinances you disagree with. I thought that was understood. My bad.

The only ones that can't be gotten rid of are the judges.

Noisey music concerts? I love noisey music concerts