So you hate American traditions, too? Before you answer to the contrary, illegal fireworks and displays are indeed an American tradition. A couple of years ago, the town that I live in suspended its annual fireworks because they didn't want people gathering to watch, due to COVID. To the delight of pretty much everyone, people all over town were shooting off professional fireworks, at least equaling or exceeding what the town would have ordinarily done. The police didn't even bother anyone over it, as far as I am aware.
There are some fireworks here, but only the bang kind, as it is light all the time. You can't see aerial displays. The skyrockets and such are for New Years here, and are legal in this area on New years Eve. People don't care about the laws regarding fireworks in the rural areas here around holidays. It is perfectly legal to shoot guns in this area, so what is the deal with firecrackers...as long as you don't start a wildfire. Brother-in-law and sister-in-law are visiting form Iowa. We went to the parade in a nearby town. They said it was the coldest 4th they had ever experienced at 63 F.
That's kind of pathetic. I gotta think there's places in the lower 48 that would be close...if nothing else in the desert overnight. Regarding fireworks at New Year's...I imagine everything is snow-covered anyway. My first New Year here I smiled when I heard shotguns going off around me. Yeh, I join in. It's the country version of smoke signals
Wellll, it’s 2100 hrs and the party has been in full swing for about an hour. It seems like the celebration is a little heavier this year than in the past 2 or 3 years and the ordinance is pretty impressive especially for this side of town. I write “impressive” only for the fact that the types of boomers that have been going off ain’t cheap and this side of town isn’t known for its high dollar population. Still, I’ll bet a dollar to a donut that the light show on this side of Huntsville is putting on a better show than the richer side. Ya know, I kinda wish I had a few bottle rockets. I never used a can or a bottle, just let ‘em take off from my hand. When I lived in Lathrop Wells, Nevada, we’d have a group on one side of the street and another group on the other and we’d fire bottle rockets at each other. Didn’t know if one side was supposed to be British and the other side American. The entire population of 35 just shot at each other and hoped we didn’t burn our little town down. Uh….need I write that there were indeed alcoholic beverages involved? Didn’t think so. Anyway, it was a fine celebration and one I am sure that everyone who lived in that town and is still alive will always remember.
There is one guy on the hard road at the end of my right-of-way that shoots fireworks off every year, but the trees block the view. Regarding bottle rocket battles: I've been involved in one while canoeing down the Shenandoah River. There's no place to hide sitting upright in a boat.
Illegal is "illegal", no matter what American tradition it is. It simply proves that many young Americans don't care about laws anymore. Plain and simple. And, whether it's 4th of July or NYE, when a person has to work the next day, it's not fun at all not being able to get to sleep due to exploding ground and arial stuff. Foam ear plugs don't work and most folks are use to sleeping with ear plugs in. We have seen plenty of professional fireworks displays and they were great, but they didn't go on thru midnight. The best display was at the old Jacksonville Landing (by the St. Johns River) in Jacksonville, Florida. Stunning fireworks in the sky as well as a "Waterfall" display on the Main Street Bridge and another close-by bridge. And, Ken, if illegal or legal fireworks are an American tradition, then why is it that, where we live, a resident can be evicted if they use fireworks of any kind, legal or illegal. That's right, if reported, they will be evicted. The complex in Jacksonville, Florida wasn't like that. We bought a couple of big "Fountains" and set off in the driveway. Absolutely beautiful and we got video of them. As far as the police go, there are just too many folks that set off ground/arial fireworks to contend with/ticket. And, all of these folks absolutely love it that the police leave them alone. And, on top of all of that, somewhere/somehow, somebody always gets hurt, or even killed, displaying illegal fireworks...........like what happened in Michigan. Take a look at this statement: "More than 10,000 fireworks-related injuries were treated in emergency rooms in the U.S. last year, including 11 fireworks-related deaths, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission."
If fireworks are sold in a city or a county, chances are the fireworks themselves aren’t illegal to obtain. The only illegality might be where the fireworks are used. It’s been my experience that most cities have ordinances in place stating that the use of fireworks within the city limits is illegal even when the fireworks themselves are legal to have. The reason that the police do not react to private fireworks is that ya just can’t arrest thousands of people who are using them on the 4th. If an apartment complex has a rule about the use of fireworks, it isn’t because they’re illegal but because they could pose a fire hazard and is in line with whatever insurance policy the complex is involved with. Most certainly, the people who own the complex aren’t probably anti-American and U.S. tradition, it’s just a rule that’s put into place for the safety of their investment. Personally, even though I’m not real fond of all the noise, to see people using fireworks on the 4th in celebration of our independence is much better than seeing folks trying to intentionally burn down a city (or our Nation’s banner) as part of a protest AGAINST the United States. Again, you’ve put up with the displays and noise on the 4th for over 70 years, how about finding some problem worth while and solvable to complain about?
Well, Bobby, it's apparent that perhaps you don't know the difference between legal fireworks and illegal ones??? The fireworks that are sold in the city we live in are legal, being that don't blow up in the sky or on the ground. IOW, like Bottle Rockets, M-80's Cherry Bombs and Firecrackers. Fireworks that are "Fountains" are completely legal. They don't blast off from the ground and blow up in the sky. They are beautiful to see, but cities highly request that professionals only use the "blow up in the sky" type. The illegal fireworks that were here last night, came from Cheyenne, Wyoming. We've passed the large store a number of times. As far as fireworks in apartment complexes, as already stated, the complex we lived in in Jacksonville allowed the legal, as in Fountains/Sparklers, to be used, but not the "sky" type ones or Firecrackers. Actually there was a male resident, and his young son, were evicted from our Jacksonville complex because he shot off his shotgun on NYE and was reported to complex manager for doing it. If private citizens would follow city laws of "No Illegal Fireworks", I wouldn't complain at all. But, they don't. It's like, "I'll do what I want to and to heck with laws.".
When they finally outlaw guns, will you just hand yours over to your friendly DEA agents knocking at your door?