Fireworks, Friend Or Foe?

I would be lying if I didn’t say that fireworks were my favorite part of the Fourth of July. 

Yeah there’s all the patriotism that comes in full stride throughout the nation, and a plethora of red, white, and blue stars and stripes on shirts, hats, and beach towels that get broken out once a year.  But nothing compares to watching bright sparkling explosions in the night sky, or running around and writing your name with a burning silver sparkler in your hand. 

While it’s obvious that I adore fireworks, and judging by the myriad of loud light shows all last week so do a lot of our neighbors, I can’t help but wonder if I’m glad or irritated that fireworks are illegal in New York.

If fireworks were legal to purchase here, then I’m sure a lot more people would have them, and not just those willing to travel out of state to neighboring Pennsylvania or the like.  It therefore follows that there would be even more awesome shows to watch at night.  And hey, I might even be inclined to shoot off a couple of awesome ones in my front yard!

On the flip side though, I have a sneaky suspicion that there would be a lot more people with burnt hands and missing fingers on the Fourth of July.

I happen to know one person in particular, who luckily enough, only roasted a couple of spots on his hand, instead of losing chunks of it.  (Good thing it wasn’t one of those large explode-in-the-sky fireworks sitting in his hand when it immediately exploded from both ends instead of the fire following the fuse.)

Let’s not forget that on a holiday like the Fourth of July most people are in hardcore party-mode and are less-than-sober.  This doesn’t exactly make for ideal firework lighting conditions as your reaction time is considerably slower and your judgment gets a little blurred as time goes on.  If setting a firework underneath an overturned garbage can sounded like a bad idea earlier in the night, chances are that after a couple of cold beers the idea is getting more and more promising.

In all honesty, fireworks are pretty dangerous – especially when you don’t know how old they are and where/how they were made.  But if other states are allowing their residents to purchase and detonate fireworks, then why can’t we do it here?  If I choose to be reckless enough to light off a firework that I’m not really sure where it came from, then shouldn’t I be able to choose that path for myself?  It’s not like those who set off fireworks don’t know the potential risk for disaster when they light that first fuse.  And sparklers seem about as dangerous as a handheld lighter.

As for myself, I’m really not sure what my final opinion is on this matter – the jury’s still out on this one.