Fireworks are such a tradition it's hard to ask people to stop using them.  But there are a lot of problems as you apparently well know.  We're in a huge drought situation, and every year there are horror stories of what happens because of fireworks.  One man died a few years back because of illegal fireworks.  The air quality in this town is barely breathable as it is.  I think local city and county officials ought to step in and make them illegal except for the large public shows like at BC.  That's really the only way to totally avoid people gettng hurt and their property burning, not to mention our hillsides. 

Good idea for a topical debate!!

It would be hard to imagine the Fourth of July without displays of fireworks, either in your driveway or a dazzling public show.

Firework sales are fundraisers for non-profit organizations, many of whom depend on this single fundraiser as a signficant portion of their yearly budget. These organizations reach thousands of people in our community and this benefit alone makes it worthwhile for the selling of fireworks. In my opinion, this outweighs the very minimal injuries/fires experienced each year. I did some research and found on the Department of Homeland Security's website (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/dow...) that the amount of firework-related injuries has decreased 37% over the last 13 years - it is 3.2 injuries per 100,000 people. Also, the two leading injuries stem from firecrackers and bottle rockets, neither of which are even sold in California.

I did further research and according to the U.S. Fire Administration Topical Fire Research Series  (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/dow...), each year there are approximately 11, 600 fires, 250 injuries, and 40 deaths due to Christmas tree fires. Please note that the same website lists the statistics for fireworks: 7,000 fires, 8,500 injuries, and 13 fatalities, demonstrating that Christmas tree fires between December 24th and 26th pose a much higher danger in regards to fires and fatalities. Will Arnold next ask us to put away our Christmas trees?

As far as the air quality issue is concerned, I searched the Internet extensively but could find no concrete data to share. We live in a city (and state) that has poor air quality year-round: according to the American Lung Association's website, the top three-ranking metropolitan cities with the worst pollution are Los Angeles, Fresno, and Bakersfield.

Your thoughts are valid but the vast majority of people enjoy fireworks safely without incident.  To answer your question, my final vote is Yes on fireworks, provided they are used in a careful manner under adult supervision.

Happy Independence Day and God Bless America! 

Wow. I completely completely COMPLETELY concur!
I believe we should be more worried about the illegal fireworks, and not the legal ones.
And plus, the bottle rockets keep me up all night on the fourth! Ugh!

Once, when I was a little girl, the next door neighbors shot off a bottle rocket and it went awry and chased me up the driveway into my garage.  To this day, I am terrified of fireworks, legal or illegal.  I wouldn't think of NOT getting them for my kids, but every year I breathe a sigh of relief when the last one is gone out of the box.  Whew.

I'm already getting hives just thinking about this year.  :)

unfortunately, the 'smart as rocks' sort of people who cause the problems with the fireworks in the first place will be the ones who definitely buy them this year. they would even buy them illegally if fireworks were banned.  those of us who might feel it is our civic responsibility to refrain this year, are probably the individuals who are too careful to cause problems anyway. 

I'm glad this discussion is still ongoing.  My husband (the purse carrier) and I were talking about fireworks last night, when he said, "I can't believe they are still selling them!" as he glanced at all the fireworks stands near our house.  But I can see both sides.  However, fireworks fundraisers are usually the biggest money makers for local non-profits all year.  Banning the sale of the the fireworks would put a big dent in the budgets of the folks who rely on those sales each July 2-4.

I said to him that banning fireworks would be just like banning hand guns & rifles -- the "good" people, i.e., the rule followers, law abiders--the ones who don't use them illegally anyway--would continue abiding by the law, but it's the law breakers, selfish citizens who care only about getting what they want, who would find a way to purchase them and start fires (or kill, maim people).

It isn't the law abiders who cause the problems, so banning them would keep them only from those of us who use them responsibly, anyway.  Morons and "bad guys" will always find a way to get illegal paraphernalia, no matter what that is.

However, if we're talking about banning them for just this year because of our current air crisis caused by the ongoing fires in California, I would relent and agree.  I think B.C. will have a packed house this year.

Ohhhhh, I really like your comparison to guns! Great way to think about it!!!

I would like to go watch the fireworks at Bakersfield College but every 4th of July we must stay home.  Why?  Because we have horses and dogs that are frightened by the illegal fireworks.  The trembling dogs are kept in the garage with a radio playing.  The horses have no place to hide.  Unfortunately people assume the safest place to aim their fireworks is at the wide open space (our horse pens) rather than the housing tracts where they live.  This year we had a mare with a newborn foal frantically going in circles trying to protect her baby from the booms and blasts that were going off in all directions.  The horses crash against the fence and barn when bottle rockets come at them.  We were lucky none were seriously injured this year with all the bottle rockets that came down inside their pens! 

Oh, that is just terrible!  I know about where you live, and yes... there were TONS of illegal fireworks in Rosedale!!  I hope you used the phone number and reported them.  If fireworks remain legal in CA, we all need to keep that Fire Dept. Task Force phone number on speed dial next year.  Little ground fireworks are one thing... but I even saw a FLARE go up in Rosedale... a flare!!  It was one of those slow-dropping ones that you use in the ocean.  Unbelievable.

After spending my adolescence in Tehachapi, where fireworks have always been banned, I'm accustomed to not using them to celebrate the Fourth of July. Since sparklers are legal, that's what we've used — this year my son joined in the celebration and used sparklers for the first time.

While fireworks are an iconic American plaything in July, I don't see anything wrong with leaving the pyrotechnics to the pros. Most firework shows are visible and free, so we an additional fire threat could be eliminated.