Firework Laws

[RED-DOG]

I'm big on liberty and freedom of choice. I hate the nanny state, but...

I once saw a pregnant mare that had to be shot where she lay at the bottom of a ditch after fleeing in terror from youths throwing fireworks. She had a broken leg, and was cut to ribbons by the barbed wire that entangled her.

I've seen big tough dogs that would face a lion without batting an eyelid cowering in a corner so scared of the fireworks that they lose controll of their bowells.

I've seen a cat running through the streets with a lighted firework tied around it's neck.

Every year dozens of young people are maimed. Hundreds of old people are deliberately tormented, and literally millions of animals are terrified by fireworks.

I've seen two boys wrap a fireworks in tape and seal it with candlewax, light it, and push it through the letterbox of a shop. It went off like a bomb blowing the shop window out.

I was one of those boys.

It's time that fireworks were restricted to organised displays only.

[Graham C]

People can be gits with all sorts of things though, just because some people aren't capable of acting responsibly with fireworks shouldn't mean that they are banned for everyone else.

[RED-DOG]

People can be gits with all sorts of things though, just because some people aren't capable of acting responsibly with fireworks shouldn't mean that they are banned for everyone else.

So we should all be allowed to carry guns, or keep tigers in the garden?

[byronkincaid]

So we should all be allowed to carry guns

I would say no but Paul Philips (and millions of americans) says yes and he's a lot cleverer than me.

[Sark79]

Terrible stories Red, some people are sick

I agree Graham,  we should not ban fireworks for everyone.  They should be sold to a couple of people within each Community who have been granted a licence for the evening to use them.  If people want to watch fireworks, I am sure putting a couple of pounds into the pot will be welcomed.  Also, if people want to put on a public display and it is properly ( safely ) organised, then applying for a licence should not be too much of an annoyance.

I fear this argument will still be discussed in twenty years time.  I still agree with my above comments in another post.  If I remember back to when I was a Kid,  there was an old Lady who had a wall infront of her house.  On the top of the wall there were three heavy top stones and the end stone was very loose. Kids used to walk along the top of the wall and most days the stone was laying on the ground by nightfall as it had been knocked down by one of the Kids.  The old woman constantly argued with the Mothers of the Kids about the danger of the loose top stone.  The old woman admitted it was dangerous, but if people stayed off her wall then no accident would happen.  The local Council listened to the complaints of the Mothers and took no action towards the old Lady.  Then one morning a Kid was walking along the wall helped by his elderly Grandfather, the stone came loose and fell on the boys Grandfathers leg badly breaking a bone.  Within two weeks, the wall was gone and had been replaced by a wooden fence.  

Sometimes accidents/events have to happen for action to be taken.  I am not in favour of people getting hurt, of course I am not and nobody would be, however any laws banning the use of fireworks at certain times of day will never be respected.  A complete ban for the average man in the street is the only solution.

[Graham C]

It's illegal to keep guns without a license and I believe it's also illegal to own tigers.

We're allowed to buy knives in supermarkets, we're are allowed to buy all sorts of things that can be used as weapons.   You can go in to Homebase and buy things that will instantly kill or cause tremendous damage to people.   People need matches or lighters to ignite fireworks - shall we ban them next?

I don't see how restricting firework sales to a few individuals will improve things, they'll become available on black markets the way so many illegal goods are currently.  Who will decide who is capable of buying and using them?  Will they have to go on courses? Who's going to pay for it?  Why is Mr X not capable but Mr Y is when  Mr X has been doing it for years?

Totally disagree with a complete ban.  We live in a country where we have a great freedom, let's not change that.  Sure some bad things happen with fireworks, but bad things happen every day.   More good things happen with responsible people using fireworks, you can't let the actions of a few ruin things for the majority.

We make our own decisions in life, and if some little toe rag wants to blow something up with a firework, then he's going to do it.  If it's not with a firework, it will more than likely be with something else.   

[The_duke]

Currently, fireworks can only be brought into Ireland for use in organised displays by professional operators. However a new EU directive will free up the sale of fireworks across member states (sometimes I think their heads are up their butts).

A recent survey has indicated that Ireland and Greece, which both ban consumer fireworks, have the lowest recorded rate of related accidents in the EU. (source Irish Independent).

I think this is a compelling endorsement for fireworks only being used by licensed operators.

[Sark79]

I guess if they were illegal and the police knew of an individual who owned black market fireworks, they would have the power to confiscate them.  At the moment anyone can own fireworks and the Police can do nothing about it. So if they were illegal for the average man in the street to own, then at least the law could cease them.

It wouldn't be too difficult to select a responsible person to hold onto them and use them on Nov 5th, every Town has someone who is trusted and responsible. Kilmarnock has two people who could perform this role,  we used to have three but the other guy moved away

[bolt pp]

These are my views and I will change them for nobody.  I am perfectly calm Bolt.  What does shootings have to do with my firework question anyway? 

I wasn't responding to a question, your posts on this thread evolve far past a single question and IMO are borderline ludicrous but in answer to your question the correlation between the two is that your irrational and unrealistic complaints and proposals(and admonishment of perpetrators) is naive and as a contrast i wanted to display to you a community who not only wholly unconcerned by this "problem" but conversely welcome it, the bang of a firework sounds exactly like a gunshot, you read the reports in the paper and theres always some old dear or some bloke who says"i just thought it was a firework", well such is the prevalence of guncrime in Greenwich now folk are happy when it is, in fact i'll show you a whole community who would write an entirely polarised post to that of yours if they could be assured that kids were running around fireing fireworks for a laugh and not killing eachother dealing drugs.

Just makes me laugh that you keep referring to police involvement as though it could be a priority in even the most rural and peaceful of communities.

[kinboshi]

Organised firework displays are far better than the usual pathetic efforts of setting off 3 rockets in your back garden.

[Sark79]

Bolt, whatever you feel about this matter,  I believe 100% that I am correct.  I have made my feelings clear on this thread and as they are my feelings, they are correct.  I know the Police will not be able to do anything and I apologize if I hadn't made that clear.  In order to make progress ( as I see it ) the only way for idiots to stop using fireworks irresponsibly is for a young Kid to have a serious accident involving a firework.  Sad but true . This will bring about the ban of casual use of fireworks. I am not saying I want this to happen though. 

[Rod Paradise]

I can't agree with the tendency to legislate for 'our own good' - be it drugs laws, alcohol licensing, crash helmets or seatbelts I find the making of free choice illegal to be an insiduous trend in how we are governed.

[RED-DOG]

I can't agree with the tendency to legislate for 'our own good' - be it drugs laws, alcohol licensing, crash helmets or seatbelts I find the making of free choice illegal to be an insiduous trend in how we are governed.

I have to admit that I agree with this view in spite of my earlier comments.

[kinboshi]

I can't agree with the tendency to legislate for 'our own good' - be it drugs laws, alcohol licensing, crash helmets or seatbelts I find the making of free choice illegal to be an insiduous trend in how we are governed.

I have to admit that I agree with this view in spite of my earlier comments.

Surely that's the point of many laws - to protect people from themselves and to protect others.

Take the seatbelt law - it's saved lives, both of adults who wouldn't have 'belted up' before the law was introduced, and also children's lives whose parents wouldn't have previously had the sense to make them 'belt up' before the law was in place.

Some people do need protecting from themselves.

I also think it should be law that cyclists have to wear helmets.

[The_duke]

I agree with some of the 'freedom of expression/liberty' posts where it applies to personal freedom. Where I do not agree is where a persons actions harm a third/inoocent party.

Fine don't wear a seatbelt but make sure your child does
Fine take drugs but don't mug someone for the money
Fine drink yourself to death but don't drive
Fine shove a firework in your own letter box don't do it to your neighbour
Fine smoke yourself to death but don't blow it in my face in an enclosed space

Some laws whilst appearing to retrict your rights also protect other innocent peoples rights