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by bipolar
i dont see adults setting off fireworks on the street day AND night, as i type this a whole load are being set off in my area )

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Yeah, and mine. So I'll say yes, for now!

I don't think this is a case of restricting peoples enjoyment, organised firework displays should still be held, but I'm less and less seeing the justification for selling them to the public (as I get older, funnily enough...)

Yeah, I think it's best left to the professional displays, the shop-bought fireworks are usually expensive, and not very good. The professional displays last longer, are cheaper and have much better fireworks
The only thing about home fireworks is that the nice warm indoors isn't very far away lol.

but... they're such a great selection mechanism for human evolution!

Never buy fireworks myself, but if you want to ban fireworks because they're dangerous, you should ban cars as well, cause they're a lot more dangerous...

The only thing about home fireworks is that the nice warm indoors isn't very far away lol.

But surely that's part of the fun of the night! Being able to warm yourself by the fire?

I'm in agreement with the public displays being a better and more sensible way of celebrating the day. After all I was able to enjoy plenty of free fireworks on the way home from the council organised display in town tonight.

My own feeling is that fireworks should be banned from general sale for 51 weeks of the year. If you want to have them at a wedding, religious festival ect, you'd need a liscence; realitively easily obtainable for over-18s, but with a hefty fine it you're not responsible about it/ sell them on to the local ratboys.

Allow them unliscenced for one week *only* around ol' Guido's celebration, but have hefty fines for the young scroat who seem determined to turn this time of year into the Tet offensive.

hmm, I'm not sure. When I was a teenager we'd mess about with them a lot in very dangerous ways. Looking back now I have no idea how none of us were seriously injured but we were very stupid with them. I don't think its right to ban them, but kids can really mess about with them and do serious damage. it used to be that you could buy them at 16 when i was younger and I think its not 18 but maybe it should be raised to at least 21. I like the fact people can have their own fire work displays, but when younger people get hold of them they can do serious damage to themselves and other people, so i'm really not sure. But raising the age to at least 21 i'd say would be good.

Not a bad idea banning them for 51 weeks of the year. We do that here in the Netherlands for a while now... We even go further.... Fireworks can be sold 3 days before new years (or 4 if there is a Sunday in between) but you are only allowed to light fireworks between 10am 13st December and 4am 1st Januari or something.

Sure you get the occasional kids that lights fireworks earlier or the fireworks that are obtained illegally in for example Belgium (as we Dutch don't live on an island).

But if you look at the amount of legal fireworks that are being lit and the people that have to be rushed into first aid is surprisingly low. Most problems occure with illegal fireworks (way more powerful) which can easily take limbs off.

Also a lot of accidents happen with little kids running around the morning after trying to find firework that didn't go off yet (and has very short fuses) and explodes than and there... But also than the insuries are minor if it isn't illegal fireworks.

So I would say limit what fireworks can be bought by consumers. Limit them to a timeframe in which they are allowed to be sold and used. Of course have the permits to have the at any other time.

Most fireworks that is legal here in The Netherlands you can let just explode in your hand and end up with minor burn marks and a numb feeling possibly some minor bleeding and if you where proper winter gloves you won't even get that. Also you can just stand on it and have it explode underneith your shoes without much trouble.... (Been there done that when I was little).

So in my opinion fireworks aren't really dangerous..... The combination of people drinking partying and illegal fireworks (too strong) leads to serious enjuries.

But another reason for banning fireworks...... have you ever thought about the amounts of mess you create and airpolution?

But than again it's great for the economy

Well, I'm gonna be the first one to say I'm against banning fire works. Laws already exist for the punishment of those who misuse them. I don't have the statistics for those injured, yearly, by fireworks, but I'm guessing it is less than those injured or killed by cars, paracetemols, drunken violence, and probably children drinking detergent and the like. Yes it's annoying, and dangerous, but there are laws against such behaviour already. What is lacking is either the numbers of police, or the desire, to apprehend people (youths or otherwise) in the act.

I agree that, in general, organized displays are better. But then I am a single adult with no children. I also remember being a child, with the whole family round my grand parents, fire works in the back yard and lots of homemade grub - treacle toffee, jacket potatoes and mushy peas, parkin, toffee apples, the lot. And it was nice. Not as stunning a view as the organized events, but a nice family, private, moment. And I don't think the argument is strong enough to ban other families from doing the same.

I think Spike might have a point. I certainly wouldn't want to stop people being able to have fireworks, but increasing the age restriction to 21 might be a good idea...

before i continue i just want to say i didnt give my opinion on whether or they should they be banned just asked the question "SHOULD they?" i myself am also in two minds (just though it would make interesting discussion) but after reading about a couple of teenagers aiming a rocket at a bedroom window, whose two year old occupant was only taken out of the room a few minutes before the incident, which destroyed the room completely leaving a gaping hole in the floor and having mangled the ceiling it scares what some people consider fun. dropping bangers through letterboxes and i remember newspaper reports from years a go of kids having actually tied fireworks to a poor cats legs for own amusement which the thought of left me in tears.
but i'd keep them for the same reason that JayJay gave it was one of the only two events a year our family spent time together and had fun (and i was a regulaer little arsonist back then totally obsessed with fire ) and i agree with only selling them for one week a year maybe the age upped to 21 and definately needing proof of age would make things a lot safer as long as some adult isnt stupid enough to give it someone who is irresponsible.

hope everyone had fun tonight and no injuries sustained

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by Jayjay
Well, I'm gonna be the first one to say I'm against banning fire works. Laws already exist for the punishment of those who misuse them. I don't have the statistics for those injured, yearly, by fireworks, but I'm guessing it is less than those injured or killed by cars, paracetemols, drunken violence, and probably children drinking detergent and the like. Yes it's annoying, and dangerous, but there are laws against such behaviour already. What is lacking is either the numbers of police, or the desire, to apprehend people (youths or otherwise) in the act.

I agree that, in general, organized displays are better. But then I am a single adult with no children. I also remember being a child, with the whole family round my grand parents, fire works in the back yard and lots of homemade grub - treacle toffee, jacket potatoes and mushy peas, parkin, toffee apples, the lot. And it was nice. Not as stunning a view as the organized events, but a nice family, private, moment. And I don't think the argument is strong enough to ban other families from doing the same.

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My suggestion still allows all that -- Guy Falwkes has long become embedded in the national consiousness way beyound people who could give two hoots about traitorous Catholics and dodgy beardy Scotish kings -- but prevents the month of pikey-induced sleep-depriving havok that now occurs either side of 5 November.

It's become an anti-social nightmare on a vast scale in many parts of the country, and extremely intimidating even if the actual injury stats are relatively low (still a couple of hundred per annum).

Liscences wouldn't deter people who wanted a proper display, at other times, but it would stop the ratboys, since those burberry-adorned young gentlemen of the town are congenitally incapable of work of any kind.

I have to admit, there is an appealingly sick irony to banning people from using fireworks for three years after they can quite legally join up and play with the real thing.

(Edited by Byron 06/11/2003 01:18)

Firstly I love fireworks, I love the 5th of November when all I can hear out of my window is the bangs and crashes of fireworks, I love driving at night when people are having their own personal fireworks displays.

I think though that there should be a lot tighter restrictions on how,where and to whom they are sold, near where I live firework shops have sprung up all over the place and it isn't like when I was younger ie: the biggestest firework you could get your hands on would have been a little rocket, today people seem very easierly able to get their hands on big display fireworks that when set of in someones small garden can really cause problems.

I don't think banning fireworks all together would be a good idea for purely selfish reasons, I like being able to have a ickle family display in my backgarden, but I do think that Byron's sugestion would work quiet well, it isn't going to stop peoples enjoyment of a personal fireworks display, it might infact encourge more people to go to organised displays as they maybe would forget to buy their fireworks and it wouldn't stop us all from enjoying them at other times of the years as we could apply to buy them for specific reasons. What it would do is make it harder for the kids to get hold of them and let them off, and as Bipolar said it may be a sterotypical thing to say but as with her and Avenger the only people I have seen so far this year doing this up and downthe streets are kids, last night after my college course whilst going back to my car some kids let of a firework in a big cardboard box in the car park, about 10 feet from me and my car, not fun I can tell you my only thoughts were to get teh hell out of there as fast as I could, I'm not sure of the figures but also being out last night I lost count of the amount of times I heared and saw the fire service, while parking up there was a firengine in the car park, then increase in man power in the services must be astounding, also while they are dealing with a small bin fire some kids have made someone could be left in real need.

there definetly needs to be more done to restrict kids getting hold of fireworks, and as for the stupid adults who buy them for kids grr makes me mad, what kind of fools are they!
as i'm finding out just now, where i live (salford) is plagued by fireworks until mid-february or so..
i'd say that since september when i moved here to uni, there has been fireworks at least every other day...and last night was definetly the peak, it started around 4pm and they never stopped until very late in the night. as pretty as it was, my student newspaper tells me tha this area is notorious for kids playing with fireworks and lighting their own bonfires. its so dangerous!
i've never really had the urge to play with fireworks...maybe getting one thrown at me when i was younger as a "fun" but terribly malicious joke, put me off a bit, i'm very lucky i wasn't hurt. i'd much rather go to a specially organised firework display and i have lots of memories of going to them with all my friends when i was younger. theres something nice about freezing your ass off in the cold with loads of other people watching these beautiful things light up the sky. the atmosphere is wonderful

i don't think firworks should be banned all year, but they should definetly be made harder to get hold of, and maybe a licence for use wouldn't be such a bad idea

(Edited by Spitefulangel 06/11/2003 10:46)

Certainly the bigger ones should be banned from public sale, fireworks like that aren't designed to be set off in someone's back garden, and allowing them on general sale is just asking for trouble, malicious or not.

I agree that 21 is probably a more suitable age requirement for the purchase of "home display" fireworks, and that anything bigger than those should require a professional license to buy and operate.

In actual fact, the government are hoping to introduce sweeping changes to the existing laws regaurding the sale and use of fireworks, including:

A complete ban on "Air-Bomb" Fireworks

A national curfew on the operation of fireworks after 11pm

A noise limit of 120 Decibels on all fireworks available to the general public

Compulsory training for operators of public firework displays

Stricter licensing for the sale of fireworks

Under 18's banned from having fireworks about their person, any breaking the law will face an immediate £80 on the spot fixed fine

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by Jayjay
I don't have the statistics for those injured, yearly, by fireworks, but I'm guessing it is less than those injured or killed by cars,

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1017 Injured last year by fireworks, the last death due to firework injuries was in 2000.

I think that the proposed government measures outlined by Stoo above are a good way of tackling the problems surrounding misuse of fireworks.

If you ban them completely then people are always going to be able to obtain shoddy fireworks illegally and then we run the risk of worse accidents than already happen. I do think that age restrictions should be raised.

The idea about banning firework sales for 51 weeks of the year is unworkable and would create uproar if it was tried to be implemented. Fireworks are an important part of the Diwali (sp?) festival and if you banned fireworks going on sale any other time of year you'd have a few pretty pissed off religious leaders out there.

As for comparing firework accidents to car accidents.... You have to have a licence to operate a car and if you kill or maim someone through irresponisible use of a car then you *usually* get much more punishment than an £80 fine.

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by Sydney

The idea about banning firework sales for 51 weeks of the year is unworkable and would create uproar if it was tried to be implemented. Fireworks are an important part of the Diwali (sp?) festival and if you banned fireworks going on sale any other time of year you'd have a few pretty pissed off religious leaders out there.

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He did say that people could apply to buy them during the year so that would solve that problem surely.

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by Sydney
As for comparing firework accidents to car accidents.... You have to have a licence to operate a car and if you kill or maim someone through irresponisible use of a car then you *usually* get much more punishment than an £80 fine.

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plus there are A LOT more cars and they are out ALL YEAR round.

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by Sydney
The idea about banning firework sales for 51 weeks of the year is unworkable and would create uproar if it was tried to be implemented. Fireworks are an important part of the Diwali (sp?) festival and if you banned fireworks going on sale any other time of year you'd have a few pretty pissed off religious leaders out there.

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"If you want to have them at a wedding, religious festival ect, you'd need a liscence; realitively easily obtainable for over-18s, but with a hefty fine it you're not responsible about it/ sell them on to the local ratboys."



And there's no reason there couldn't be exceptions made for areas with a high Hindu population.

(Edited by Byron 07/11/2003 19:25)