Take Ohio out of Dark Ages, legalize consumer fireworks

Take Ohio out of Dark Ages, legalize consumer fireworks

The time is overdue for Ohio to follow the lead taken by New York in legalizing the sale and use of certain consumer fireworks. New York is the 47th state to make some level of consumer fireworks legal for sale and use.

The facts are clear that residents of the Buckeye State do not need protection from the Legislature in prohibiting them from using consumer fireworks. The time is right for the sale and use of the full line of fireworks in Ohio with strict and common sense regulations.

Since 1994 there has been a 59.3 percent increase in use of fireworks in the U.S. measured by imports that grew from 117 million pounds in 1994 to 186.4 million pounds in 2013.

Against this substantial increase in use of fireworks, the actual number of fireworks related injuries during the same period dropped by 8.8 percent as reported by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. If you measure injuries per 100,000 pounds of fireworks used, during the same period the rate per 100,000 pounds of fireworks used dropped from 10.7 to 6.1 or 42.9 percent

More than 36 percent of the reported injuries in the CPSC statistics resulted from illegal firecrackers, public displays, altered devices and unspecified devices that are not consumer fireworks. This makes the reduction in the rate of consumer fireworks related injuries even more impressive.

In addition to New York, in the past 10 years or so, at least nine other states have liberalized their laws on the sale and use of consumer fireworksNew Hampshire, and Utah.

The consumer fireworks products are safer today than they have ever been before. The sale of consumer fireworks can raise some badly needed revenue for government.

Ohio legislators have the power to change the fireworks laws and permit the regulated sale and use of the full line of consumer fireworks. This is too long overdue.

Write or email your legislator and ask for legalization of consumer fireworks in Ohio. Take Ohio out of the consumer fireworks dark ages and into the modern era.

Please enjoy the Independence Day holiday with your family and celebrate safely.

Bill Weimer, Youngstown

Bill Weimer is vice president of Phantom Fireworks.