Legislation has been filed in the House which would change the definition of fireworks and misclassify them as harmless novelty items without any regulation. We are not talking about ground-based sparklers, but high-capacity fireworks.
This legislation has many dangers: serious injuries, property damage, increased insurance costs and more. One community in New York State made these changes to their local law but then repealed the changes after seeing the harm they caused. Other neighboring states to Illinois have seen fireworks injuries double or triple after making similar changes.
This week the state’s fire chiefs and other first responders and concerned citizens spoke out in opposition to House Bill 2851, the legislation which would make these changes. As a veteran of the Iraq War, I have an additional concern about this proposal. The unanticipated sounds, sights and smell of neighborhood fireworks can easily trigger anxiety and cause painful flashbacks for our combat vets. As a result, the 4th of July season can be very stressful for many veterans, and we don’t need expansion of fireworks sales year-round in Illinois to make it worse.