Why are fireworks bad?

Answer 1

This is a paper I wrote for my college English class last semester. It will answer your question... Fireworks Should Not be Banned

While dangerous if in the wrong hands, fireworks are still safer than many other things we all use in our daily lives and, therefore, should not be banned. According to pyrouniverse.com, in children 5-14 years of age only nine out of every 100,000 emergency room treatments are caused by fireworks. Even pens and pencils cause more injuries coming in at 35 out of every 100,000.

One of the arguments in favor of the ban on fireworks is that they are frightening to domestic animals. Cenydd Phillips, a member of petitionsite.com even says, "I have dogs and cats which are being perpetually terrorized and terrified by a constant flow of fireworks all year long in the area." If people truly care about their pets, they would do research on the internet on how to spare their pets the torment that they, themselves, are putting them through by not taking care of them properly. If they were to do a quick browse of the internet they would find multiple articles on how to keep their pets calm when the skies light up at night. Issues specialist with the United States Humane Society Nancy Peterson urges, "With a little bit of planning and forethought, you can enjoy the excitement of the Fourth of July and know that your animal companion is safe, sound, and enjoying a little peace and quiet." The site then lists some ways to make your pets more comfortable during the Fourth of July

People that support the ban say that fireworks are overly dangerous and people are getting hurt left and right. That simply is not true. Most injuries caused by "fireworks" were not caused by fireworks at all. They were caused by homemade illegal explosives such as M-80's or silver salutes. That is what gives fireworks a bad image and they are a major reason why people are pushing for a ban of legal fireworks, because they don't know the difference between legal fireworks and illegal explosives. Ymton Emanlear sums it up nicely on the answerbag.com website when he says, "M-80's are not consumer fireworks, and haven't been legal for several decades in the United States. Any M-80's that are sold in the United States are totally illegal (unless sold between licensed manufacture and licensed pyrotechnician) and the maker risks serious hard time in a federal prison. M-80's have no legitimate relation to consumer fireworks, and their illegal manufacture, sale, and use should have no relation to the manufacture, sale, and use of legal fireworks." M-80's and silver salutes are typically filled with three to four grams of flash powder, about 60 times the legal limit and are very dangerous. In fact, they are so dangerous the military originally used them to simulate gunfire and grenades going off in training missions because they had the same sound effects and potential for destruction. Possession of one of those devices is already a felony so there is no reason to push for a ban of them. Why don't we just punish the people who build these illegal explosives instead of punishing everyone who enjoy fireworks and abide by the law by taking them away?

For some people fireworks aren't just something that you shoot on Independence Day, it's a hobby. People spend hours upon hours of their lives trying to put on the perfect fireworks display. It's a way of life for these people. People like that are very safe because they know what they are doing. They are smart because they study the art and science of pyrotechnics. They have done their research and they wouldn't do something that isn't safe. If you were to completely ban fireworks you would be taking away these people's way of life. Some of them even make a career out of this. How do you think that demolition experts get their start? They start out with an interest in consumer fireworks. What about those professional displays? Do you think that people just go out and start shooting the big ones? No, they start out by making a display in their backyards. They then take that interest and pursue it as a career. So without consumer fireworks you would not have the public displays that have become a staple of the holiday.

If firearms are legal, why shouldn't fireworks be legal as well? Fireworks cause far fewer deaths per year than firearms. On average, 38,500 deaths per year in the United States are firearm related, whereas in 2002 there were only 8,800 firework related injuries and only four firework related deaths. In addition, firearm injuries are more costly to the public than fireworks. According to the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center the direct cost of medical treatment and emergency services due to firearms was $3 billion dollars in 1992 while the cost of medical treatments from firework injuries was only $100 million.

Consumer fireworks that are sold in stores not dangerous if used properly. The problem is many people don't use them properly. We should all know now by now that we should not hand a three year old a bamboo stick coated in chemicals that burn at up to 1,800 degrees, but every year 650 children under the age of five are injured from sparklers. That isn't the sparklers fault. That's the parents fault for being irresponsible.

A little knowledge can go a long ways. We need to broadcast public service announcements on T.V. and on the radio for the few weeks before fireworks go on sale. That would defiantly help but it may not be enough. Another option would to make it so you have to complete a firework safety course to purchase fireworks. It could be like a hunter safety class where they teach you how to use all the various types of fireworks correctly and show you what can happen if you choose not to. When you complete the class they will give you a consumer fireworks certificate that you must present to the cashier of a fireworks stand prior to making your purchase. Not only will that inform people on how to use them safely, it will also prevent some people from using them, thereby cutting down the number of injuries they inflict. It would also eliminate some of the noise that scares the animals.

I hope you now realize that fireworks aren't to blame. The blame should be put on all of the ignorant people who gave fireworks its image of being dangerous. There are ways to keep fireworks out of the hands of these people and I have given you a few ideas on how to do that. Now all we need to do is take action and let our ideas be heard. I cannot do that by myself. I need your help to keep fireworks legal. This is an important matter and should all be concerned about it. We should write to our state senators and state representatives and tell them how we feel about this issue. We need to tell them that we want to keep our fireworks and if we don't get to, we won't vote them back into office. Surely that will get their attention.Works Cited

Bradley, Colin, ed. "Firework Injury Statistics." Pyrouniverse. 2005. Pyrouniverse. 14 Nov. 2008 <http://www.pyrouniverse.com/stats.htm>.

Burton, David L. "Should Fireworks be Banned." 25 Sept. 2008. University of Missouri Extension. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://extension.Missouri.edu/swregion/fireworks/totalforumpacket.pdf>.

"Do you think fireworks should be legal and why?" Answer Bag. 30 June 2008. 25 Nov. 2008 <http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/172285>.

"Firearm Injuries." Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. 2003. Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center. 25 Nov. 2008 <http://depts.Washington.edu/hiprc/practices/topic/firearms/index.HTML>.

"Fireworks Fact Sheet." Consumer Product Saftey Commission: Fireworks. Summer 2008. Consumer Product Saftey Commission. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/012.HTML

"Fireworks-Related Injuries & Deaths." The Trauma Foundation. 29 June 2004. The Trauma Foundation. 25 Nov. 2008 <http://www.traumaf.org/featured/6-29-04fireworks.HTML>.

Hessinger, Robyn, ed. "Ban fireworks except for organized events." Petitionsite. 2008. 12 Nov. 2008 <http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/230095239>.

"July 4th Fireworks Are No Blast For Pets." The Humane Society of the United States. 27 June 2008. The HSUS. 15 Nov. 2008 <http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/summer_care_tips_for_you_and_your_pets/keep_your_pet_safe_on_july_4th.HTML

Answer 2

Some cons are the environmental effects and the hazardous nature of them. They produce a lot of ash and smoke and can blow your hands off. It is also extremely expensive to buy fireworks and they are only used for a couple minutes.They are also very loud and can cause hearing loss. On the plus side, they are attention-grabbing, beautiful to look at, and associated with tradition and patriotism. I guess you could also use one as a flare if you happened to have a big one and were lost somewhere.

Answer 3

IT IS FUNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

of course it is fun

but it can be very dangerous to. many people get injured of it. I got some firework ones in my face

Answer 4

if they dont understant how fireworks work they might hurt themselfs or even injer themselfs

Answer 5

Fireworks are beautiful and entertaining, it is also a part of a lot different cultures.

Answer 6

They burn