Quote:
|
Originally Posted by guthmund
But that's true of any accident, isn't it? I mean, an accidental fire is an accidental fire is an accidental fire, right? The numbers are only outrageous because the pool that's drawn on is so much larger and the time frame those numbers fit into is so much smaller. I also imagine (if I can take it the other direction for a moment) that if fireworks were allowed to be purchased and used year round (Arkansas restricts sale to two times a year) those numbers would even out.
|
No, the pool is exactly the same size. The numbers become outrageous due to the fact that people in the US associate Independance Day with fireworks.
My Filipino neighbor was remarking the other day that she finds it strange that people set off fireworks on the 4th of July but not Christmas. Even if fireworks were legal year round there would very likely be a big spike around the 4th.
This seems to be good reasoning for banning fireworks year round--when fireworks are legal, emergency calls to the fire department triple, and other emergency services spike.
Quote:
|
Are they dangerous? Sure they can be, but what isn't? The federal government has no problem with people using guns as long as they abide by the rules. The local government has no problem with people using guns as long as they abide by the rules. Once you break a rule, however, you're fair game.
|
Apples and oranges. There are so many differences between guns and fireworks that they don't belong in the same neighborhood of debate.
Quote:
|
Why isn't it the same with fireworks? I'm a responsible adult. Why aren't I allowed to use fireworks in my yard as long as I abide by the rules? If I set someone's house on fire or blow someone's hand off with an errant firework, I should be punished and will gladly pay the consequences.
|
Wouldn't it be better not to have the fire set or the hand injured in the first place? Laws banning fireworks aren't about responsible use, they're about irresponsible use. In the process of curbing the latter, the former end up getting caught in the web.
Quote:
|
The point is, I should be punished only after the rules have been broken, not that there's the possibility I might break them.
|
Sure. And if fireworks are banned, you are breaking the rules merely buy setting them off. The point is to prevent the unnecessary fires and injuries in the first place, rather than reacting to massive, widespread misuse after the fact.