I loved playing with fireworks as a kid, and surprisingly have all appendages and senses intact, I even considered pyro as a job - so I definitely get the appeal.
I just think it's time that we left it to the professionals. Unless you are engaging in science or physics, I don't see the value in letting them off yourself.
~~It's also weird that America's birthday is celebrated using a Chinese invention.~~ Edit: bad point, I stand corrected.
Ban all fireworks and replace the "professional" shows with drone shows. If you are of sound mind (i.e not a "freedom loving" conservative), you understand the effects fireworks have on animals, and also the fact that you can't opt out of the noise is kinda ridiculous.
I concur, this would be good for developing cheap drone warfare capabilities. I mean, I love loud explosions and the sound of freedom because I'm not a wuss, but we need to get our drone game on China's level.
Yeah not sure why that changed, when I was a kid you could only get sparklers and small stuff that stayed on the ground. Today I could get everything for a near-professional show if I wanted to spend the money.
When I was a kid you could get actual m80's that were like a quarter stick of dynamite. Now you can only get little firecrackers that don't even blow up little green army men.
It's really dependent on your state laws. My state allows fireworks, so you can get most things but they are very limited in size and explosive content.
What it amounts to is that most cities/counties don't enforce their existing laws in this area because people would have a shit fit, and they would arrest so many people that it's kind of impossible.
Something something banning things doesn't really work to do anything but make criminals out of every day people.
Off topic but I went to a local town’s medium-sized professional fireworks show this weekend and there were none of those small flash really loud fireworks that shake you to the core. Not even in the grand finale. Oddly they are what I enjoy most. Have they gone out of fashion or do they mess too much with pets?
I loved playing with fireworks as a kid, and surprisingly have all appendages and senses intact, I even considered pyro as a job - so I definitely get the appeal.
I just think it's time that we left it to the professionals. Unless you are engaging in science or physics, I don't see the value in letting them off yourself.
~~It's also weird that America's birthday is celebrated using a Chinese invention.~~ Edit: bad point, I stand corrected.
> It's also weird that America's birthday is celebrated using a Chinese invention.
Not really. America is an amalgamation of all the countries and cultures that emigrated to it. It’s one of the best things about it.
That’s such a strange thing to say. Should we only use things invented in the last 300 years on the 4th of July?
Now I wonder who invented wheat, or sugar (used to make cake)?
Also hotdogs are made with Wiener sausages, which are from...
beef or pork if you’re lucky
I tried tofu dogs for the first time on the grill, they were pretty good.
No more using the English language, either.
You mean since it was invented by Indians, Germans and the French?
You literally just explained the value.
https://youtu.be/YPX__g3LpUY?t=9
> I just think it's time that we left it to the professionals.
Pulling up the ladder behind you, eh? So nice of you to think of the children.
Ban all fireworks and replace the "professional" shows with drone shows. If you are of sound mind (i.e not a "freedom loving" conservative), you understand the effects fireworks have on animals, and also the fact that you can't opt out of the noise is kinda ridiculous.
I concur, this would be good for developing cheap drone warfare capabilities. I mean, I love loud explosions and the sound of freedom because I'm not a wuss, but we need to get our drone game on China's level.
Drones have their own failure mode https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-27/sydney-vivid-festival...
Ban keeping animals and replace them with robots or animal films.
Barking dogs cause far more irritation than the nightly fireworks in June and July.
Plus, the animals would not have to suffer.
This is almost certain to backfire. Better: make drone shows more available, and maybe subsidise them with a tax on fireworks.
They really should be controlled a lot more - a nearby house was hit by some sort of Roman candle thing and completely burned down the other night.
There was at least a lot less "illegal fireworks" when people had the drive two states away to buy them.
Yeah not sure why that changed, when I was a kid you could only get sparklers and small stuff that stayed on the ground. Today I could get everything for a near-professional show if I wanted to spend the money.
When I was a kid you could get actual m80's that were like a quarter stick of dynamite. Now you can only get little firecrackers that don't even blow up little green army men.
It's really dependent on your state laws. My state allows fireworks, so you can get most things but they are very limited in size and explosive content.
What it amounts to is that most cities/counties don't enforce their existing laws in this area because people would have a shit fit, and they would arrest so many people that it's kind of impossible.
Something something banning things doesn't really work to do anything but make criminals out of every day people.
Capitalism. Get rich or die trying.
Off topic but I went to a local town’s medium-sized professional fireworks show this weekend and there were none of those small flash really loud fireworks that shake you to the core. Not even in the grand finale. Oddly they are what I enjoy most. Have they gone out of fashion or do they mess too much with pets?
Fun fact: “Midway” is also the name of a video game manufacturer, and a Pacific theater of war in World War II.
It’s also the name of a district/neighborhood of San Diego which takes its name from Midway Drive, particularly where it intersects with Rosecrans St.