Today the calendar reaches July, meaning I get to revisit one of my most curmudgeonly stances: leave fireworks to the professionals and stop trying to make consumer pyrotechnics legal in Illinois.
Taking a similar stance was an uphill battle when living in Iowa earlier this century. Lawmakers there expanded the legality of fireworks sales in 2017, which gave the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center a perfect demarcation line for before-and-after statistics.
By looking at the state’s two largest trauma centers from 2014 through 2019, researchers showed injuries more than doubled during the first year of legal explosives and didn’t drop in succeeding summers. Scale matters, so it’s important to note we’re talking about going from 10 to 20 injuries per year to 40-plus, still a small percentage in a state of 3 million people.
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That said, the institute reports Iowa’s rate of increase exceeded national trends in 2019, an impressive feat given the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s data showing nationwide 25% growth from 2006 through 2021. In 2022 there were nine reported fireworks deaths and an estimated 11,500 injuries.
In Iowa, legalization delivered an 11.3% spike in injuries to minors, who in the first three years made up 30.8% of all fireworks injuries patients. Across the entire population the injuries turned more severe under the new law, with 19 amputations after none in the three years before the change.
A June 2022 release from the Illinois State Fire Marshal noted personal injury and loss aren’t the only concerns with consumer fireworks. The memo cited National Fire Protection Association data from 2018 showing 19,5000 fires traced to fireworks leading to five deaths, 46 injuries and $105 million in indirect property damage.
Again, if you’re playing percentages here it’s worth acknowledging five fatalities is microscopic as a portion of the national population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 420 Americans die from salmonella each year. If I trust myself to grill chicken, surely I could manage a roman candle … except I only enjoy one of those options.
This also is a story of local control. In April 2022, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law removing the ability of a county or city to restrict fireworks sales. Some cities and counties still outlaw using such explosives, but every Democrat in the legislature voted against stripping this specific power from local governments.
Use restrictions get more to the heart of the issue: I appreciate a quality professional display a few times a year yet have almost zero tolerance for amateur hour, especially when it extends across a whole weekend. Illinois’ limits might cost some tax revenue, but they’re a worthy investment in pubic safety – plus peace and quiet.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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