Did you know?

Illegal fireworks are the primary cause of firework noise concerns.

Legal fireworks are only sold for one week during the year.

M-80s are classified as explosives and are federally illegal.

Aerial fireworks are already banned across all of California.

The goal of this website is to educate Californians about the different types of fireworks and the laws surrounding their usage. Too often, banning Safe and Sane fireworks is touted as a solution to an unrelated problem – a lack of the ability to enforce already illegal fireworks. Of course, there are still some genuine concerns about Safe and Sane fireworks, but it is critical to look at all the facts.

Why is this important?

Each year, Californians in cities across the state become increasingly annoyed with fireworks. Many people are tired of hearing explosions for weeks on end each June and July (and even New Years), but they don’t know what can be done about it. Some believe banning the sale of Safe & Sane fireworks will solve this problem. However, we can easily see in numerous cities which have already done this – it won’t change anything. This belief seems to be partially rooted in a lack of education around current firework types and laws.

Fireworks certainly have increased visibility in cities which allow fireworks sales. However, it is very important to know that the ones which are legal in some California cities (labeled Safe and Sane) are very different from those which have been illegal, yet very present, for years. Unfortunately, if people are unfamiliar with fireworks or haven’t gone to a legal fireworks booth themselves, they simply may not know what is sold there or the differences between illegal fireworks and Safe and Sane ones.

What can be done?

Protocols vary by city, but many cities require a police officer to personally witness the use of illegal fireworks in order to issue a citation. This is clearly not scalable and makes reporting the usage of illegal fireworks tiring and almost useless. Additionally, if citizens don’t know the difference between legal and illegal fireworks, they can’t be an effective part of any solution. Californians certainly need a way to reduce the usage of illegal fireworks. Without any action, it is likely that cities will continue to ban Safe and Sane fireworks while seeing no reduction in the usage of more dangerous types of fireworks.

Conversations about banning the sale and use of Safe and Sane fireworks tend to arise every July. The reasons folks want to ban them tend to fit into one of these categories:

Noise – tired of hearing explosions at all hours
Fire danger – concerns around fireworks igniting nearby land
Injury/Safety – direct burns/bodily damage

Noise nuisance

Illegal fireworks are the primary source of firework noise complains. Noise from the explosions of illegal fireworks travel a significant distance, are very loud, and have the power to shake your home. Safe and Sane fireworks can not be made solely to explode, are much quieter, and do not shake your home.

Fire Danger

“Professional style” aerial fireworks can absolutely start a fire due to a lack of safety precautions. While professional fireworks shows regularly use aerial fireworks, they have extensive safety precautions including a clear launch area, fallout zone, and the knowledge to call off a show if the conditions are not safe. (For example, due to high winds.) Smaller aerial fireworks (“cakes”) are sold to consumers in other states and are less dangerous than large single shot shells, but they are still not safe to launch in residential areas where homes are close together. For example, one (out-of-state) fireworks website recommends keeping cars and buildings clear for a distance of 100 yards from the launch location. This open space is almost never adhered to when aerials are used illegally in California. Much of the danger of aerials are due to their misuse and ignoring basic safety guidelines.

Injury/Safety

Safe and sane fireworks do have dangers, as they still burn at high temperatures, but those dangers are much more localized to the people involved in their use and the immediate surrounding area. For example, sparklers can cause burns to users by not following the most basic safety instructions and firework debris could re-ignite if disposed of incorrectly.

However, aerial fireworks and explosives have much greater dangers of personal injury and property damage. Explosives can do far more bodily damage than burns causing fingers to be completely lost. Aerials can start fires at locations far away from and not involved in their usage. These products have been illegal in California for many years, yet a reduction in their import and usage has not been seen.

Financial

Some of the profits from the sale of Safe and Sane fireworks go towards local nonprofits and to the city itself (through taxes on these legal firework sales). As long as illegal firework usage continues to be widespread, cities will need to pay for additional officers, firefighters, and cleanup crews. While local non-profits could search for alternative fundraising opportunities, replacing the city tax income is much more difficult without placing this burden on the taxpayers directly.

Summary

Making Safe & Sane fireworks illegal will not reduce the usage of aerial fireworks or explosives which have already been illegal for years. In fact, it could increase the usage of these more dangerous types of fireworks in the future. The channels which illegally import aerial fireworks and explosives into California already exist. Banning Safe and Sane fireworks won’t change that and could boost their business by removing all competition.