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Sunday, July 16, 2006

Ind. Law - More on fireworks law

"Will state’s new fireworks law fizzle?" is the headline to a long story by Steve Walsh in the Gary Post-Tribune, including the voting records on what legislators voted for and against the new "all fireworks, all the time" law. (Read it today because the Post-Trib unfortunately doesn't archive its stories.) A few quotes:

Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, a long-time critic of legalized fireworks, said he will sponsor an outright ban in the next session. He has received calls and letters from voters kept up by a barrage of neighborhood displays.

“This was the worst year, yet. It shows the stranglehold the fireworks industry has over the General Assembly,” Brown said. * * *

Shellshocked residents, who may not have followed the bill as it snaked through the General Assembly, are questioning why the state opted to lift the loose restrictions rather than clamp down.

“Thanks to the new rules, it was bombs away, beginning as early as 9 a.m. and going until midnight. We seem to be living among pyromaniacs,” said Mark Ashmann of Griffith, who was one of 10 readers who challenged legalization in letters published Thursday in the Post-Tribune.

Jim and Gail Burnette, who live near Hebron, said Independence Day revelry got a little absurd this year, in the wake of legalization.

“Way more of those really big fireworks, the kind where you’re not sure if it’s a shotgun or a bomb or what,” Gail Burnette said. “You can say people are going to light them off one way or another, but it was never like this before.”

“We would prefer there to be some controls in place,” Jim Burnette said. “We would welcome that.” * * *

During the session, lawmakers did have the chance to add firepower to the bill.

Senators voted down provisions that would have given communities the option of banning fireworks or further limiting hours.

They also turned down an amendment that would have made shooters liable for any damage caused by wayward bottle rockets and Roman candles.

Burns Harbor police chief Jerry Price: “My only question is, what were they thinking?”

The Munster (NW Indiana) Times also has a story today.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 16, 2006 10:14 AM
Posted to Indiana Law