To hate fireworks and think they should be banned

[TaliZorah]

In residential areas?

They are so disruptive and dangerous. It's not even limited to 5th November or New Year's Eve they will go on for a week around every celebration plus people's personal parties.

AIBU to think letting off explosives in populated residential areas is incredibly stupid and unfair? As well as people getting injured it's not fair to the wildlife, and domestic animals. My cat has a heart problem and jumps like he's been hit every time the fireworks go off and ends up cowering behind the seat.

Then there's people with PTSD who think it sounds like gunshots, people like me who's illness gets worse with lack of sleep...

They should be organised displays only.

[Sallyingforth]

In Ireland, fireworks can only be bought for organised displays.
Seems a reasonable compromise.

[TaliZorah]

That's so much better IMO
Bloody hate them going off all week

[Junosmum]

YABU I love love fireworks, the bigger the better. My cats don't share my enthusiasm though.

[CalmYoBadSelf]

They are used on only a few occasions during the year, mostly around Nov 5th and New Year and many people enjoy them. Seeing as these times are pretty predictable it is not hard to be prepared for them.

I don't let them off myself as I would be scared to but am sick of people wanting to ban things they do not like. We will end up in a very boring totalitarian state if your way of thinking prevails

[insancerre]

Yanbu
They are pointless unless part of a huge display
Letting off a box you bought in Lidl in the back garden is antisocial
They should be for organised displays only and not available for the general public to buy

[SkiptonLass2]

Yanbu.

My old cat never seemed bothered by them but we live near a stables and I know the owners are really worried about fireworks going off.

I think they're dangerous and pointless in residential areas.. Organised displays are so much better. I lived in Edinburgh for years and the fireworks were incredible on Hogmanay - I lived pretty neat the castle and you could feel the ground shaking!

My pet hate is those Chinese lanterns, yes they look amazing but they are lethal to wildlife!

[2015nearlyover]

Agreed. Fireworks should only be set off at licensed organised displays. The distress caused to animals and humans is horrendous. We had fireworks going off from 4.00pm until 2 a.m. yesterday. High winds so they were landing all over the place. We've been picking up sticks for an hour this morning. Also a bloody Chinese lantern caught up high in an oak tree. Why on earth do they sell these?

[SussexBonfireViking]

Agreed - i'm a member of a Bonfire Society and we have organised events from the start of Sep to the end of Dec on Saturday nights, and its great. But I hate 'home' fireworks, I think they are dangerous and pointless.

Organised displays is the only way forward.

[TaliZorah]

We will end up in a very boring totalitarian state if your way of thinking prevails

Other dangerous things people find fun are banned. an organised thing is fine because if you don't like them you can not go but in residential areas you can't get away.

And it depends where you live. Bonfire night, Diwali, Christmas, new year plus people's parties all have days and days of them

[StrictlyMumDancing]

YANBU. Ireland have it right as sallying has suggested. Didn't used to be so bad back in the day when you couldn't get massive ones for home use. Last night was so bad round here I thought someone had thrown some dynamite into a few barrels of the bastards.

[TaliZorah]

I hate those lanterns too

If anyone suggested letting off explosives now it'd be banned its only allowed because it's "tradition"

[DisappointedOne]

Christ OP, never go to Iceland for new year. No organised displays, fireworks are bought and lit by residents everywhere (gardens, parks, middle of the street) for about 24 hours straight. Kids running with sparklers etc.

[MrsGentlyBenevolent]

I have no issue with them in an organised event. Home ones are awful though - they upset neighbours/pets, people who set them off have no common sense, they can very easily cause injury/damage and generally look blooming awful and cheap anyway. I've always hated them, but currently live in an area where they are set off all the time (along with the usual festivals, people seem to enjoy setting them off just because they can ).

[Greydog]

We had over an hours worth last night. But what was worse was the morons in the road screaming "Fireworks, fireworks" - they woke me up, and they frightened me - god only knows what you'd have thought if you'd been elderly and alone. What ever happened to having consideration for other people?

[mamapants]

Yabu for starting a thread that is done every new year and every diwali, and every other week it seems.
Also I like fireworks and organised displays are far too busy to be fun, much prefer a private party so yabu for that too

[NaughtToThreeSadOnions]

socalm it's not just a few times a year, they go off pretty much every night from late October In to early November, then late novemer for Diwali then Christmas then new year.

For some one with pets, with autism, with elderly parents, with young children this is horrible.

No one is saying you can't have fireworks just organised displays, so everyone knows when they are where they are and how long they go on for.

Yes most people are safe with fireworks, but in some residential areas you will have every single neighbour setting off fireworks on different days I swear trying to out do each other. Some people set them off at 3 am.

Then you get the fucking idiots who set them off in the street and actually aim them at people. Some fool decided to set a firework off at one of the tribute sites in Paris this year mear days after the attack. Que lots over very scared people.

I come from ireland and generally we have our firework desolate on Halloween no ones saying you can't enjoy them if you want but why do they need to be on sale to the public.

[NaughtToThreeSadOnions]

Mama pants oh right so just cos it's done every year it's ok is it?

Scaring people and animals making people ill?!

There are fireworks every year in Ireland but public displays only. Doesn't take the fun out of it.

[insancerre]

Where I live they have a firework display world championships
I kid you not
We get weeks of different countries competing against each other before the grand finale
Hate it

[Solina]

In Finland you are only allowed to do the fireworks on new years eve between 6pm and midnight or something like that. Any other time I believe you would have to go and get permission for it or something like that but I have never seen them there other than NYE. Works really well.

[jevoudrais]

Not sure how you define residential areas but I am wary of people letting them off in baby sized gardens in case they fall over when lit etc. I think organised displays would be a good compromise.

Personally my dogs aren't at all bothered by them, but for wildlife especially it must be very scary.

[Sallyingforth]

Round here it seems every wedding and family party has to have fireworks, with a competition between them for the best (noisiest) display. It's just bloody selfish.

[TaliZorah]

Same Sallying it's horrid

[Nataleejah]

Love them. YABU op

[mincepieprivateeye]

I don't like them either. Last night there were fireworks going off from around 8pm. I live in a large village which has both a hotel that's popular for weddings and a golf club which is very near me. They both have fireworks going off throughout the year, both I assume will be organised displays but there are stables, farm animals plus domestic pets, one of my dogs in particular, that these things will cause a huge amount of distress. Fireworks are hugely fashionable for parties these days but I wish it was only bonfire night and nye.i also got up this morning to find an enormous rocket stuck in the back garden with about three inches plunged into the grass, I think that have hurt if it hit anyone

[TaliZorah]

I don't get what people get out of them? They just make a racket