Should fireworks be banned from public sale?

[Toffeeappletoty]

Last night a group of teens/young men were setting of fireworks on the central reservation of a dual carriageway they were running across the road, it was shocking to witness.

There was also an incident in the city centre with people throwing fireworks at members of the public.

Is it time to ban them altogether from public sale? I’ve long though that they should only be permitted for licensed organised displays.

But having said that I was talking to dh and I have many happy childhood memories of bonfire night with a few fireworks in the back garden, all done safely and finished by 8pm.

We were saying that lots of things are dangerous in the wrong hands, knives, alcohol, and there are laws around fireworks already. But some don’t follow the law, but that’s the same for lots of things.

I always find mumsnet is very anti fireworks anyway, and they are terrible for animals and wildlife.

Yanbu - ban them for public sale
Yabu - don’t ruin it for everyone just because a few can’t be responsible

Oh come on, bonfire night isn't some 70s nostalgia thing, it's a cultural event. I think a licence to buy them is sensible but equating it to smoking in aeroplanes is not the same thing at all.

Organised fireworks displays are a nice idea if done properly and I think they should be put on for Diwali too.

But the concept of “Bonfire night” is basically obsolete anyway. Most organised fireworks displays in my area no longer do a bonfire because of the impact on the environment and wildlife. No one is doing penny for the guy anymore. It was a very strange idea to start with really, the history behind it is really very unpleasant. Nowadays it’s mainly about fireworks going off left right and centre by any old idiot who can afford them. Animals and people are scared, hurt or injured. It goes on for days, weeks.
It’s not a tradition worth hanging onto IMO.

No, because what would happen then is demand would create illegal importation.

It would probably be better if we moved towards more organised displays, but that's a cultural change that can't be top down imposed by making a law. Additionally, it would require a lot more public displays than we have now in order to make demand. That doesn't just mean the cost of hosting but also how widespread they'd need to be in order to make them the easier option than buying some dodgy ones. People would be well advised to think critically about whether they might find that to be more of a pain in the arse than the current model.

There might be some scope for restrictions on the loudest. What you want is some way to satisfy cultural demand without also creating a black market. I also don't think it's particularly wise to bring either animals or wildlife into it, because people's own pet animals are generally appalling for wildlife also so it becomes about that.

Absolutely YES!! They should be available to licensed displays only, not to the general public. This should have been done decades ago.

They are incredibly dangerous and there are far too many fuckwits and morons about.

I know….ive always thought since I’ve grown up it’s celebrating the burning of catholics

No and I hope this never happens. Its tradition. My area is alight on bonfire night with parties and fireworks. The kids love it.

Or you can take it as people who threaten our country. So we can be like Lewes and burn Donald trump and the like.

I would ban noisy ones, allowed only silent ones and... If someone wants to lose a finger, who am I to stop them....

To be fair Bonfire Night is a weird celebration - are you on the side of the Catholics trying to blow up Parliament or the Protestants who foiled the plot and tortured the guilty to death? Neither is a very positive thing to celebrate!

That actually happened one year where I live in North Germany, no fireworks being sold at all to the public over new year's ( not sure if it was a year long ban). Some people used what they had from the year before, or went over the border to Denmark to buy them.

100% yes. Idiots setting them off at all hours on the last few weeks. My dog is petrified and I lost a rabbit to a heart attack last year due to neighbours setting them off.

Also how are people affording them at the moment!?!

Public licensed displays only.

Yes they should be banned. Other countries manage fine with just having them at public displays.

I think they should be banned completely - including for public displays.

Totally unnecessary and harmful to the environment, as well as upsetting for people and animals.

They get let off for weeks as well!

This seems to be the most recent petition, if anyone feels strongly enough.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/766448

Excellent point re paucity of public displays. The most effective way to reduce personal usage of fireworks could actually be a statutory duty on LAs to provide a certain number of displays.

Ridiculous argument. Bear baiting was ‘traditional’ once. As was ‘wife selling’ at markets and a thousand other extraordinary activities.

And with more children being injured every year not sure that ‘the kids love it’ should be taken seriously as an argument either.

I never really get the how can people afford X argument on here. People are affording them because the bulk of the population has disposable income and fireworks are a thing that large numbers evidently enjoy. Same as coffees, nails, pets, holidays and so on.

Just admit that you don't like them so want to spoil the fun for everyone else. Misery loves company.

The Police need to get their shit together. We need real solutions to teen crime. Setting off fireworks in public should be seen as a terrorist act. I'd like a lot of other laws in, such as parents also being put under curfew.
Behaviour across Europe is going to have a massive effect on what Christmas markets people are planning on going to, but perhaps a economic hit is needed.

Of course I don’t like them! Happy to ‘admit’ 🤣.

It didn't look fun in Birmingham. Or NI, where fires were lit and then fireworks, fired at the fire brigade. As well as other places the emergency services were hit.

Maybe you are just living in a not so nice area then. Just because people like you dont like them, it doesnt mean you get to suck the fun out of other peoples lives. The people in my local community love them.

Well you need to learn that you dont always get what you want.

Do you not have any concerns about the number of farm and wild animals killed every year by this "fun"?