My neighborhood has been setting off Fourth of July fireworks for a week. Should we ban them or make them legal everywhere? Take our poll below.
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It’s not even the Fourth of July, and already I’ve had my fill of fireworks.
My neighborhood began setting them off in late June, creating the kind of pop and crackle that lights up platforms like Nextdoor with endless posts and debate about “were those firecrackers or gunshots?”
This time of year, as well as Christmas, New Year’s Eve and those precious moments our sports teams actually win, it’s always fireworks. And I’m over it.
For many, watching the sky light up amid thunderous booms is one of the core memories of childhood. I share that same nostalgia: Setting up lawn chairs, necks craned toward the sky, delighting in all the dazzling designs and colors. Lighting the fuse on a bottle rocket and running for cover, all 10 fingers fortunately still intact.
But maybe it’s because I’m older now and value a good night’s sleep – or because I’ve come to understand just how detrimental fireworks are to our environment, our pets, the wildlife around us and, yes, even our health – that I’ve found myself sympathizing, and maybe even agreeing with, the “ban fireworks” contingent. At the very least, maybe we can leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals and stop shooting them off in every neighborhood in the city. (Don’t agree? Scroll down to vote in our poll.)
The harmful effects of fireworks
Because the thing is, fireworks cause very real harm to the very people who have fought to protect our freedoms. The flashes of light, burning smells and smoke are known triggers for veterans and others with PTSD. Fireworks are likely causing fear and anxiety – and even physical pain and distress – in your pets, too. Studies have shown that half of dogs express fear at the noise. Birds and wildlife experience the same fear and disruption at the sound of fireworks, often resulting in them fleeing in panic, and sometimes dying as a result.
And the damage doesn’t just happen during nightfall: The debris left from fireworks – the plastic and chemicals and pollutants in the powder that cause such awe-inspiring explosions – can be a choking hazard and toxic. It’s hurting your lungs, too. According to the American Lung Association, a 2015 study found air pollution levels increased by an average of 42% on the Fourth of July.
Still convinced you’ll escape unscathed? The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s annual report shows a 38% increase in firework-related deaths and a 52% increase in injuries – more than 14,700 total – in 2024. About 20% of those injuries required hospitalization.
You know what doesn’t send you to the hospital? A drone show.
Should we ban fireworks or make them legal everywhere?
What do you think? Should we ban fireworks altogether? Leave it to the professionals, but limit private use? Or make them available to everyone, everywhere? Take our poll below. And have a safe Independence Day!
Janessa Hilliard is the director of audience for USA TODAY Opinion and Opinion at Gannett.
