"Greed" is NOT a "good intention" (Safety first with fireworks - (Detroit News Editorial - 7/4/12).
I spent years enforcing fireworks ordinances in Detroit and Romulus - risking my career, to protect the public from 'illegal fireworks' - that have an 'inherent danger' to the public, because of the nature and use of 'illegal fireworks'.
Harold Haugh (D-Roseville) and a majority of the Michigan Legislature, put the price on a human life, a childs' finger, hand, eyes at $6 - $10 million dollars in tax revenue (new tax revenue), disregarding the dangers of powerful fireworks, becoming easily available in Michigan. OMG - Michigan residents, no longer have to go South to get dangerous fireworks - now they can go to buy 'fireworks in tents, makeshift booths, and ...previously vacant storefronts...at strip malls and supermarket parking lots all over Michigan'.
Reasonable and sensible limits of setting off fireworks were 'defeated' by the State Senate. So local cities and townships and counties now must bear the law enforcement problems that come with fireworks, without compensation - and the public is placed in danger because of the Legislatures greedy law.
Grand Rapids is reporting 30 - 50 complaints a day...Warren claims children, pets and veterans are being terrorized by pyrotechnics (fireworks). Imagine Detroit Police getting 10x the amount of complaints - 'shots fired' police runs, because residents know that DPD will not respond to fireworks related complaints - so they use the higher priority issue of someone may be shot.
People will always want what they can't have - but at least 'illegal fireworks' was easier to enforce (if it ever was) than the current - let them fire away. There is no constitutional right to buy, possess and to explode - illegal fireworks, and public safety issues should be considered first and exploding fireworks - not.
The Legislature did wrong - they should repeal the fireworks laws - and forego the new tax revenue, in favor of, public safety and peace in the neighborhoods. People have been killed, in Michigan, and in the country, children have had fingers and eyes damaged by fireworks.
David L. Malhalab
Sgt DPD Retired
ps.. The Michigan Legislature should repeal their phony 'anti texting law', which is unenforceable, in favor of, a ban on the use of hand held cell phones / or a ban on distracted driving, again - public safety was not well served by legislative 'smoke and mirrors'.
2 comments:
Amen! This new law is terrible! Our once-quiet neighborhood was battered by noise from fireworks for many days prior to the 4th and it is still going on. We have lost our peaceful summer. Times outside have sounded like a war zone. Not to mention that my daughter had a close call when some yahoo tried to set off a firework too close to her. Fortunately, my wife was able to get my daughter away in time.
Speaking of danger, I just read today in the Oakland Press that one idiot blew his leg off from an explosive. Someone else could just as easily have been a victim of that explosion.
Not only are illegal fireworks easier to enforce they are also less easy to obtain, which is why past 4ths were so much more peaceful. The sponsor of the legislation said that people had been buying the illegal fireworks anyway. Can he really be so foolish as to think that just as many people bought them when purchasing them involved a trip to Ohio as today, when there were fireworks stands on every block? He also said that the people who don't like the new law don't like fireworks. That idiotic comment came as quite a surprise to me as I have always enjoyed attending fireworks - the ones with a clear start and finish time and conducted by professionals. As opposed to people like the one I mentioned in the second paragraph.
This law is dangerous and disruptive to neighborhoods and needs to be repealed ASAP! If it's not the state will soon lose my family's tax revenues because we will move to a different state.
Thank you for articulating the issues. Given your background, you add a lot of credibility to the concerns expressed by many. I would like to invite you to comment at a Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MadAtMichiganFireworksLaw . That page is exclusively meant as a place for people to report the abuses suffered this year.
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