What is with the jerks setting off fireworks?

mrincredible said:

I just heard tonight's opening salvo.

 Yup

I have the urge  to hop in my car, find the culprits and make a citizen's arrest. 

It always plays well in the movies.

I say we form a posse.

"Oddly, this isn't a local phenomenon."

Yup, also here in Wisconsin they're early this year.  There are usually some firecrackers for a few days around the 4th, but this year they started a week or two ago already.

Last night was brutal. There was some sort of party to go along with the pyrotechnics. Noisy and contagious. 

It's the summertime,  this happens every year and usually ends by August. I'm pretty used to it. It's annoying BUT you sorta learn to drown it out after awhile

It doesn’t seem right that companies can solicit business in states where their product isn’t legal.  I got this in the mail today.

Fireworks are an issue in Jersey City too.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2020/06/jersey-city-creates-new-police-unit-to-handle-rising-fireworks-problem.html?utm_campaign=njcom_sf&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=nj_facebook_njcom&fbclid=IwAR1cJBjxOYf1OeBUYQqf0bj_4M7msvKsbnwRSwSQCFRfl0AymLzATtCXFZI

The nightly/afternoon use is much more relentless and regular than in past years although I confess that I'm less bothered by it now that I know what it is. I do feel confident that I would be pretty pissed-off if the sounds were any closer.

Meanwhile, for curiosity reference I found this link for -"What's legal and what ain't" guide on the website of the NJ Department of Consumer Affairs:

https://nj.gov/dca/images/library/stories/New%20Jersey%20Now%20Legal_Color%20Flyer.pdf

Also, whenever I would drive to to Nazareth PA (where more kinds of fireworks are legal) to visit my brother I noticed that there is a BIG fireworks store on the south side of RT 78 almost as soon as you cross the Delaware river. I would think almost anyone could stock up there if they wished for use (albeit illegal use) in NJ. -I presume the location pick for the store was no accident in this regard.

PS: When we were kids my brothers and I used a LOT of firecrackers, M-80s and cherry bombs. Kind-of a lucky miracle we weren't hurt.

We used to hold the M-80's in our hands and watch the fuse go down really low, then throw them, so that we could get them to blow up in the air.

Yeah, we were pretty stupid. Everyone's got all their fingers though. Luckily the M-80's had good reliable fuses.

steel said:

...

PS: When we were kids my brothers and I used a LOT of firecrackers, M-80s and cherry bombs. Kind-of a lucky miracle we weren't hurt.

drummerboy said:

We used to hold the M-80's in our hands and watch the fuse go down really low, then throw them, so that we could get them to blow up in the air.

Yeah, we were pretty stupid. Everyone's got all their fingers though. Luckily the M-80's had good reliable fuses.

steel said:

...

PS: When we were kids my brothers and I used a LOT of firecrackers, M-80s and cherry bombs. Kind-of a lucky miracle we weren't hurt.

 

 I grew up on a canal on Long Island. We'd put an M80 in a plastic bag with some stones and drop it into the canal and see if we could blow up some fish. Yeah, I know. (M80s are waterproof.) 

And speaking of Jersey City, I was in BJs today here and they're selling huge bundles of fireworks. I almost bought the $50 bundle for my son but opted not to. He's 30 now and his GF might not appreciate it. (I know he'd LOVE it.) 

The M80s had wax coated fuses, didn't they?

Anyway, my heart was with the colorful stuff like silver jets, not the explosives. You just had to remember which side of the silver jet was right side up to make sure it took off, the flat side of the wings or the curved sides.

jmitw said:

some of them are legal and there is nothing you can do unless it goes on very late

Virtually ALL of the fireworks that are bothering people and pets every night are NOT legal without a permit.  And I would be extremely surprised if there are any permits for any of these situations.  

I think it has to do with 4th of July events being cancelled and firework companies trying to sell their inventory. Its insane.

You ain't got one single whistling kitty chaser?

Couldn't resist:

"kitty chaser" is not what it was known as in my neck of the woods when I was a kid. Decorum prevents me from stating that name.

Forgot about that unpleasant nickname for those things.

drummerboy said:

"kitty chaser" is not what it was known as in my neck of the woods when I was a kid. Decorum prevents me from stating that name.

cubby said:

I think it has to do with 4th of July events being cancelled and firework companies trying to sell their inventory. Its insane.

 That makes a lot of sense. Is it actually legal for them to be sold to buyers who do not have a permit? Ie - at what stage is the enforcement expected to take place? (Not that I'm detecting any enforcement actually occurring anywhere along the line.)

I grew up in Texas where fireworks were legal as far as the state was concerned, but most municipalities (at least the big cities) prohibited them. But their SALE was prohibited, so all the fireworks stands were out on the highway just past the city limits.  What's the law in NJ on selling them?

Looks like NYC is having an issue with fireworks as well:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/nyregion/fireworks-every-night-nyc.html

80X as many complaints first half of June compared with last year.

It is legal to buy them in PA, which is what people around here have been doing for decades.  It is not legal for the legally purchased fireworks to then be transported over the border into NJ.  As far as I know, there have been no border checks to enforce illegal transport of fireworks. That is how so many fireworks, which are not legal to purchase in NJ, make their way to our area.

As far as I know, many of the fireworks you hear are probably legal.

We have bought a few last year for the 4th & some BBQs.

They are sold at most supermarkets, Target, etc.

There is a nice selection at the store in Springfield, Rt 22:

https://backyardheroesfireworks.com/

These are mostly ground works, but some can be REALLY be loud.

These have been legal for several years now.

This was from an article in Forbes, 

about the negative effects that fireworks may have on them.a fireworks display occurs near a wild bird roost, the birds simultaneously explode into the night skies in utter panic (more here), which can lead to huge numbers of deaths, usually because these birds either smash their skulls or break their necks as the result of flying into trees, fences, billboards, houses and other solid objects that they cannot see in the gloom and ensuing chaos. Probably the most infamous example of massive bird deaths after a fireworks display were the 5,000+ dead or dying red-winged blackbirds that rained down from the skies onto the small Arkansas town of Beebe in 2010 (more here), leading some residents to fear an impending apocalypse.

The term "kitty chaser" says it all. MOL has some of the most intelligent and imaginative posters so I will just let the name sink in.

Across the globe boys just havin' fun killed a pregnant elephant with fireworks.

Fireworks may be legal, but setting them off after 10 is pretty dick-ish.

I actually think setting off the loud ones any time in densely populated areas like ours is pretty obnoxious as well. 

mrincredible said:

Fireworks may be legal, but setting them off after 10 is pretty dick-ish.

I actually think setting off the loud ones any time in densely populated areas like ours is pretty obnoxious as well. 

 But I don't think they ARE legal - not the kind that are being set off and making all the noise. (Ground/handheld sparklers just don't make that much noise AFAIK.) Where is the enforcement?  It can't be that hard to find the source once the noise starts.

mrincredible said:

bub said:

They sound like "street" fireworks to me, not authorized fireworks shows. Firecrackers mostly.  Don't think that's legal.  It's been going on for a while.  Where are the cops?  I'm not sure exactly where they are coming from.  

I believe you're correct. All kinds of fireworks can be purchased legally an hour's drive away un Pennsylvania. There are big warehouses as soon as you cross into Easton.

I think people are bored and the police are wary of getting into confrontations right now. There's the current tension between communities of color and police departments, as well as the desire to limit exposure because of COVID-19 risk. My guess is they're not going all-out enforcing these violations. 

Plus they can be hard to actually enforce unless witnesses want to identify the users. I could set off a string of rockets down the block and be gone by the time any police arrived.

 I don't understand this reference to "communities of color." Do you think that is where the firecrackers are coming from? If so, why? Isn't it conceivable that communities of color may also be disturbed by the noise?

fed123 said:

 I don't understand this reference to "communities of color." Do you think that is where the firecrackers are coming from? If so, why? Isn't it conceivable that communities of color may also be disturbed by the noise?

1. No I don't 

2. Yes I'm sure it's disturbing to them as well.

fed123 said:

 I don't understand this reference to "communities of color." Do you think that is where the firecrackers are coming from? If so, why? Isn't it conceivable that communities of color may also be disturbed by the noise?

 I read the comment you quoted above as referring to everyone's reaction to COVID-19 plus the weeks of protest over injustice being done to communities of color.  I do not see where the author felt that the fireworks were coming from one or more communities of color.  I agree that virtually everyone in ear shot is disturbed by the fireworks and would like them to stop.

One of my friends shared this.

WNYC is reporting that fireworks complaints are up 236% this year in NYC.

It's gotten to the point that if I were not to hear them in the evening I would wonder "Is something wrong?"

I was in Philadelphia Saturday night - same thing happening there.