Martin2005

You can ban something for being a bloody nuisance though

Tidgy

one persons nuisance is one persons fun.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

I am not talking about banning them completely. I licencing system is the way forward.
Go and sit a test that proves you know how to safely handle fireworks because there are plenty of muppets out there that do not.
I similar kind of test exists to make sure a person is capable of driving a car I think?

There are so many things that a driver can get wrong and still live to tell the tale. Clipping the curb, speeding, not checking the oil, braking a bit too late, spinning the wheels in the wet etc etc.

There are no such safety margins with fireworks. That's all I am saying.
Why do you think that the fire brigade put on an ad campaign around this time year raising awareness if a problem doesn't exist?

My old school used to have a display every year until recently when their insurance company refused to provide cover anymore.

Go figure.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

More like one persons fun is a hundred peoples suffering and annoyance!

Tidgy

depends, could be your suffering is 100 people fun you old grouch you,,, lol

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

Tidgy actually makes the same point I would.

Cars kill lots of people. One way or another, usually there is some form of human error that kicks it all off. whether someone is speeding or if an idiot steps out in front of them. Therefore, licensing does not solve the issue.

Also, when the limited number of cops try to enforce the rules, stop people speeding, make sure they have licenses, MOTs etc they are told to 'get a proper job' and to 'catch real criminals'.

Can you imagine the response they'd get raiding someone's garden because they've seen a sparkler on the go?

There should be a time limit on when they can be used and the noise abatement people called in as per any other disturbance but licensing/banning them won't really help or just take away the enjoyment for the vast majority of safe users.

Perhaps encouraging more councils to put on free, public displays would help - oh no, that's a waste of public money isn't it?

Damned if you do and all that.

DYK

Well that's the problem isn't it,some person with a heart condition has 2 energy drinks packed with caffeine and dies,you think having a condition such as that,they would research what they can't drink/eat,but no.The parents want to sue the drinks company now,seems self responsibility has gone from this mad PC driven country.But i can see the reason for some saying only have fireworks at organised events,i've seen some of the idiots firing rockets at cars buses etc,the same ******** that throw hard packed snowballs at vehicles...

Tidgy

being aware of the danger is a better accident prevention method than any sort of control. Issue is how do you educate people on mass?

If people respect something, they will treat it correctly, that shows time and time again in safety audits.

Tidgy

aka people no longer take responsibility for there own actions.

We have changed as a culture havn;t we, common sence is no longer so common

Leslie

Good of you to offer Martin-should be a good display too!

Les

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

What else needs said to someone though ?

IF THIS GOES WRONG YOU MIGHT BLOW YOU HAND OFF !!!

yet they still do it.

Idiots will always be idiots , cant get a licence , training , ban , that allows for idiots. Like a ban on not walking on traintracks (i mean who needs to be told things like this) and they are surprised when they get hit by a train.

Leslie

I dont understand what smoking has to do with this! And we knew very well it was bad for you too!

I think you may well be right about the reduced respect that children have for their elders and the rules these days. Why is that though? What is so different these days then?

Could it be the way that children are brought up now? Or should I say "not brought up"? If so, who is to blame for it?

We were left in no doubt by our parents how dangerous fireworks can be,and the bangers then were many more times more potent than they are now. A Mighty Atom or a Cannonball Cracker were mighty bangers believe me. Modern ones are true damp squibs in comparison!

We were however trusted by our parents to use our common sense while we were enjoying the occasion. Even the more wild members of the crowd were careful that they did nothing dangerous with the fireworks. We were all there to have a bit of fun without making trouble.

Dare I say that if you influence your own son in a similar manner that you might feel you could trust him in the same way?

Making reams of restrictive rules and laws are no proper substitution for effective training and are an admission of defeat in the way children are taught to be deserving members of society when you think about it.

Les

joey_turbo

iTrader: (26)

I agree with OP fully.

People are a lot more stupid these days + fireworks are easier to get hold of = more headlines as above.

The things are explosives, however small, that must be remembered.

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

I remember making my own bangers with zig-zaging a roll of caps onto a pin , packing it tightly , tie it to a Bengal Match , remove pin. While making one i "struck" a cap with the pin and it went off in my face ! Went deaf for a few mins but was ok. (lol , my parents were so proud)

Heard of a couple of wee lads drilled a hole in a tennis ball , packed as many caps that could fit in , put it in a vice and tightened until it exploded. It was effectively like putting a grenade in a vice.

As i said , you cant allow for idiots !

Devildog

No

If you ban the sale of fireworks is it really going to have that much of a negative impact on peoples lives? Really?

If you think it would, convince me

kenc

iTrader: (6)

You cant buy Fireworks here in Southern Ireland they are illegal to have and to sell no matter the age. However the place is ful off them as they are being brought in illegally From Northern Ireland (UK Law).

The argument that people put forward for not banning them are some times just laughable, comparing them to car related deaths injuries, well imo is just clutching at straws,
How much of car use is by necessity VS the necessity useage of fireworks?? (NONE)

Yea sure they are fun for the person thats using them, but for everyone thats using them, there is How many people that dont want to use them?? but yet have the the noise and mayhem Imposed on them,

Just because its Fun for 1 person, it doesnt mean that 20 or 30 who dont want to be disturbed, their children kept awake, pets upset, property damaged or family injured etc etc should have to put up with it.

We had a local Halloween Disco for under 12s and our biggest hassle was keeping them safe from the local fools with Fireworks, very few of which were not over 20 yrs old.
For every 1 person that will use a firework correctly there is 100s that terrorise families with them.
Fireworks are plain and simple just a neusance to society.

speedking

Yes fireworks are available next to the vegetable aisle in the supermarket, but under lock and key and only available to purchase for under 18s. It is also an offence for under 18s to carry them in public. So in much the same way that knives and bleach are restricted. The framework is in place for fireworks to be clamped down on if the will is there.

If you compare with fast cars you get a more equal comparison. You don't need a fast car. Fast cars are more dangerous (hence the increased insurance premiums). So why not ban them? Fast cars are inherently more dangerous than slow ones.

madscoob

iTrader: (3)

if the noise of fireworks is so bad and antisocial for just a few nights a year , why not ban ***** from owning noisy dogs, 365 days a year 10.30 every night woof woof fecking woof for 20mins, i look upon november 5th as REVENGE NIGHT, large tube as launch site aimed it the general direction you get the picture

c_maguire

So have we decided this is natural selection in action yet?

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Very different opinions on here and glad to see it. It would be a boring place if we all had more than one brain cell.

mart360

See clan Meldrew is out in force lol

Love fireworks to bits, the bigger the bang the better...

I want a parlimentary review , Jumping jacks and bangers should be

reinstated immidiatley !!!


Mart

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

+1 If you are then I'm going on with you.

To be honest, I don't think there is really a good argument against this proposition other than that it penalises those who use them responsibly line, but said individuals will get a better, cheaper and safer experience at an organised display anyway.

This really is one issue where common sense seems to get thrown out the window for nothing more than the "I don't want to be told what I can't do" line.

jef

iTrader: (13)

no way would i agree with banning fireworks, as a kid they taught me a lot. provided entertainment.
more i would concentrate on changing the attitude of youngsters of how you can hurt people with them.
young men espicially find dangerous activities especially attractive. you cant really suppress that. but shock them at school with images of bad burns ect may make them more aware and considerate.
the problem is when young guys use them in built up areas with pedestrians. i used fireworks, dismantled small ones to build massive ones, but we had the courtesy to dissapear into thick woodland before we set them off. And we learnt a lot in that time, we used petrol ect, ran like **** and used a massive fuse.

if you damage yourself using then its should be your oen fault, not from people firing them at you.

shock kids into the horror of burns (the same for horrific images of car accidents) into using with a bit of respect for others.

banning them just result in unregulated supply of likely inferior quality products.

kenc

iTrader: (6)

[QUOTE]"the problem is when young guys use them in built up areas with pedestrians. i used fireworks, dismantled small ones to build massive ones, but we had the courtesy to dissapear into thick woodland before we set them off. And we learnt a lot in that time, we used petrol ect, ran like **** and used a massive fuse."[QUOTE]

What do you propose for the Firework lover living in a built up area??? Jump on a bust fireworks in a bag travel to the Country, let off the fireworks, and back on the bus to the built up area???

What about an innocent kid who is given one and hurts themselves, is that their own fault???

Do you really think this will have any effect????

AS opposed to the High quality "SAFE" ones available now ????????

Adrian F

what i dont understand is why people in my area are allowed to let of fire works day and night disturbing me but i cant disturb them by playing my music loudly with the windows open or sit outside their house revving my engine of my car at 11pm with out being dragged through the courts seems very unfair why should i have to consider them when having my fun they dont care about anybody else when they let fire works off for weeks before November even starts

I vote they are only allowed for proper displays we have tried letting people behaviour responsibly and it hasn't worked so time to treat them like children and take the dangerous toys away

finalzero

Okay a question, where the hell did he get an "INDUSTRIAL FIREWORK" from? Those things are dangerous in the wrong hands...

ScoobyWon't

I think part of the main issue here, that has not really been explored, is that these these irresponsible people are getting them from somewhere.

It is a very similar thing to the under-age drinkers. Where do they get there booze from?

The big branded supermarkets, and even the smaller Aldi and Lidl, are strict on ID for booze and fireworks, just as Tesco etc are.

It's the small, independant retailers who are more relaxed in their approch to ID checks, who are more concerned about profit, than following the law who need to be more vigilant.

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Some neighbours in the area were letting fireworks off until 1am this morning.
Then we spent the next hour listening to a gobby cow who had obviously had too much to drink.

Sorry but 1am is taking the ****.

markjmd

iTrader: (11)

Yep, and they're already banned from sale to the general public, so you have to wonder how much an extra ban on top of that is going to help.

What needs to be done is for the existing law to be enforced properly, then see if there's still a problem to be dealt with afterwards.

ScoobyWon't

You paint a picture of you living in a ****-hole of a council estate, with feral kids setting off weapons of mass dstruction and drunks shouting in the street. Move house.