Shoot and BOOM

[Racket_Man]

I thought putting this here instead of the Road Rage section would be appropreiate.

Thank whatever deity this did not happen this year but has in years past.

These are not SC's but really really stupid people.

This weekend in the US we celebrate July 4th, our independence day, with fireworks show big and small (driveway, small parking lot, back yard, etc.) Nice light show either way

UNTIL

You start shooting the fireworks at passing cars OR blocking the street with your little side show. THEN is becomes a hazard and becomes dangerous.

In the past I HAVE had enough stupid people (mostly teenagers) try and "score bonus points" by trying to hit me with various forms of fireworks such as firecracker, Roman Candles, bottle rockets, etc.. Thankfully most of them had bad aim and missed me but some came REALLY REALLY close.

Do they really think this is a good idea shit for brains????? I do not think so as it could cause me injuries, cause me to crash or total my vehicle by torching it.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

FFS, it's now 4 am and I'm still hearing pops and booms from fireworks.

Go to bed, people.

[XCashier]

We had a similar close call last night, too, with a firework coming awfully close to our car. This is why I feel fireworks should be left to the professionals and not sold over the counter to any Joe Schmoe. Alternatively, make people take a firework safety course and get a license before they can buy fireworks. Far too many people who buy fireworks don't have the sense God gave a goat. Shoot them here, there and everywhere, block the street, not a fire extinguisher or bucket of water in sight. Even saw an idiot teenager lighting one while he was still holding it in his hand!

[mikoyan29]

Gah.....they used to be illegal in my state until our illustrious legislature decided that was not such a good idea. It was pretty bad before since you could get them in that state to the south but now it sounds like Baghdad on a bad day.

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Gah.....they used to be illegal in my state until our illustrious legislature decided that was not such a good idea. It was pretty bad before since you could get them in that state to the south but now it sounds like Baghdad on a bad day.

Yep . . . I'm down here at the lake and that's pretty much how it sounded last night (private gated community.)

While they didn't have an official fireworks display last night, some of the neighbors on our section thought it bright to fire some off near the trees separating their yard from the neighbors on their other side.

Then from the other side of the lake we kept hearing what sounded like a badly tuned civil war cannon every time the neighbors shot some stuff up - it was like a bad competition of sorts.

It's a wonder those trees didn't catch afire.

And as it turns out, I didn't miss a a thing at home either. Same crappy fireworks, stupid neighbors both in front and behind us. The idiots in front of us started theirs a couple of evenings ago well before dark and were lighting up near the back of an SUV parked in the front yard - it's a wonder they didn't hit the gas tank.

[bhskittykatt]

Meh, it's one night out of the year and I can tolerate that. This is actually the first year our city banned fireworks, though from the sound of it you wouldn't know. I didn't report it though because the ban is stupid and that's all I'm gonna say without getting into fratching territory. Hubs was on duty patrolling the local schools but didn't manage to bust anyone and he came home dirt tired. His shift was uneventful at least.

Out near where I work, it's very popular to set them off by the beach. Traffic was lined up for MILES with everyone heading out that way (out of city limits, so I'm sure the firework ban in the city this year didn't help matters). I've had to drive along that strip in the past, and it was insane because the streets are PACKED, and not all the fireworks get aimed out over the water...some explode right above your car! A 10 minute drive easily turns into a 40 minute one. I have a coworker who lives on that beach strip now...when I see him again I will have to ask him how long it took him to get home.

Out where I used to live growing up, they had one dedicated space for fireworks. That made sense at least because everything was trees everywhere except down by the lake where you could do fireworks. It was the same insanity, with everyone crowded together. One guy though always brought out some serious racks of mortars and put on a nice display. He had to be spending at least $10k on those each year! And this was just a completely amateur hobby! I thought he was cool.

[Sapphire Silk]

We joined a neighbor to light fireworks this year. It bothered me a bit because I could tell he'd been drinking, and he was also lighting fireworks in his hand.

We had a close call when a kid waving a sparkler stick had the sparkler part fall loose and into someone's lap. Luckily, she was not hurt.

[Pixi_kitty]

Thunderstorms starting in my area right about midnight. For once, I got a good night's sleep on the fourth.

[EricKei]

Yer making me miss my buddies and their explodie stuff back home. Ya see, one of them does the fireworks shows in certain area stadiums that shall go unnamed... Suffice it to say, even his home-based "shows" are rather impressive Need an oxygen mask to breathe in that back yard by the time he's done, too.

[MadMike]

Most fireworks are illegal in PA. That doesn't stop people from obtaining them elsewhere and setting them off anyway. I don't think the cops really pay a whole lot of attention to it unless you're being blatantly stupid about it, like the one kid I went to high school with, who decided to set off firecrackers in front of the courthouse, in broad daylight.

[Dave1982]

These are not SC's but really really stupid people.

As you say, this isn't an SC story. Moved to Roadkill.

Several years back a guy a know from a local city police department had to deal with a house full of idiots shooting Roman candles out their second floor windows at passing and parked cars. There was also an obscene amount of booze on the premesis and the candle shooters were drunk and underage. They ended up writing the head of the household so many citations they went through more than an entire book's worth of tickets (so 25+ tickets! )!!

[cindybubbles]

Where I live in Canada, private citizens can only buy and launch fireworks for two holidays: Victoria Day (Queen Victoria's birthday) and Canada Day (our nation's birthday). And you can only launch them outside in large areas where people won't get hurt.

This Canada Day, I heard people launch illegal fireworks, and even SAW some bright sparks outside my balcony!

If Yoda were here, he'd say "Asking for trouble, they are!"

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Here in Canada, private citizens can only buy and launch fireworks for two holidays:

I wonder if that's true the whole country? In this particular little tourist trap of a town it is an extremely rare night (or day even) where there aren't some going off between May 2-4 and labour day. There are some going off right now. There are some that go off nightly around 2am across the street from me. There are some all around town every night and most days. We only have a part time police force but I'm sure police must have heard them and not done anything about it. I assumed it was legal?

[Deserted]

Am I the only person who read these stories and immediately thought of the Darwin Awards?

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Am I the only person who read these stories and immediately thought of the Darwin Awards?

No but I'm waiting for some neighbors to try for a Darwin again.

Except that one has to be a minimum age of 16 to qualify and the idiots who were out shooting off by the parked SUV were around 8-12 range. No adult in sight.