The City of Los Angeles banned the sale of fireworks when I was a girl. My parents would drive to Burbank to purchase fireworks for the extended family gathering every 4th of July — held in LA City.

At some point the County of Los Angeles also banned the sale.

Besides the possibility of personal injury, we have the very real danger of brushfires in the residential-chaparral interface.

LA County beaches are patrolled on July 4th to make sure fireworks are not set off. There’s the obvious danger of hurting anyone who happens to pass by on the sand.

Santa Monica used to have a fireworks show set off from the pier, but the crowds swamped the surrounding beach areas, and caused hours of snail paced traffic on Pacific Coast Highway.

Municipal parks put on firework displays across the county.

One year a video was posted online of a nighttime helicopter journey across the LA Basin on July 4th. No one would ever suspect that the area banned the personal use of fireworks.

Firecrackers are also banned, but the cherry bombs and other loud exploding things will go until the early hours of the morning . . . and days after.

I pity the poor dogs.

I don't get the thrill of setting off things that sound like mortar fire, which is what happens around here. Lots of Tribal Fireworks stands sell illegal (off reservation) fireworks and people show up in droves to buy them. It's too bad the pretty fireworks aren't safer; fire danger is a real thing around here and living in the forest with people setting off fireworks nearby makes me crazy afraid that they are going to burn down the whole neighborhood. It seems municipal shows are fewer these days probably because of budget constraints. It's too bad because I think it would cut down on the neighborhood fireworks that are so dangerous.

I feel for the poor animals, dogs, cats, deer, birds, etc. the veterans with PTSD, the babies trying to sleep etc.

Does anyone else remember having M80s? We did, and I lit my share but a very long time ago.

I can drive a half hour in 4 directions and pick up anything I might want - native american reservations. There's nothing I want 😘

The city puts on show along the river and bay that I can see from my living and bedroom without even leaving home. It's really no more grand than the one our Hispanic community puts on in the football field parking lot down the hill from our house - they do like their fireworks and do a nice job. They clean up too, no spent papers or containers left laying around.

Our city ordinance here now is 'safe and sane only' and not even those in public places like parks, streets, sidewalks. 9 AM until midnight on July 4 only. It's really not well enforced. Our roof is cedar and there is no rain in the forecast. DH will have a garden hose attached to every outdoor faucet and be at the ready.

The City of Colorado Springs has a HUGE lake or two. They put on a really nice "show" over the lake. It's an ALL day affair. There are people camped out having picnics in the park. Live bands. A symphony. Parking is a nightmare. There are kids selling parking spaces in their driveways. A LOT of people set off small fireworks in the park. Lots of sparklers.

There are private country clubs and venues that also set off displays.

That's a FUN way to celebrate. It's illegal to set off fireworks in wooded areas or in residential housing areas. I do feel bad for the dogs that don't understand the noise. It's a good day to keep your pets indoors. My house isn't sound proof...but....loud noises are muffled to a very low level by the thick insulated walls. ALL our windows are closed ALL day to keep the cool air from escaping. "IF" we had a dog...he'd be immune to the noise....it would sound very distant.

For a few years we annually went to the Pyrotechnics convention's final show. It was AWESOME. The best longest most versatile display of fireworks one will ever see. Class C fireworks are pretty incredible for home use. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the exploding colors in the night sky. I am not a fan of the displays/items that focus on loud explosions for the sake of the noise blast. Bottom line they are all dangerous given they deal with fire and explosions of differing intensity. If you are asking what we think of people stealing --I miss the days when we had enough police to put criminals in jail. If you are asking what we think of municipalities allowing people who maybe aren't intelligent enough to use fireworks safely--well again given we don't have enough police anymore we need to use them for criminal behavior vs stupidity. I have long been a huge proponent of reality discipline. The issue comes when my stupid neighbor endangers my property due to their negligence. It's the price of freedom. Life can be dangerous!!

I have had dogs who were terrified. 😢 So grateful my current 2 aren't horribly bothered.

The big shows are nice. You can also plan accordingly if you or any loved beings would rather not. The knuckle draggers who set off random big booms? May they set their own yards on fire. I think they're idiots. Self-centered idiots.

We used to live on the top of a hill and could see them go off for miles. City/town sponsored ones and individual. It was great for us to watch but I feel for the people with anxiety issues or scared pets who are bothered by them. Plus, as mentioned above, the fire danger in some areas is not exaggerated.

I like them but wouldn't feel as though my rights were being infringed if the laws about them were more stringent.

Our city allows the sale of "safe and sane" fireworks. Basically super tame fireworks, not close to what we had as kids, so tame that many people bring in illegal fireworks. Every year people complain on the local social media about allowing the sale of fireworks, but the fireworks they complain about are the illegal ones. We do not support people purchasing/deploying illegal fireworks, but allowing the sale of tame fireworks will not change the illegal firework situation. Unfortunately, the police have to personally catch the people with the illegal fireworks or nothing can be done, so we have a lot of illegal fireworks. Local communities offer firework shows so there are options.

"I miss the days when we had enough police to put criminals in jail. ... we don't have enough police anymore we need to use them for criminal behavior vs stupidity. " @arcy_gw if that's true where you live that really is a shame. There does not seem to be a shortage of police in my town or sheriffs in my county, nor a lack of applicants. Perhaps not enough people want to be in legitimate law enforcement because they know if they are attacked, their attackers will be pardoned.

Exploding fireworks have been technically illegal all along here where I live, and only sparklers and stationary 'fountain' types are allowed.

However, plenty of knuckleheads disregard the law and it's become very common to have explosions going off at all hours during not just Independence day, but New Years and Labor Day as well. Lots of bays and inlets means lots of echoing, amplified booming and many freaked out pets - and angry people. Water carries sound and echoes.

Our dog, who was afraid of thunder, used to hide in the bathroom shivering during storms. I can only imagine her terror if she were still alive today. Lots of pleas for consideration, and complaints from pet owners on NextDoor at these times too.

'Free' FL my eye 🙄

Carol it is bad on the east coast as well - I have a canal behind my home and am approx 1 mile to the closest house. They start their 7/4 fireworks at around seven PM and it does not stop until around midnight. The smoke and haze in the air the next morning is terrible. Fortunately my fur cats sleep through it. I sit out on my patio and curse at them -of course, they cannot hear me. I dread this Friday. These are the expensive fireworks purchased in the tents on roadways - very expensive and loud!

We used to be more into them when the kids were young. I don't mind people using them during holidays, but I wish they would stick to a 3 hour period once the sun sets.

One of my dogs hates fireworks, but she also hates thunder ... and I live in FL, so just something we learn to manage.

Best July 4th fireworks ever, were in NYC on a friends boat not far from the Macy's barge.

My first NYC apartment had views over the East River, ideal for watching the Macy's. fireworks. In our first house, we could see them from our rooftop. In Maine, from our cliffside stone patio, we have a view of them both up the coast (at a resort a stone's throw away) and down the coast .

We used to like lighting lanterns (all the kids and guests would write messages on them) and letting them go but they can cause issues so we do not anymore. I still recall a NYE in Chiang Mai when there must have been dozens in the sky. We woke the kids up to run outside and see it.

I honestly don't know what level of fireworks is legal to sell here, but there are definitely fireworks stands, both in town and on tribal land. We've already had several urban bosque (wooded riverfront parkland) fires this summer. One was set of by a cigarette flicked by some dude who apparently wanted to show his kids "how fast fire can spread." Thankfully he was arrested. There is so much dry fuel in the bosque. I hope we don't get any new fires from fireworks.

Thankfully it's been raining daily/nightly for weeks now, so not so much dry stuff to catch fire.

Just saw this and thought of this thread:

I'll also add that I haven't been that keen on watching fireworks for the past few years now, since my mom's been gone. It's beastly hot out anyway, and nowhere to sit and relax to watch them any more either 😕

I love fireworks and always have. However, I leave them to the professionals. I do not understand the attraction of setting them off. It's dangerous and in my opinion just really stupid. My state outlaws the sale but the neighboring state does not. The noise doesn't bother me and thankfully when I had a dog it didn't bother him either. I just think it's really dumb and not worth the risk. Every town around here has a fireworks display. Go to those. Save your fingers!

...and your eardrums 😉

Once knuckledragging rednecks set up illegal fireworks in a small town around here and embers caught the cedar roof of my friend's 1800 barn loaded with antiques and burned it to the ground. My dogs usually freaked out, and I find the 4th just something to get through. We used to go to the nearby city to watch them over the river, but they cancelled them a few years ago because of troublemakers seen with guns. Those loud boom ones should be illegal. Imagine the PTSD vets have never mind the poor wildlife and pets.

My state used to limit firework purchases to those that didn't go over a certain height and maybe limited the size/power of the explosion. So people would drive out of state and bring back and set off illegal fireworks. The state decided to lift the ban because they figured they were missing out on tax revenue.

Thankfully some municipalities put bans on fireworks, especially those near wild open space. I was lucky to live in one for the last 8 years, but unfortunately my neighbors would completely disregard the ban and would still set off fireworks.

When my dog was young, she wasn't bothered by fireworks. Unfortunately within the last few years, she has become terrified by them. Last year she and I huddled in the basement to escape the noise as much as possible. I'm lucky she's not the type that would run away, but many do lose pets running away from fireworks. Many of my friends and family have dogs or other pets that are frightened by fireworks as well.

I am really hoping that my new neighborhood will not have any fireworks, but I am a bit scared there might still be idiots. I am currently living on a few acres right in the middle of high desert mountains. I am surrounded by dry grass, sage brush, trees and no fire hydrants. I believe the HOAs ban fireworks, but I don't know what to expect.

While I enjoyed setting off fireworks as a family when I was a child, I would be happy to see them banned for sale to individuals tomorrow. Although even fireworks shows can go wrong. Just last year a professional fireworks show in my state accidentally shot fireworks into the crowd, injured 27 and sent 6 people to the hospital.

May not be a problem for much longer, it seems.

Just saw this and recalled this thread - from NYT newsletter - did a little editing () of certain words 😏

"Fans of booming fireworks shows better get their fill this weekend.

That’s because (US/China) trade war could put a damper on future pyrotechnics. Virtually all of America’s fireworks supplies are imported from China, and the steep tariffs that (US) has slapped on all Chinese products are raising alarm across the industry.

In theory, American retailers could start making their own sparklers and fireworks. But that is not so easy. Fireworks are highly regulated and dangerous to make, and China, where they were invented, has long been the only country with the skill and infrastructure to produce them at scale.

(US) tariff bonanza threatens the U.S. industry, forcing importers to scour the world for cheaper fireworks because the levies are making those from China so expensive. Right now, the U.S. imposes a 30 percent tariff on Chinese imports, down from 145 percent a couple of months ago.

One importer told me he looked to Cambodia and Brazil, but those countries didn’t produce enough to satisfy the $2 billion U.S. market, which craves even more explosive shows every year. In 2022 alone, Americans fired off more than 400 million pounds of fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

This year’s Independence Day should be relatively unimpeded by the tariffs because retailers stock up in advance. But 2026’s Fourth of July is the bigger problem. That’s when the U.S. will celebrate its 250th birthday, and cities and towns across the country are planning to go all out to set the skies ablaze...."

Well, good. The kids who took over from the kids who went off to college, won’t be setting them off on our block anymore then.

It wasn't as bad this year with the neighbors. Like many pet owners, it's not the best time. Maybe the economy has a bit to do about spending hundreds of dollars on fireworks. Our neighbors across the street had a dead possum with babies where Animal Control thinks fireworks may have contributed to the mama's demise. They were able to rescue some of the babies and get them to a wildlife rehab. Just awful.