Politics & Government

Iowa May Lift Fireworks Ban: What Do You Think?

The Iowa Legislature is considering lifting a decades-long ban on purchasing and setting off fireworks in Iowa.

Fireworks are as much a part of Fourth of July celebrations as parades and flag-waving.

And soon, it could be legal for Iowans to shoot off Roman candles and other fireworks without having to drive across the Missouri border to buy them.

The ban on purchasing and setting off fireworks in Iowa dates back several decades, after fires caused by sparklers destroyed dozens of buildings in Spencer in 1931 and Remsen in 1936.

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A recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll found that 56 percent of Iowans think the ban should be lifted, though the newspaper wrote in an editorial there’s no good reason to do so.

The editorial cited a tragedy that occurred in 2000 in which a a cache of fireworks went off as group young Iowans drove around Des Moines setting off Roman candles from their vehicle.The vehicle hit a utility pole and a 15-year-old student died and five others were severly burned.

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DISCUSS: What do you think? Should the ban be lifted? Tell us why or why not in the comments.


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