Don't Shoot Out Your Eye!

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-06-30 06:52pm

I was reading a bit about fireworks earlier today, and found that there are a number of sites touting the prohibition of consumer fireworks, and many point out bottle rockets specifically. WTF? What is so wrong about kids and adults alike going out and shooting fireworks? Sure, if you do something stupid, you are likely to get hurt, but that goes for anything and everything else you do. I think that this is going way over the top. My dad shot fireworks (and burned himself a few times), I shoot fireworks (and have burned myself quite a few times...), and I will make sure that my kids shoot fireworks, if they want. Heck, there are alot more dangerous things to do than pop off some bottle rockets and firecrackers. I have a feeling that if the people who write these things would crap their pants if they saw half of the things I did (I.E., blowing up ant hills with fire crackers, throwing bottle rockets, shooting roman candles from my hand, etc.). I think this is just another example of over protectiveness running rampant, and self professed experts trying to tell me how to run my life and my recreation.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2003-06-30 07:12pm

SECONDED!!!

And notice the props they use for firecracker damage simulation demos? Styrofoam and papier mache! No consistency whatsoever to real flesh which would be at the most scorched a bit. I got hit in the leg by a bottle rocket once (not the tiny moon chasers, the big ones!) which exploded on impact. All Damage total: Slight scorch on jeans, red mark on my leg. Immediately resumed launching rockets and firecrackers at the other team.

Lesson learned: Quake 3 CTF translates quite nicely to Real Life...

KhyronTheBackstabber · Post by **KhyronTheBackstabber** » 2003-06-30 07:28pm

This shit hole of a county I currently live in won't even allow you to have sparklers. I fucking hate this place.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-06-30 07:39pm

Lets all buy a little island in the Bahamas and start our own empire where we can launch bottle rockets all we want.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-06-30 07:40pm

KhyronTheBackstabber wrote:This shit hole of a county I currently live in won't even allow you to have sparklers. I fucking hate this place.

Whiskey...tango...foxtrot...

Dude, I seriously feel sorry for you.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-06-30 07:56pm

Indian reservations are your friend in this case.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2003-06-30 07:57pm

KhyronTheBackstabber wrote:This shit hole of a county I currently live in won't even allow you to have sparklers. I fucking hate this place.

Sparklers are dangerous. I got a nice scar on my arm from when my chick friend's kid sister tossed a burning sparkler over her shoulder and it landed on my arm. Hurt like a bastard! But seriously, I have roman candle wars every year and we even take firecrackers apart and use the blackpowder for making homemade explosives. As long as you don't point them at yourself you're quite safe, but some people are just too fucking dumb to understand that.

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-06-30 07:59pm

kojikun wrote:Lets all buy a little island in the Bahamas and start our own empire where we can launch bottle rockets all we want.

Sounds fine to me. Although I could see this as becoming something like the central park of Amsterdam, where anything and everything is legal.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-06-30 08:15pm

Speaking of fireworks, I find it funny when they have those fireworks that are called "The All-American" or something like that, and then it says "Made in China" on the bottom. Oh, and I don't see why consmer fireworks are illegal in some states.

willburns84 · Post by **willburns84** » 2003-06-30 09:01pm

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:Speaking of fireworks, I find it funny when they have those fireworks that are called "The All-American" or something like that, and then it says "Made in China" on the bottom. Oh, and I don't see why consmer fireworks are illegal in some states.

Because laws made to protect people from themselves.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2003-06-30 09:02pm

The real problem with fireworks is that in built up areas, they can end up hurting bystanders and starting fires (especially where it's dry in the summer). I personally don't care if you blow your face off trying to launch a bottle rocket from your mouth, but there are quite a few little asstards in my neighborhood who'd fire their bottle rockets horizontallly just for shits and giggles and and up putting out one of my windows.

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-06-30 10:47pm

RedImperator wrote:The real problem with fireworks is that in built up areas, they can end up hurting bystanders and starting fires (especially where it's dry in the summer). I personally don't care if you blow your face off trying to launch a bottle rocket from your mouth, but there are quite a few little asstards in my neighborhood who'd fire their bottle rockets horizontallly just for shits and giggles and and up putting out one of my windows.

Would revenge be a good solution to this problem? Perhaps reporting the kids to the police for property damage?

Nathan F · Post by **Nathan F** » 2003-06-30 11:23pm

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:
RedImperator wrote:The real problem with fireworks is that in built up areas, they can end up hurting bystanders and starting fires (especially where it's dry in the summer). I personally don't care if you blow your face off trying to launch a bottle rocket from your mouth, but there are quite a few little asstards in my neighborhood who'd fire their bottle rockets horizontallly just for shits and giggles and and up putting out one of my windows.
Would revenge be a good solution to this problem? Perhaps reporting the kids to the police for property damage?

I do believe a bit or return fire is what the doctor ordered.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-06-30 11:27pm

Grr. Pinellas County is now enforcing their ban on fireworks sales, but luckily Hillsborough County is just a short hop away.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-07-01 12:52am

Nathan F wrote:Sounds fine to me. Although I could see this as becoming something like the central park of Amsterdam, where anything and everything is legal.

And this is bad how?

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-07-01 01:23am

Hell I've got a friend who will shoot bottle rockets from his hand, hold them right and your hand just gets a little hot when they launch. Only Sparklers are legal in my state, outside of planned public events with permits. However I have an arsenal of fireworks in a big drawer under the table I use to work on guns. I fully intend to use them all, and go get more. So far the only thing that has ever injured me was a sparkler when I was about six.

Most fireworks people play with couldn't hurt you even if they went off inches from your face.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-07-01 01:53am

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:Speaking of fireworks, I find it funny when they have those fireworks that are called "The All-American" or something like that, and then it says "Made in China" on the bottom. Oh, and I don't see why consmer fireworks are illegal in some states.

In some states, especially in the West and Southwest, there's a very good reason for fireworks bans. It's all fun and games until you burn the goddamned forest down.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-07-01 03:16am

Anything is dangerous if used foolishly. You don't shoot a rocket over a fucking dry forest.

Post by **Sea Skimmer** » 2003-07-01 03:23am

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi wrote:Speaking of fireworks, I find it funny when they have those fireworks that are called "The All-American" or something like that, and then it says "Made in China" on the bottom.

But that’s what America is all about isn't it? Exporting our massive wealth to bring in cheep stuff from overseas?

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-07-01 03:33am

GrandMasterTerwynn wrote: In some states, especially in the West and Southwest, there's a very good reason for fireworks bans. It's all fun and games until you burn the goddamned forest down.

Damn skippy. We already have two major fires within sight of Tucson we don't need any more, and I sure as hell don't need my house burnt down because a bottle rocket lands on my roof.

On a similar note this being The West, we routinely get idiots shooting guns up in the air during independence day. There've been a lot of near misses and a few deaths as the bullets come back down to Earth, sometimes miles away. I know of at least one case where a bullet fired into the air went right through the roof of a mobile home when it came back down.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-07-01 03:51pm

Howedar wrote:Anything is dangerous if used foolishly. You don't shoot a rocket over a fucking dry forest.

One would be surprised just how foolishly people can act. For example, there were a pair of recent wildfires near Albuquerque, NM. One of them was started by three teenagers shooting off fireworks . . . in a dry forest. And, as frequently as we encourage people to be careful when driving through rural forest land, one can still observe people pitching live cigarette butts out their windows.

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2003-07-01 04:50pm

Einhander Sn0m4n wrote: Lesson learned: Quake 3 CTF translates quite nicely to Real Life...

Apart from the lack of respawns...

Lord Pounder · Post by **Lord Pounder** » 2003-07-01 05:45pm

I know a guy who loaded about 20 bottle rocked into a pipe. He lit them and intended to launch them like an RPG. unfortunatley they exploded inside the pipe, turned the pipe white hot and made my silly friend lose 20 layers of skin or so.

Soontir C'boath · Post by **Soontir C'boath** » 2003-07-01 06:03pm

The last I seen of fireworks was when I was a kid.....a guy got his leg on fire. Thing is...nobody called for an ambulance and everyone was just watching....
After that year it's just the MACY's FIRE CRACKER Show......bummer~Jason