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Web posted Friday, July 2,
2004
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Editorial: Fireworks laws should be
consistent
Carolina Morning News
Forgive the tourists if they are confused by
South Carolina laws.
They must wonder why
it is legal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet,
but they must wear a seat belt while riding in
their cars. Or why they can buy liquor in a
variety of bottles at the package shop, but
restaurants can only serve drinks from
mini-bottles. Or why they can buy fireworks, but
can't shoot them in most parts of the state,
including all of Beaufort County. (See our
front-page story for more information on where
they are legal.)
The fireworks laws are
especially illogical. It's like saying it's OK to
sell drugs, but it's against the law to take
them.
It's easy to make a case against
fireworks. About six people die needlessly each
year in fireworks-related incidents in the United
States, and fires are an obvious side effect when
non-professionals strike matches around paper
filled with gunpowder.
But this editorial
is not about fireworks, it's about fireworks laws.
In short, if it is illegal to shoot fireworks in a
community, then it should be illegal to sell
fireworks in that community.
Those who make
laws and local ordinances have long gotten away
with straddling the fence on this one. They
understand the public's perception that it is OK
to shoot fireworks in South Carolina; after all,
the interstate is lined with establishments
selling ever bigger and better explosive
devices.
Until lawmakers get serious about
this logical disconnect, tourists will continue to
stop in Hardeeville and buy fireworks as they
drive to Hilton Head Island, and they will darn
well shoot those fireworks on the beach -
illegally - when they reach their destination. And
the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office will continue
to be in the awkward position of deciding how much
effort it wants to put into enforcing a law that
is difficult to explain.
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