One of the more intelligent bills to emerge from the S.C. General Assembly this year allows property owners living in unincorporated areas to protect their dwellings from errant fireworks. If Gov. Mark Sanford signs the bill into law, as he should, property owners and homeowners' associations will have a way to bar use of fireworks on adjacent beaches and other public property.

This compromise resulted from a collaboration between S.C. Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach, and fireworks company lobbyists. Clemmons last year introduced a bill giving counties the same power to ban fireworks that S.C. municipalities long have enjoyed. Because the industry's tentacles reach deep into the legislative body, chances were slim that the bill would pass as written.

Industry lobbyists, to their credit, recognized that all it would take to end South Carolina's relatively liberal fireworks laws would be one beachside wooden condominium project going up in flames, with significant property damage and personal injuries, as a result of fireworks abuse. So this year, they helped Clemmons craft a compromise that puts the onus on property owners to protect themselves.

Upon approval of a local governing body such as Horry County Council, property owners or their designated managers could establish a fireworks-prohibited zone by posting at least two signs barring fireworks use on adjacent public land. The governing body in question would determine how long the zone remained in effect. If the owner sold the property, the new owner would have to reapply to establish a prohibition zone. Fireworks users who fire bottle rockets and other fireworks within the zone would be guilty of misdemeanors and could be prosecuted.

Congratulations to Clemmons for his hard work on the bill and to S.C. Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, for shepherding it through the Senate. Looking out for the home folks in this fashion is exactly what legislators should be doing.