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 Americans will celebrate Independence Day with parades down
Main Street before barbecue and fireworks in their own backyards – except in
Illinois and three other states.
Illinois is one of just four states that ban residents from using or purchasing
fireworks other than novelty items such as sparklers, small noisemakers and
smoke bombs.
Firework users in the Land of Lincoln can expect hefty penalties if caught.
Possession, transportation, or use of illegal fireworks is a class A misdemeanor
with fines up to $2,500 or 1 year in prison, although law enforcement often
ignores violators unless they really annoy the neighbors.
Massachusetts, Vermont, and Ohio are the only other states that
impose severe pyrotechnic restrictions. Ohioans are allowed to purchase
fireworks but may not light them off. Massachusetts residents may not use any
pyrotechnic device, including sparkers.
 It all started in 1942 when state Rep. William G. Thon, R-Chicago, wrote
legislation banning the use of fireworks in Illinois. By this point, fireworks
were already illegal in Chicago. When Thon died 40 years later, the fireworks
ban was listed as his most notable achievement.
Thanks to this nearly 80-year-old law, Illinois is losing out on business and
tax dollars. Residents who drive to neighboring states know some of the first
businesses they pass are fireworks retailers. Illinoisans flock to these stores
to stock up for Independence Day celebrations. Drive through any Illinois
neighborhood around July 4 to quickly see and hear how little regard residents
have for the fireworks law.
Iowa was the first state to ban fireworks in 1938, but it recently legalized
them again, along with New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Ohio last year considered
repealing its ban.
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Driving across state lines to purchase fireworks is
an easy option for many Illinois residents. Indiana brings in $2.5
million each year in tax revenues from firework sales. Illinois is
watching tax dollars and summer jobs leave the state because of
strict firework laws.
Rep. Dave Severin, R-Marion, revived an attempt to
legalize fireworks in Illinois earlier this year. House Bill 2481
would repeal the Pyrotechnic Use Act, which took away Independence
Day fun for Illinoisans. Severin’s proposal would allow consumer
fireworks to be purchased and used in the state, while display
fireworks could be sold with a permit. Appropriate uses and permits
would be determined by state and local fire marshals. The bill was
assigned to the rules committee in March, however.
Opponents of fireworks legalization cite safety concerns and severe
injuries that can be caused by large commercial grade fireworks.
However, a 2017 report from the U.S. Consumer Safety Commission says
“there is not a statistically significant trend in estimated
emergency department-treated, fireworks-related injuries from 2002
to 2017.”
The report also said there were over 12,000 fireworks-related
injuries in 2017, which was less than the number of injuries
resulting from tipped furniture and children’s toys. Illinois had
349 individuals injured by fireworks. Plus the nation’s leading
cause of fireworks injuries is from one of the few devices Illinois
allows: sparklers.
Illinois leaders certainly want every tax dollar they can get and
more summer jobs would be great, but the most important reason to
stop playing nanny is to allow people the freedom to decide for
themselves, especially on Independence Day, whether they want to see
the rocket’s red glare. As a state we were the first to ratify the
13th Amendment and decide residents needed the freedom to choose
whether to gamble or to smoke marijuana.
When it comes to celebrating freedom on Independence Day, Illinois
has its limits.
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