When were consumer fireworks banned in NY?
November 7, 2007 3:11 AM Subscribe
What year were consumer fireworks banned in NYC?
Response by poster: Thanks - I found that article, but that ban was specifically for Chinese New Year, I do think the general consumer ban was earlier than that. Anyone else have a source?
posted by terrortubby at 4:37 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by terrortubby at 4:37 AM on November 7, 2007
I know they were banned by the 1960s. Our neighbor, a city cop, was confiscating them then. Of course, he just brought them home and set them off in his backyard, but still...
posted by tommasz at 5:35 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by tommasz at 5:35 AM on November 7, 2007
Possessing or dealing in fireworks (including firecrackers and sparklers) without a license has been illegal throughout the state of New York since 1965. New York Penal Law ยง270.00.
posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 5:49 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by A Long and Troublesome Lameness at 5:49 AM on November 7, 2007
It's going to be difficult to pin a year down. It sounds like they started with partial bans in 1910 from June 10th to July 10th, and eventually made it to a full ban, but the dealers and producers fought them and occasionally got the bans rescinded. Try looking for the "Municipal Explosives Commision". Use google's cache if/when Nytimes stops serving the pdfs. Google has the text at least.
The same thing happened for the state laws and during the national ban in the 70s. I couldn't tell if the NY year round ban occured before or after the NYC one.
At the same time there are ordinances against pyrotechnic displays, one of which was suspended in 1902 and led to some kind of disaster at Madison Square Garden. That and a few other incidents spawned the commission and eventually the New Years ball decision lassie linked to, but it's separate from the consumer laws.
posted by jwells at 5:53 AM on November 7, 2007
The same thing happened for the state laws and during the national ban in the 70s. I couldn't tell if the NY year round ban occured before or after the NYC one.
At the same time there are ordinances against pyrotechnic displays, one of which was suspended in 1902 and led to some kind of disaster at Madison Square Garden. That and a few other incidents spawned the commission and eventually the New Years ball decision lassie linked to, but it's separate from the consumer laws.
posted by jwells at 5:53 AM on November 7, 2007
The 1902 incident that jwells references involved William Randolph Hearst and an event that the National Association of Democratic Clubs put on. Apparently twelve people died, and close to a hundred were injured.
posted by lassie at 6:52 AM on November 7, 2007
posted by lassie at 6:52 AM on November 7, 2007
Response by poster: So I guess 4th of July in the late 70s / early 80s in Brooklyn - all the sparklers and fireworks that people had (that covered the ground the next day) were illegal?
There was definitely a crackdown on them sometime in the 80s? (or early 90s?)
If anyone is still reading this - any info?
posted by terrortubby at 3:58 AM on November 8, 2007
There was definitely a crackdown on them sometime in the 80s? (or early 90s?)
If anyone is still reading this - any info?
posted by terrortubby at 3:58 AM on November 8, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by horsemuth at 4:26 AM on November 7, 2007