Authorities on Tuesday seized an estimated $500,000 in fireworks — enough to fill half a pole barn from floor to ceiling — at a Howell Township home in what Livingston County Sheriff Bob Bezotte called one of the biggest seizures of fireworks he’s seen in 25 years.
“It’s the mother lode,” Bezotte said.
Sheriff’s deputies and detectives also seized an undisclosed sum of cash from the homeowner, who allegedly sold professional-grade pyrotechnics to an unlicensed buyer in a police operation. In Michigan, people need a permit to sell, transport, display or possess fireworks that fly — whether in a spin or twirls through the air — or explode.
The fireworks laws in this state are some of the stupidest laws around. They are also some of the most commonly broken laws, because there is little respect for them. There's a reason that the Indiana and Ohio borders have several fireworks stores which even have advertised on Michigan radio in the past.
Those little firecrackers - illegal. I'm not referring to cherry bombs or M-80's. Those little firecrackers are illegal. So are bottle rockets which are seen literally everywhere. Let's not even get to the classic mortar shells and Big Bear Cannons.
Now I've been around at places where all of these were shot off. I'm sure many here reading the blog have seen most if not all of these as well. I've never seen anyone get hurt from the illegal fireworks. I've only been hurt once, and that was as a little kid. I was stupid and grabbed the business end of a sparkler. It was a harsh lesson I didn't forget.
A lot of people use illegal fireworks and these things do not harm anyone unless someone is stupid. We need to stop legislating against risk and stupidity, and we do not need to be protected from ourselves. We're Michiganders, not wimps.
Let's support freedom and repeal the laws on fireworks and increase business here in this state at the expense of Indiana and Ohio profitting from our laws. Fireworks don't kill people or hurt people. People do.
0 comments:
Post a Comment