By Jennifer Corr
Photo: Wikimedia Commons Image
Published in print in East Meadow Herald Newspaper and online at LIHerald.Com
Less than a month before the Fourth of July, the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to ban an Independence Day tradition: sparklers.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran signed a law on June 12 that bans the use and sale of sparklers in Nassau County.
The New York State Legislature legalized the sale of sparklers outside New York City in 2014 — as long as they are sold between June 1 and July 5 and between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. County governments were authorized to either adopt such regulations or enact a stricter policy.
Sparklers have been illegal for many decades prior to 2014 and Legislator Thomas McKevitt (R, D-13) said that the legislature wanted them to remain illegal because of the injuries they have caused — mostly on children.
Sparklers caused 900 out of 7,600 firework-related injuries between June 18 and July 18, according to a 2017 study conducted by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC also stated that sparklers can reach 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which is as hot as a blowtorch.
“Despite any possible tax revenue we might get from [sparklers], it’s just not worth the serious injuries, especially to our children,” Curran said in a press conference before she signed the legislation.
Seaford resident Jim Coll, who is also a retired NYPD detective, believes that Nassau County should focus on issues such as the opioid crisis and school safety rather than sparklers.
“Our local government officials seem to miss the irony that they passed a law regulating how parents can choose to allow their children to celebrate freedom from an oppressive government,” Coll said. “Like the speed cameras, the sparkler ban is another money grab from the taxpayers under the premise of a safety measure.”
The law states that any person who uses a sparkling device in Nassau County will be guilty of a violation punishable by a fine up to $500. Any person who sells sparklers can be guilty of a Class B Misdemeanor and punished with a fine of $1500 and 15 days of jail time. “At this time, there are no enforcement details planned,” Nassau County Chief Fire Marshall Scott Tusa said. “Staff will keep eyes out for violation during daily duties. We do not anticipate any manufacturers shipping to Nassau illegally.”
The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York applauded Curran’s decision to ban sparklers and officials said that they hope other counties will follow.
“Sparklers are very hot when they burn. Children are excited when they see the colors and the sparkling and there is a possibility they could get burned if they touch the sparklers,” said Steven Klein, the first vice president of the FASNY and a former chief of the Oceanside Fire Department.
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