Independence Day weekend approaches, meaning I get to revisit one of my most curmudgeonly stances: leave fireworks to the professionals and stop trying to make consumer pyrotechnics legal in Illinois.
Taking a similar stance was an uphill battle when living in Iowa earlier this century. Lawmakers there expanded the legality of fireworks sales in 2017, which gave the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center a perfect demarcation line for before-and-after statistics.
By looking at the state’s two largest trauma centers from 2014 through 2019, researchers showed injuries more than doubled during the first year of legal explosives and didn’t drop in succeeding summers. Scale matters, so it’s important to note we’re talking about going from 10 to 20 injuries per year to 40-plus, still a small percentage in a state of 3 million people.
That said, the institute reports Iowa’s rate of increase exceeded national trends in 2019, an impressive feat given the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s data showing nationwide 25% growth from 2006 through 2021. In 2024, there were 11 reported fireworks deaths and an estimated 14,700 injuries.
In Iowa, legalization delivered an 11.3% spike in injuries to minors, who in the first three years made up 30.8% of all fireworks injury patients. Across the entire population, the injuries turned more severe under the new law, with 19 amputations after none in the three years before the change.
An Illinois State Fire Marshal release said 45 hospitals reported 156 injuries and one death last July. The memo cited National Fire Protection Association data from 2021 showing 12,264 fires traced to fireworks, resulting in 29 injuries and $59 million in indirect property damage.
Again, if you’re playing percentages here, it’s worth acknowledging these numbers are microscopic as a portion of the national population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 420 Americans die from salmonella each year. If I trust myself to grill chicken, surely I could manage a roman candle … except I only enjoy one of those options.
This also is a story of local control. In April 2022, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law removing the ability of a county or city to restrict fireworks sales. Some larger cities still outlawed using such explosives, but this May, Reynolds signed another law preventing city and county governments from imposing such limits on July 3 and 4 and Dec. 31.
Use restrictions get more to the heart of the issue: I appreciate a quality professional display a few times a year, yet have almost zero tolerance for amateur hour, especially when it extends across a whole weekend. Illinois’ limits might cost some tax revenue, but they’re a worthy investment in pubic safety, plus peace and quiet.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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