DEAR SGT AL: FIREWORKS ON THE FOURTH OF JULY?

DEAR SERGEANT AL: Are fireworks legal? What states are they banned? Is there a ban nationwide on fireworks? --GRAND OLD FLAG LAID AGAINST GOD

DEAR GO FLAG: I do not condone nor support the use of fireworks ever. They are dangerous and have lasting consequences. If you decide to use them, or see that they are being used, ensure the safest measures are employed to minimize the dangers, especially around smaller children. Always have an adult supervise if not actually deploy any rockets and/or explosives. Secure the inventory before and AFTER celebrations, and ensure it is kept under tight lock and key. Keep spectators at a safe distance. Have a definitive time when fireworks commence AND WHEN THEY END, and ENFORCE IT. Remember that the police and fire departments will be understaffed because of the holiday, and they will have their hands full on July 4th for your shenanigans to be at the bottom of their priorities. So you will have to police yourself and those around you. If deploying fireworks in a jurisdiction where in some way they are illegal, ensure you know what the limitations are. Most importantly, if you are caught illegally possessing and/or deploying fireworks and are arrested, say nothing to the police by invoking your rights, and seek the immediate advice of legal counsel. Above all else, my best advice when it comes to fireworks is just say no or don't do it to go somewhere like to a Grucci's display to see them professionally deployed instead. 

With all that stated, the best bet for a fiery fourth regardless of which state you are in is to be at least either 16 or 18 years of age, depending on where you are, and probably to buy from an Indian reservation, as tribal authorities are exempt from federal law. The feds establish minimum guidelines nationwide as to the manufacture, distribution, and sale, and allow the states to establish even stricter guidelines. Local jurisdictions, particularly many cities like New York, are most restrictive to ban most fireworks if not all. According to the National Council of Fireworks Safety the following map represents those states where sale or distribution are legal, and to what degree:

The following link by the American Pyrotechnics Association is a state by state rundown of where and what you can do when it comes to fireworks.

Happy Independence Day my fellow American Patriots and our supporters. We live on the greatest nation on earth, and in spite of our shortcomings and failures, we truly do have much to be grateful for in this nation of liberty. Please remember places like China and Syria where they do not have forums to decide issues like a healthcare law, or whether Mitt Romney or Barack Obama would make a better president. Please do not forget those who make this possible, and that is our veterans who lay or have laid down their lives for our freedom here and abroad, and our first responders who keep the homeland safe for us as we go about our lives. God bless the United States of America!