Fireworks legalization advances in Iowa Senate

DES MOINES - An Iowa Senate committee has approved legalizing fireworks in Iowa, but a condition in the proposal probably will create a patchwork of prohibitions.

The Senate State Government Committee approved Senate File 508 by a 10-5 vote to allow the possession, sale, transfer, purchase and use of fireworks. However, by changing an 'opt-out” provision to 'opt-in,” the proposal essentially would leave legalization up to county boards and city councils.

As adopted, 'you have no statewide law,” said sponsor Sen. Jeff Danielson, D-Cedar Falls.

However, Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, who opposes legalization, argued the 'opt-in” language was necessary to honor Iowa's home rule for cities.

Danielson, a professional firefighter, proposed the measure because he says Iowa has taken a 'head-in-the sand” approach to the issue for too long in advocating adding more than a dozen consumer fireworks to the list of legal products. Legal products now are limited to sparklers and other small novelties.

It makes no sense to legalize products that contribute to more than 11,000 injuries a year, many to children, as well as 17,000 fires that caused $32 million in property loss, Danielson said. Fireworks can be annoying and trigger PTSD and panic in animals, he added.

'There's no good common-sense reason to be moving this bill forward,” McCoy said. 'If for no other reason ... protecting children would be a good reason to vote against this.”

Legalizing fireworks will be 'anti-business for insurance companies, including those with major operations in Iowa. He predicted state revenue from sales tax on fireworks sales and licenses required for vendors 'will be minuscule compared to cost to insurance companies.”

'Jump into the real world,” said Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City, pointing out that fireworks are legal across the river from his district. South Dakotans aren't exploding fireworks 365 days a year and 'blowing their fingers off every day,” he said.

If lawmakers want to protect children from 'associated risks,” Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, said, they might want to ban balloons and dolls, which account for more childhood deaths than fireworks.

'It's a matter of freedom - a freedom Iowans want,” said Chapman, an emergency medical technician. 'Let's trust Iowans with the responsibility of the safe handling of fireworks.”

Iowans, McCoy said, 'have to learn to live closely and we do that by learning to live peacefully.”

The proposal, which was supported and opposed by both Democrats and Republicans, will move to the full Senate as a committee bill.