TV3 are running this story on a fire in Queenstown, blaming it on fireworks.

Why do people seem determined to ban fireworks?

They're so much fun.

Just because people drive drunk, doesn't mean we make beer or driving illegal.

because fireworks are bad mmkay

Fireworks are really loud round here they keep making me jump.

the railway campus have banned fireworks BECAUSE WE ARE ALLOWED NO FUN WE MUst ALL LEAD BORING LIVESSSSSS

well ofcourse, youre international students, you guys have too much fun as it is.

touche!

I think it's the dumbest thing i've ever heard, first they ban skyrockets coz they burn down houses and now they wanna ban the rest of them coz they light scrub fires and threaten the houses of wealthy and affluent (more like effluent) north shore scum. Cry me a fucking river.

The SPCA has a valid argument, animals DO NOT like fireworks, but it is up to the owner to safely put them somewhere where they will not be startled by the noises. And as for the fucktards who jammed skyrockets up a cats bottom a few years ago, well the solution for that is that they should be put down (painfully), just like the poor kitty.

Just like the drunk driving anecdote, those who cause fires by abusing fireworks should be held accountable with severe penalties.

Raise the age limit on selling them and only sell them the week before

Another good idea.

Put a tax of them like cigarettes, with the money specifically going to fire damage compensation.

I think you'll find they have a duty imposed on them already.

It's just stupid.

And Chiang, the point about the drink driving was exactly what I was suggesting. You get a gold star.

If you had cats year on year off during fireworks nights, you'd know that there is nowhere you can put them without them hearing and being bloody terrified.

But yeah, banning or limiting fireworks anymore than the current status quo is still fucking stupid.

Put the age upto 16/18 thats my only whim

The age limit is legally 18 already I believe, and David Cunliffe, the Minister responsible for Fireworks, has confirmed there will be no changes to the regulations around Fireworks.

That's actually a good point to note. It's the SPCA, and one particularly vocal family who had an accident with fireworks, that have sparked the whole thing off this year (pun intended). The 'nanny state' tag isn't appropriate for this issue.

The age limit is fourteen at the current point in time.

Out of curiousity, was it a Labour or National government that banned skyrockets in the first place?

I am still touching myself over the thought of Steveo jamming sparklers up his cockhole.

It happened in 1994 under a National government.

http://wysiwygnews.com/1994_News/1994December8.html - look midway down the page.

Just in case you missed it, here's then-MP for Hawke's Bay Michael Laws letting fly on the ban in Parliament, December 1994.

we all are

*puts hand up to take blame for all us firework abusers*

18 should be the legal age to buy them. this might sound stupid, but the difference between a 17 year old at school and an 18 year old at uni is HUGE. little school shits shouldnt be able to buy them. because they are kunts.

And now, like all those glorious heroes of the day (Myles, Macyntre, Meurant, etc) he's a burn out provincial mayor!

In terms of fireworks sales, I agree with MN here and reckon 18 is the best age possible. Hell, if the banning-fireworks crowd get too much power, an alternative solution is that they could implement a system where in areas that had really high rates of people getting hurt, you raised the age up to 21/25/30 to buy fireworks.

Myself and Hannah were driving home last night and saw some kids throw fireworks on the road in front of an oncoming vehicle.

This is why they want to ban fireworks.

Fucking idiots

hehe. Yep, and you know what happens then? The same thing the Finnish people do when they wanted Vodka. They drove to Russia.

But it's interesting to hear that even as early as 1994 there was talk of raising the age to 18.

Even more interesting is why there is no ban on cigarrette lighters to those under 18. What possible use could younglings have for them?

Fireworks bans are voiced, as is said above, by a small vocal minority who seriously need to harden the hell up. The Fire Service is entitled to their objections, they are just trying to do their jobs and we are in effect making it difficult. The SPCA has a right to complain about people abusing animals with fireworks. They are also simply doing their jobs.

The people who cannot complain are people who sit at home on Guy Fawkes night and then get upset when fireworks make noise.

These people are detrimental to our national psyche and must be rooted out and shot before they pollute New Zealand any more than it already is. I am sick of Western-Springs-Speedway-Syndrome dragging down this country, and I hearby launch a fight to stop it, once and for all.

It's a toss up. On one hand Guyfawkes brought me many great childhood memories, on the other hand I haven't purchased fireworks since I was 14 or something, so fuck it. Bye bye guyfawkes.

I say get rid of buying fireworks or put the age to 18, im sick of immature little shits throwing them out of moving vehicles and on to the road, when I was in 5th form someone threw one out of the window of the bus into someones car, stupid shits

Yeah. Fireworks should only be bought by parents who have pre-teen children to entertain with loud bangs and firey lights. That's teenager shits can stay in their rooms on guyfawkes and do their homework.

people who throw them into oncoming traffic are fucktards. i may have been with people who were throwing them onto the road, but this was where there were no cars or people or anything.

fez, were the kids just on the side of the road? coz if so you should have just run them over.

The obvious solution is to have harsh penalties for under 18s caught with fireworks (outside the supervision of adults), rather than banning them for everyone. Just like with so many other things in society, a few fuckups ruin things for everyone.

Shame it's a lot harder to drive to russia/our nearest neighbour from here. That's the best thing about being an isolated island, it's a lot easier to prevent casual importing of fireworks (I would love to see someone try take it on a plane without being detected). Sure large scale ops will probably get through via secret/clandestine shipments in the night from rouge fishing vessles.

Well I had a fairly good reintroduction to Guy Fawkes. I bought a smallish $20 pack from The Warehouse and went down to Coyle Park in Pt Chev; after ours were finished we watched everyone else's for about an hour. There were a few guys there who had clearly closed up their shops early and were letting off entire brown boxes of unsold fireworks.

Some jerk did take repeated shots at my car with a Roman candle on Mount Albert Road. I considered running him down but I was too full of firework joy.

my little sister was at a park with her mates and these guys kept throwing eggs and lit fireworks at them. on monday when she went trick or treating her and her friends got lit fireworks chucked out of cars at them.

this is fucking dangerous and stupid, little shits like this should be cuffed to a platform in Aotea Square and the police and public should be able to throw lit fireworks at THEM, see how they like it.

Someone did that to me last night along Mt Albert Road (closer to my end of things obviously), straight after work, so I was not full of firework joy, but I was too lazy to do a U-Turn and knock the shit out of this little tin shed/garage he was using to fire out of.

Hmmm, might be worth while carrying a 1/2" power bar in the car

A few got shot onto the motorway (Auckland side of the harbour bridge) as I was coming home at about 2am last night. It's the same kind of idiots that would drop a block of concrete off a motorway overpass.

Although speaking of idiots I set up one under a set of powerlines without realising. Didn't seem to do any damage but there were some quite scary deflections. :ph43r:

went to the viaduct fireworks....but kinda missed them..oooppps.


seriously, the only people are gonna learn (ie kids) is by accidents. sad but true, and i think there should be punishment for people who are stupid with them.

well i almost got hit on the night when a roman candle fell over and shot straight at the deck where we were all sitting...but nobody got hurt and i still believe they're fine...