Fireworks - A Bit of Fun or Dangerous?

JupiterKid · 31-10-2014 4:13pm #1

So it's that time of year again when the sky will be filled with fireworks and the noise of bangers and other fireworks will be heard everywhere.

Do AHers see it all as a bit of fun? Do you remember playing with bangers and fireworks from your childhood? Or do you see them as a danger to kids and animals? Should their sale be legalised and regulated?

Realt Dearg Sec · 31-10-2014 4:15pm

Yes. A bit of fun and dangerous. A bit of fun because dangerous.

AndyBoBandy · 31-10-2014 4:16pm

Fun provided they are handled & used in the correct way.

I loved them when I was a kid, and hated them when we had a dog, as they drove him crazy!

I got a few of the bigger rockets up the North while passing through a few weeks ago, so, I'll let them off later

Berserker · 31-10-2014 4:17pm

In responsible hands they are fun. I don't really understand why they are still illegal here.

shruikan2553 · 31-10-2014 4:18pm

Depends, used properly they are fine. Used by scumbags throwing them at school they are dangerous.

The One Who Knocks · 31-10-2014 4:18pm

Nah they drive the dogs mad and the youth of today are too irresponsible with the ones they can get their hands on illegally, wouldn't want to make it any easier for them.

Edit: Not implying the youth of yesterday were any better. Maybe someday.

SEPT 23 1989 · 31-10-2014 4:20pm

no bonfires or rockets

poor kids will never know what a good Halloween is

Realt Dearg Sec · 31-10-2014 4:20pm

The One Who Knocks wrote: »

the youth of today are too irresponsible

Yeah when I was a youth we were completely responsible and grown up and nobody had any trouble with us using fireworks as a result.

Last_Minute · 31-10-2014 4:21pm

Ah the good old days of firing fireworks through people letter boxes, can't bate em.

PizzamanIRL · 31-10-2014 4:21pm

Fun because it's dangerous.

Birneybau · 31-10-2014 4:22pm

Funzo is fun.

And dangerous.

Davarus Walrus · 31-10-2014 4:22pm

Some gimp from Finglas blew the cock and balls off himself a few years ago after a firework /banger went off in his jacket pocket. So they are dangerous.

Scannal · 31-10-2014 4:23pm

Do ya wanna buy a couple a bangors for a fiver boss?

Berserker · 31-10-2014 4:24pm

The One Who Knocks wrote: »

the youth of today are too irresponsible with the ones they can get their hands on illegally, wouldn't want to make it any easier for them.

Yes cos we never put them in telephone boxes and ran away or anything like that. Are they still openly on sale in Dublin city centre? (Henry street, Moore St.)

oisinog · 31-10-2014 4:25pm

They are dangerous if they are handled incorrectly. They are also a big waste on money a lot of money for 5 mins of fun

SEPT 23 1989 · 31-10-2014 4:26pm

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Some gimp from Finglas blew the cock and balls off himself a few years ago after a firework /banger went off in his jacket pocket. So they are dangerous.

I thought he put a rocket up a cats arse and then put the cat down his trousers which then took the cock and balls off him

JayRoc · 31-10-2014 4:30pm

Last_Minute wrote: »

Ah the good old days of firing fireworks through people letter boxes, can't bate em.

When I was a nipper the house got set on fire from some genius doing just that.

Hall carpet went up, and then the rest...

Even if that hadn't happened I think I'd still have no time for fireworks. Anything that relies on the intelligence of the sort of people that would buy fireworks in order to be safe can't be a good idea...

AndyBoBandy · 31-10-2014 4:31pm

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Some gimp from Finglas blew the cock and balls off himself a few years ago after a firework /banger went off in his jacket pocket. So they are dangerous.

I'd call that natural selection at work...

FloatingVoter · 31-10-2014 4:34pm

Its started to rain now so that'll put a literal dampener on the idiots. Hopefully, it'll keep little begging brats away from the door as well.

Ficheall · 31-10-2014 4:37pm

It's weird seeing a stack of fireworks as the first thing on your right when you go into Aldi over here in the UK.

Still don't think I'd bother buying any of them - there'll be people setting off loads of them for the next couple of months, so I'm sure I'll see plenty of them.

AndyBoBandy · 31-10-2014 4:39pm

FloatingVoter wrote: »

Its started to rain now so that'll put a literal dampener on the idiots. Hopefully, it'll keep little begging brats away from the door as well.

I don't mind the genuine kids coming round with their parents trick or treating..

But yeah, you can spot the little gurriers a mile away, tracksuit on, hood up.
They get F all

The Moldy Gowl · 31-10-2014 4:40pm

Yeah. Little explody things are safe.

chakotha · 31-10-2014 4:40pm

It's no fun if there's no DANGER DANGER.

The Strawman Argument · 31-10-2014 4:47pm

I'm somewhat against them, but mostly because they drive the animals back home absolutely crazy; if some idiot can't be safe with them then that's on them.

thunderdog · 31-10-2014 4:50pm

Anyone else notice a reduction in the use of of fireworks/bangers over the last 15 years or so? Maybe its just the areas I frequent now but not hearing nearly as many as i did when i was younger

caustic 1 · 31-10-2014 4:58pm

Fireworks are not nice unless a huge scale. The odd banger going off is hardly worth putting on a coat to go out to watch. It's like everything else you have responsible people using them and idiots who try to use them, usually ending up getting hurt themselves or injuring someone else.

Berserker · 31-10-2014 5:00pm

thunderdog wrote: »

Anyone else notice a reduction in the use of of fireworks/bangers over the last 15 years or so? Maybe its just the areas I frequent now but not hearing nearly as many as i did when i was younger

I agree. It used to be mental around here and you'll only hear a small few tonight. That's why I was asking about their availability in Dublin City Centre. The place used to be awash with them.

Smiles35 · 31-10-2014 5:05pm

Nobody has the money for them anymore.

thunderdog · 31-10-2014 7:17pm

Noblong wrote: »

Nobody has the money for them anymore.

People must be saving their firework money for water charges

31-10-2014 7:22pm

They can be extremely dangerous, but fun and beautiful at the same time. I was flying to London recently and as the plane was landing, there were random fireworks in the distance. They looked spectacular against the night sky and the lights of London.

However on the other side.. in my old secondary school, they used to set fireworks and "blackcat bangers" off in the extremely narrow hallways. One girl actually suffered a blown eardrum after one was set off beside her. They would also set them off in the bins, which caused a lot of damage. The worst though was when we were at the local swimming pool for PE and there was a group of primary school kids there. One of them was being a normal kid and talking back to some of my classmates. One lights a banger and rolls it under the stall where the kid was. He picks it up ..

.. and realizes what it is in time to drop it, where it exploded and caused severe bruising to his legs and feet, but could have been much worse.

FloatingVoter · 31-10-2014 7:29pm

So much for the peace and quiet. Off Cork Street, Dublin 8 - either ISIS are closer than we think or its banger time.

The_Valeyard · 31-10-2014 7:39pm

FloatingVoter wrote: »

So much for the peace and quiet. Off Cork Street, Dublin 8 - either ISIS are closer than we think or its banger time.

Ha! Brilliant.

Not too bad in D15. The odd one so far. Did see a dog dressed as a hotdog. Was class

FloatingVoter · 31-10-2014 7:42pm

The_Valeyard wrote: »

Ha! Brilliant.

Not too bad in D15. The odd one so far. Did see a dog dressed as a hotdog. Was class

It says a lot for the state of the nation when a dog has to wear a disguise to avoid being tossed into a bonfire.

Realt Dearg Sec · 31-10-2014 8:53pm

FloatingVoter wrote: »

So much for the peace and quiet. Off Cork Street, Dublin 8 - either ISIS are closer than we think or its banger time.

Ha I used live there, was like a war zone on Halloween, the air would be thick with smoke

Smiles35 · 31-10-2014 9:06pm

Fair few going off in D24. I can get to a hill near me a see them going up from a fair distance, still not a patch on years gone by displays. Loads of people out walking the dogs with determination and scantily clad wimmins headed for the luas into town.

CrazyRabbit · 01-11-2014 12:32am

We probably all consider Sparklers to be the safest of the Fireworks. I've seen many parents giving them to even young kids because of this perception.

But it's a false perception. These 'harmless' sparklers actually account for about 16% of all firework injuries.

The problem with all fireworks is that most people vastly underestimate how dangerous they can be. For that reason, I'm happy that they are banned.
Saying that, it means that many of those being sold illegally are not regulated to ensure that they are high quality. So this probably increases the risks and the number if injuries. Kinda the same argument for legalisation of drugs.

B.A._Baracus · 01-11-2014 12:40am

Context is everything here

If you let a child go off with bangers & rockets then that's extremely dangerous.
But if a parent sets off the fireworks in front of their child then thats perfectly fine and fun.

anncoates · 01-11-2014 12:48am

We wont be happy until we turn Halloween into a Benetton advert.

B.A._Baracus · 01-11-2014 12:48am

Actually, there is one firework that should be banned EVERYWHERE in the world.... and that's those CatsEyes Bangers.

For those who don't know what they are. They are just like a regular bangers but have no fuse. They have a striking part on the top of the banger. Like the head of a match. Which is so bloody dangerous. At least with normal bangers you can light the fuse and throw away.

B.A._Baracus · 01-11-2014 1:01am

thunderdog wrote: »

Anyone else notice a reduction in the use of of fireworks/bangers over the last 15 years or so? Maybe its just the areas I frequent now but not hearing nearly as many as i did when i was younger

Berserker wrote: »

I agree. It used to be mental around here and you'll only hear a small few tonight. That's why I was asking about their availability in Dublin City Centre. The place used to be awash with them.

Totally agree. Years ago you would have banger after banger going off. Every few seconds ... boooom ...boom ...boom. Looking back it was mad.
The guards/customs/who ever must have really stepped up their game in recent times.

Realt Dearg Sec · 01-11-2014 2:19am

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

For that reason, I'm happy that they are banned.
Saying that, it means that many of those being sold illegally are not regulated to ensure that they are high quality. So this probably increases the risks and the number if injuries.

If you think it probably increases the the risks and number of injuries, why on earth are you happy they're banned?

Morpork · 01-11-2014 2:24am

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

Actually, there is one firework that should be banned EVERYWHERE in the world.... and that's those CatsEyes Bangers.

For those who don't know what they are. They are just like a regular bangers but have no fuse. They have a striking part on the top of the banger. Like the head of a match. Which is so bloody dangerous. At least with normal bangers you can light the fuse and throw away.

Was watching a young girl light and throw a bunch of them. She was being very careful, throwing them right away after lighting them etc. But one went off in her hand the moment it was lit. Luckily she was fine!

CrazyRabbit · 01-11-2014 2:45am

Realt Dearg Sec wrote: »

If you think it probably increases the the risks and number of injuries, why on earth are you happy they're banned?

I was putting forward two contrasting views I have on the subject, effectively meaning that I'm 'on the fence'.

Realt Dearg Sec · 01-11-2014 8:57am

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

I was putting forward two contrasting views I have on the subject, effectively meaning that I'm 'on the fence'.

I know, I was being obtuse. I thought picking apart people's posts to start a fight was what you do on AH?

AndonHandon · 01-11-2014 10:07am

The penalties were increased hugely a few years ago by the Criminal Justice Act 2006 where it became an offence to ignite a firework and possess one with the intention to sell. €10,000.00 fine and/or 5 year jail sentence became the max penalty. This obviously (and rightly) has decreased their use in Ireland.

WoollyRedHat · 01-11-2014 2:23pm

Fireworks - A Bit of Fun or Dangerous?

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