That’s
Bull%$7&
Though many places have
strange laws that seem to make absolutely no sense, the city of Chicago seems
to have several that are ridiculous. For
example, there is an old law that states that kites may not be flown within the
Chicago city limits. There is also
another law that requires every Chicago resident to display a Residential
Vehicle Sticker in the front and back windshields of his or her car; the
sticker expires on June 30th every year and if not replaced within
30 days of the expiration date, the resident (driver) will be fined in tickets
costing as much as 200 dollars! However,
as absurd as the above laws are, this one is a real stunner: Chicago (and the
state of Illinois in general) has very strict
regulations on the use of fireworks and where and how they are sold. (425 ILCS 30/) Fireworks
Regulation Act of Illinois basically states that the general public is only
allowed access to fireworks that contain little to no explosive material, such
as party poppers, smoke bombs, and sparklers; anything other than the likeness
of such items, is considered illegal.
Firework plants and manufacturers that
sell explosive products are virtually “illegal” within the city limits as well.
So those bright, colorful, beautiful fireworks
that are used on momentous events, such as the start and end of summer and the
4th of July, which almost everyone
has grown to love and expect? The
citizens of Illinois have not been able to experience such fireworks legally in quite a while. Emphasis on the legally part. Probably on
account of the absurdity of the law, many citizens ignore it. In fact, many use fireworks throughout the
year, regardless of whether it is a nationally recognized holiday: the pop them
around Christmas; they use them on New Year’s Eve and throughout the day on New
Year’s Day; they pop them on the first day of summer; they use them when they’re
happy, when they’re sad, when they’re cooking, etc. etc. – I think you get the
point. Also, because the firework plants
are not really allowed within the city limits, many people go as far as Indiana
to buy the illegal items. Though the law is probably in place to protect people
from blowing their faces off, I think the law should be appealed and replaced
with another – one a little less ridiculous; a law that would require those who
want to use explosive products, to take and pass a test administered by the
city previous to the use of said products, in order to legally use them. The test would come after a one-time class
that would instruct one on how to properly use fireworks that contain explosive
material. Also, the use of fireworks
would be restricted to certain holidays; personal events would require special
permission from local police departments.
Though people do it anyway and the new law may sound extensive, at least
citizens would no longer have to run in the house after hearing police sirens
shortly after they’ve used their fireworks; it would certainly be something for
the city of Chicago to consider.
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