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Displaced Texan

Fireworks legalized in NJ

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While I despise Wal Mart, Mrs DT and I popped into our local one to pick up a few small items. To both of our shock, they were stocking boxes of fireworks on the shelves. Not sparklers and black snakes either...they had some pretty decent stuff!!

The staff said that just last night, NJ legalized them....

I bet the hospitals will be flush with people blowing their fingers off!! 

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I think someone at Wal-Mart misinterpreted what happened with the law. Only non-explosive fireworks were legalized - sparklers, party poppers, etc...

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/06/breaking_christie_legalizes_non-explosive_firework.html

TRENTON --  Just in time for the Fourth of July, Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday signed a bill legalizing "non-explosive, non-aerial" fireworks such as sparklers and party poppers.

The legislation allows both the possession and sale of non-explosive fireworks, like sparklers, glow-worms and smoke devices. It means retailers that stock them can legally sell them ahead of Tuesday's Independence Day celebration.

New Jersey had been one of just three states, along with Delaware and Massachusetts, with a blanket ban on fireworks, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association.

Under the new law, Garden State residents can buy, sell and use fireworks such as sparklers and ground-based sparklers, and novelty items, including party poppers and snappers. 

But to be clear, lighting up a "Roman candle" could still cost you plenty in the Garden State: Illegal of explosive, aerial fireworks are considered a disorderly persons offense and carry a fine of up to $500.

Also still on the banned list: Firecrackers, sky rockets and bottle rockets.

Parents should bear in mind that sale of the newly permitted sparklers and party snaps are limited to those 16 years of age and older.

Previously, state law prohibited anyone from selling or using fireworks in New Jersey outside of town-approved public displays. Even selling sparklers could put you at risk for conviction of a fourth degree crime, which carries up to 18 months behind bars and up to $10,000 in fines.

Retailers hoping to stock up and sell the approved fireworks must observe federal safe-storage guidelines established by the National Fire Protection Agency.

The bill passed the state Senate by a vote of 35-1 last month and cleared the Assembly 74-1 last week, but was not expected to affect this year's Fourth of July.

Appearing on his monthly call-in radio show on Monday night, Christie warned that he was going to proceed with extreme caution.

"When you got the pen in your hand and you're going to be able to make it legal, you want to lessen the opportunity for someone to blow their hand off like JPP," Christie explained, referring to Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who badly injured his right hand in July 2015 in a fireworks accident in Florida.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.

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25 minutes ago, siderman said:

Oh yea baby! wahoo gonna party this 4th! line up them sparklers! I just pray they dont lead to the harder stuff.

They do lead to harder stuff.  I'm sure I started with sparklers as a young child.   Now I have a very cool one-day-a-year part-time job as crew chief for a fireworks company, shooting municipal fireworks shows.

Here's a shooter's-eye view of the Millburn finale two years ago.   There are about 700 shells chain-fused in this one, the biggest shells being 5" diameter.     

Millburn, NJ 4th of July Finale, 2015

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12 minutes ago, Displaced Texan said:

Disappointing. I was hoping for something that goes boom.

Have no fear, my wife bought sparklers. We will be the life of the party now....

There are ways to make sparklers do what you want. Just takes a little red neck ingenuity. ;)

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 So you're gonna tell me that you don't have no black cats, no Roman Candles, or screaming mimis?

 No.

 Oh come on, man. You got no lady fingers, fuzz buttles, snicker bombs, church burners, finger blasters, gut busters, zippity do das, or crap flappers?

No, I don't.

 You're gonna stand there, ownin' a fireworks stand, and tell me you don't have no whistlin' bungholes, no spleen splitters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker don'ts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, or one single whistlin' kitty chaser?

 No... because snakes and sparklers are the only ones I like.

Well that might be your problem, it's not what you like, it's the consumer.

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1 hour ago, JohnnyB said:

Ray, Those M-5000's are no louder than normal firecrackers. I remember the Cherry Bombs,  M-80's and Quarter Sticks I used to get when I was a kid. Those were GREAT!  Can't find them anymore!

Bada Boom Fireworks in Blakeslee, PA (right next to Lake Harmony).  Probably all sold out now but I recall them having M80's and equivalents when I stopped by last time.

In Fact - http://www.badaboomfireworkspa.com/product/index.jsp?prod=1300c

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Nick,
Thanks, but they are just plain old firecrackers called M-80s. The real M-80s of my childhood would take off your hand if you were not carefull!


Agreed M-80 brand firecrackers are not M-80's. I used to get mine in Chinatown. I think you still can. Just when we were younger one guy would get them from Chinatown or a guy in Staten Island who likely got them from Chinatown then he would sell them to everyone else.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

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2 hours ago, JohnnyB said:

Ray, Those M-5000's are no louder than normal firecrackers. I remember the Cherry Bombs,  M-80's and Quarter Sticks I used to get when I was a kid. Those were GREAT!  Can't find them anymore!

They never were legal "consumer grade" fireworks, even in states where all consumer grade fireworks were legal, they were too powerful. They were made in clandestine operations. They always came in brown paper bags and normally had no markings on them.

 

For those of you who aren't familiar with them, they were at least as loud as a shotgun going off, and you could feel the concussion from them if you were too close, and yes, they could easily blow your hand off if you were to have one go off in your hand.

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Yup..  those were the ones that were encased in a tiny cardboard tube with hard cement-like material and a thick fuse, not the crappy plastic end caps.  definitely felt the concussion and blast on those

good old days... 

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Ray, Those M-5000's are no louder than normal firecrackers. I remember the Cherry Bombs,  M-80's and Quarter Sticks I used to get when I was a kid. Those were GREAT!  Can't find them anymore!

I remember M-80s.....some good memories !
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9 hours ago, capt14k said:

 


Agreed M-80 brand firecrackers are not M-80's. I used to get mine in Chinatown. I think you still can. Just when we were younger one guy would get them from Chinatown or a guy in Staten Island who likely got them from Chinatown then he would sell them to everyone else.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 

 

Those were the good ones.

I have fond memories of blowing up pumpkins, and other random acts of destruction.

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Those were the good ones.

I have fond memories of blowing up pumpkins, and other random acts of destruction.

 

M-80, Cherry Bomb, and Blockbuster. I was reading an article that they were banned in 1966 by law and banned was enforced by ATF in 1982 but that makes no sense because they were so prevalent in 1992. I think Guiliani cracking down in 1996 is what made them not as common.

 

Also read M-80 was developed by military and contained 3 grams of flash power. Cherry Bombs 2 grams. Blockbusters 10 grams. Today law only allows 50mg for Class C fireworks that explode. That won't even give you a blood blister. The only ones I remember that were sold in Stuckey's that could blow anything up were the M-60's that looked exactly like the M-80's but weren't waterproof. The M-80's I used to fish with. Blockbuster's would turn a mailbox into shrapnel.

 

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Handyman said:

Are the NJ state police still sitting in unmarked cars in the fireworks stores just over the PA line?


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Being 20 minutes from my house, I have gone there many times over the years. I never saw anyone just sitting in their car and the lot was filled with mostly PRNJ tagged vehicles. PA residents can't buy most things in there. Mainly sparklers and dumb stuff like that.

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1 hour ago, capt14k said:

Can anyone confirm if bird bombs are still sold without special licensing? I've read things changed in 2012 but also read they are still openly traded.

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I found them online. You have to fill out a form much like the one we use for handgun permits. You have to pay a $40 Hazmat fee and this was on the bottom of the page. Not surprised.

NOT FOR SALE IN ALASKA, HAWAII,  NEW JERSEY OR OREGON

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On 6/30/2017 at 8:08 PM, High Exposure said:

I think someone at Wal-Mart misinterpreted what happened with the law. Only non-explosive fireworks were legalized - sparklers, party poppers, etc...

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/06/breaking_christie_legalizes_non-explosive_firework.html

 

 

Walmart dosnt care about rules in many cases, just money.

They have been punished by a few major vendors for not observing street dates etc, one of the companies i worked for blacklisted them for 6 months over not playing by the rules of their deal

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