HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-12-17 Public Comment - S. Willoughby - FireworksFrom:Willoughby, Shannon
To:Agenda
Subject:Fireworks
Date:Wednesday, July 12, 2017 12:22:58 PM
Commissioners,
I would like the City to make the sale and use of all fireworks illegal year round. I am familiar with
the city’s fireworks laws around Independence day. They are wholly unsatisfactory, and the fact that
they are illegal the rest of the year don’t stop city residents from setting of fireworks for days
beyond July 3-5, including for multiple days each year around new year’s day.
The use of fireworks should be totally and completely banned year-round for the following reasons:
· They create garbage that is frequently not picked up· The chemicals many of them release upon exploding are toxic and/or carcinogenic· They are incredibly loud and this noise disrupts people’s sleep.· Many pets are highly traumatized by the unexplained lights and noise associated withfireworks.· They can also be very hard for war veterans to deal with as well· Since the city does not have a sales tax, the coffers do not benefit from the sale of them.· Finally, there are many accidents due to misuse of fireworks.
Please consider banning the sale and use of fireworks year-round. The municipal display in Bozeman
is beautiful, loud, easily seen by large swaths of the population, and certainly sufficient to celebrate
the independence of our nation.
Shannon D. Willoughby, Ph. D.
Montana State University
Physics Department, Barnard 224
406.994.1673