New Jersey is one of three - THREE - states that don't allow the public to purchase fireworks of any kind.

A new law being proposed would allow people 16 and older to buy, possess, and use sparklers. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem like the first steps towards legalizing fireworks in general.

Eric Turner, who represents the U.S. Fireworks Safety Commission, said allowing sparklers is a safe way for New Jersey residents to celebrate Independence Day in their own backyards.

sparklers
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Turner told NJ legislators

A sparkler burns about the same temperature as a blue-tip kitchen match. If you touch a lit sparkler to your hand, it will burn. But, to the best of our knowledge, there has never been a death in the United States attributed to these products.

We don't have any intention of coming back in a year or two and saying, 'OK, now that you've got sparklers, we want to go to this bigger stuff.' "

The New Jersey Academy of Ophthalmology and the Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association oppose the legislation.

I understand that using fireworks in an unsafe environment can lead to Jason Pierre-Paul situations, but c'mon, let us blow stuff up! FORTY-THREE states allow their population to buy various types of fireworks, and four other states already allow sparklers and novelties. The only states that have a total ban are Massachusetts, Delaware, and us. Do we really want to be associated with those two states? I surely don't.

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