Thanks to the effort of one Republican State representative, folks, liberty-loving Utahns who cherish the God-given right to endanger their neighbors' homes and frighten the bejeebus outta their neighbors' pets with crude incendiary devices are one step closer to observing the slapping down of fireworks prohibitions imposed by their "local" governments. The Salt Lake Tribune provides the gist:
Some pesky cities and towns have banned fireworks that the state law says are legal — so the Utah House advanced a bill Wednesday to stop that.
It voted 73-1 to pass HB289 and send it to the Senate.Bill sponsor Rep. James Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, said when he asked some cities and towns why they banned fireworks that were made legal by the Legislature in recent years, "They said because it says fireworks may be discharged. It doesn’t say we have to allow it."His bill would reword state law to make clear (with certain exceptions) that local jurisdictions cannot ban fireworks allowed by state law.
Get the full lowdown here:
As one Trib reader remarks, "I’ll sleep better knowing that access to my fireworks is finally being protected." It's a "Utah Freedom" thing, we guess.
Sodden queries posed by one reader under a companion D-News story on this topic:
Sodden queries posed by one reader under a companion D-News story on this topic:
- This is coming from the same legislature that screams bloody murder at big government interfering with Utah?
- What financial interests does Mr. Dunnigan have in the fireworks industry?
Now that the legislature's back in session, it's nice to see that our legislators are keeping their priorities straight, no?
6 comments:
This is sick. What's with these Utah blocheads?
This in a state where according to the Salt Lake Tribune 2 men "pleaded no contest to the class B misdemeanor count... the pleas were part of a deal in which prosecutors agreed to drop the recklessburning charges, and won't request jail time at sentencing.The two men each agreed to pay $5,000 in restitution.The Dump Fire burned 5,507 acres and cost $2.1 million to extinguish.Charging documents state that Nielsen and Conant were target shooting near Saratoga Springs at 11:30 a.m. on June 21 when an explosive target ignited dry weeds and spread, burning the mountainside, court documents state."
So starting a fire costing $2.1 million to put out and burns some 5,500 acres, costs the guilty $10,000 dollars, no jail time, or other penalty. But heaven help a brew pub in this state if they sell a beer in a sampler palate (considered more than 2 drinks @ a time) If only Governor Huntsman was still in office...
I thought that Republicans were opposed to heavy handed government regulation of rules best resolved at the local level?
When convenient to the Republican game plan.
This is totally off topic, but thought relevant to our community.....worth the read me thinks...
http://market-ticker.org/cgi-ticker/akcs-www?post=217285
I always like it when the Utah Legislature passes laws to reign in Ogden City, as they have done in the past. I agree with this effort to do the same. The legislature legalized fireworks. Ogden making them illegal above Harrison is wrong. Make them illegal in the foothills, fine. But fireworks shouldn't be made illegal by Ogden when the legislature made them legal.
"The bill, however, allows cities and counties to ban discharge of fireworks in areas facing high hazard of wildfires."
Ogden's city council is little more than a rubber stamp of bureaucrats. The legislature is usually more public minded than our city council, unfortunately, who rarely think for themselves.
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