Should Iowans be able to buy and set off consumer fireworks like bottle rockets and Roman candles?
That question is the source of heavy debate this month at the Iowa statehouse after a Senate subcommittee approved Senate Study Bill 3182, which would allow Iowans 18 and older to purchase and set off consumer fireworks in the Hawkeye state.
The bill has now moved to the Senate floor for consideration. Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, said this morning she is a proponent of the bill and fully expects the bill to be discussed on the Senate floor.
“This bill has strong bipartisan and public support,” Sinclair said. “I support the bill. I grew up in Missouri and I made it out with all my eyes, fingers and toes. I don’t know why Iowa would want to exclude themselves from celebrating our nation’s independence.”
Consumer fireworks — like bottle rockets and Roman candles — have been illegal in Iowa for more than 70 years.
They were deemed illegal in 1938 after lit sparklers, dropped by children, caused two major fires in northwest Iowa. Those fires destroyed more than 45 buildings and left more than 100 people homeless during the 1930s — this according to a Des Moines Register story published last week.