Every year, millions of Americans celebrate the Fourth of July to commemorate pride in nationhood and brotherhood. In honor of the day when Americans claimed independence from the British, our country celebrates with BBQ, picnics evening fireworks, and the like – it has been that way for years. As time goes on, the market for fireworks has become increasingly profitable.
The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the largest and most diverse areas in the United States. Out of the 450 plus cities in the state, the Bay Area is host to just over 100 of them, which means the Bay Area represents just about 25 percent of the state. Year in and year out, hundreds of California cities celebrate Independence Day with the act of lighting legal fireworks that can be purchased through numerous stands within their community.
Out of those communities, 12 are from the Bay Area. This means the roughly 90 other cities are missing out on the tax revenue that comes from the selling of legal fireworks within the cities. When you consider that Alameda county itself possesses a poverty rate of just over 13 percent, according to Public Policy Institute of California, the Bay Area is actually hurting itself by not allowing easily accessible, guaranteed revenue into its cities.
We at The Pioneer believe Bay Area cities should allow the use and selling of fireworks into their communities. By using companies such as TNT and Phantom to sell the fireworks, groups and organizations can take advantage of opportunities to raise money for themselves while helping the community celebrate a national tradition.
In 2011 alone, according to the American Pyrotechnic Association, over 212 million pounds of fireworks were bought by consumers, which resulted in $649 million of sales revenue. Factoring in the new bill the senate recently passed, which will allow the sale of fireworks to continue for another week in December in honor of New Years, the industry could easily see revenue exceed $1 billion annually.
With the continuous budget cuts local high schools are facing, sports teams could use the firework stands as a way to help pay for new uniforms, equipment, or expensive facility upgrades.
Now, we at The Pioneer do understand the dangers which can stem from fireworks. We acknowledge previous regulations have been set for safety concerns, as many places in the Bay Area, like Hayward, have the potential to cause large fires due to dry and arid grasslands. Besides allowing the use and sale of fireworks from companies such as TNT, we believe there should be regulations that accompany the new freedom to use fireworks.
Similar to anything else that is controversial and potentially dangerous, education is key. We believe cities should require the clubs, organizations and entities that choose to sell fireworks be educated on the dangers and understand the use of every firework they sell.
Permits should also be required in order to distribute fireworks, as well as training for all those involved. Salesmen will all have to be over the age of 18, which is the legal age to purchase fireworks. Additionally, if high school students are being supported by firework sales revenue streams, they should be required to help in the process of cleaning up the debris during the days following the holidays, in congruence with the community service many high schools already require from their students.
If properly regulated, taxed and maintained by the cities, the Bay Area will find itself celebrating more than America’s independence every Fourth of July.
