The Nicholasville City Commission’s decision to regulate what types of fireworks could be sold and set off within city limits was a tough call, and The Journal feels it was the correct one.
On one hand, city leaders had to weigh the right of those wishing to sell fireworks, including Class C’s, to make money.
But the city also had to take into consideration the many Nicholasville residents who complained about the fireworks that were being set off at all hours of the night.
The original ordinance allowed fireworks to be set off during certain days and hours, but not in the wee hours of the morning. Those dates and times in the original ordinance were reasonable.
The city was within its right to regulate after the state made Class C fireworks legal in 2011. City entities such as city hall, elected officials and the police department received many phone calls from residents complaining about the all-night boom fests in the weeks leading up to and the weeks after July 4.
Additionally, according to the Nicholasville Fire Department, in the weeks leading up to the 2012 Fourth of July and the weeks after the holiday, improperly discharged fireworks were confirmed factors in five fires and there were several other fires in which fireworks were suspected as the cause.
The Journal does not place blame on those individuals or entities whose goal is to sell fireworks.
The blame for the tweaking of the ordinance, we feel, goes to those who carelessly set off fireworks at all hours of the night and those individuals who caused fires because of their careless actions.
There were many out there who felt that setting off fireworks in the wee hours of the morning would be a grand idea. Residents and city leaders thought otherwise.
So don’t blame the elected officials for curbing your fireworks enjoyment come July 4, and don’t blame the vendors who simply wanted to make an honest living. Instead, blame those who didn’t play by the rules.
