Disturbing the peace, injuries, fires, as well as spent bottle rockets, buzz bombs and aerial rockets on your roof and in your yard. These are what Iowans get from personal use of fireworks. Explosions start well before the approved holidays, and extend well beyond those same days. Local controls have helped, though Iowa’s legislature is now considering ending local control. It will be a free-for-all because local police do not have the time or manpower to respond to complaints. In Des Moines, in 2018, police calls for fireworks complaints nearly doubled from 270 to 521. Republicans, led by Sen. Jake Chapman of Adel, appear to be the leaders in the move to eliminate local control of fireworks.

There is an odor similar to hog manure coming from the State Capitol. Contact your representatives and let them know that you will not tolerate a last-minute passage with little debate or public information as was done with fireworks legalization in 2016. Let the governor know that you will hold her accountable if she signs any bill eliminating local control.