Local officials continued discussions about fireworks around Barton County this week.
For the most part, in Barton County, they can only be shot on July 4.
There were all sorts of questions raised about the legality of their use, depending on where they are fired compared to where the remainders land.
You can probably see the issue here.
With many types of fireworks, there is little control over these matters and in a time of extreme dry conditions, it really does matter where the embers land.
Where ever they land, and here’s the bottom line, the responsibility lies in the one who shoots them.
If you light the fuse, what ever happens after that, is your responsibility.
If it causes injury or damage, it’s on your ticket.
Sometimes that can involve property that the shooter doesn’t even consider valuable.
For instance, already in Sedgwick County this week, Darryl Meyersick had 10 acres of wheat stubble burn off because someone illegally shot off fireworks in his field.
The wheat was already cut, so the person shooting the fireworks — if he cared at all — probably reasoned that the stubble wasn’t worth anything.
Wrong.
To the farmer, who wanted to keep stubble on the field to protect what little moisture might be captured, the loss of stubble means damage to the soil, which translates into less production in the next crop.
And all because an irresponsible person decided it would be funny to illegally shoot some fireworks.
Not everyone who pulls a stunt like this is able to drive away from it. Often there are plenty of people who know what happened.
And the shooter gets the bill.
It might be a good idea to put a little more thought into what can go wrong with fireworks, before they are shot and are out of your control.
— Chuck Smith