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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT:
Lauren Rooney |
State Rep. John
Galloway |
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Galloway: It’s time for Pa. to be a good neighbor and
snuff out cross-border fireworks sales
HARRISBURG, June 21 – The Fourth of July holiday is just around the corner, and in many backyards throughout Pennsylvania, children will be lighting up the night with sparklers, snakes and poppers.
What you shouldn’t find is people shooting off bottle rockets and Roman candles, said state Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks. That’s because it is illegal for Pennsylvanians to have fireworks. However, it is legal for a Pennsylvania business to sell fireworks to people from another state.
Galloway said that’s a double standard, and it’s time Pennsylvania became a good neighbor and stopped allowing those fireworks sales altogether.
“Often, residents from neighboring states where fireworks are illegal come into Pennsylvania to make their purchases. That’s not a ‘good neighbor’ policy,” Galloway said. “If it’s dangerous for a Pennsylvanian to have fireworks such as Roman candles and bottle rockets, then it stands to reason it’s dangerous for anyone to have those types of fireworks, and we should not sell them here.”
Galloway is preparing legislation that would ban the sale of fireworks in Pennsylvania to both in-state and out-of-state residents. Hand-held sparklers and novelties such as snakes, tanks and poppers would still be allowed. People with proper permits would be allowed to purchase fireworks for agricultural purposes, such as protecting crops from bird and animal damage. Railroads would be permitted to use fireworks for illumination and signaling purposes, and other industrial uses such as quarrying or blasting would also be permitted.
According to the SAFE KIDS Coalition of Southeastern Pennsylvania, every year more than 3,000 children are treated in emergency rooms across the country for fireworks-related injuries. Children ages 10 to 14 account for most of the fireworks-related injuries, and most of those injuries occur around the July 4 holiday.
Attention Radio News Directors: an actuality from Rep. Galloway is available by calling 1-800-452-3001. Enter PA140 (7-2-1-4-0) and the pound sign (#) at the menu prompt to get today’s sound. You can also download the sound in .mp3 format by visiting www.pahouse.com/mediacenter.
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