Burns mounting effort to ban lighters that look like toys

EBENSBURG, Dec. 19 – Hoping to follow at least 18 other states, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, wants Pennsylvania to ban cigarette lighters that look like toys, feature a flashing light or make musical sounds, mostly so children aren’t enticed to start fires or be injured.

Burns said these novelty lighters – already illegal in neighboring New York and New Jersey – are readily available at hardware and convenience stores and gasoline stations, and in the wrong hands are easily mistaken for toys.

“While an adult may readily know to reserve these lighters for cigarettes, pipes or cigars, a toddler or youngster might not make that important distinction,” Burns said. “Too often, these confusing lighters contribute to unintentional fires and injuries to children and families. Sometimes, even adults are mistaken.”

Burns cited these examples as stimulus for the bill he plans to introduce in January for the new, two-year legislative session:

  • In Maine, a 6-year-old picked up a miniature baseball bat, thinking it might be a flashlight, and burned part of his face as the flame shot out.
  • In Arkansas, two children under 2 died after setting fire to their apartment with a motorcycle-shaped lighter.
  • In South Carolina, a woman shot herself in the hand while attempting to light a cigarette with what she thought was a pistol-shaped novelty lighter.

Burns, who is currently seeking co-sponsors for his bill, said the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s seasons are a good time to remind the pubic of the dangers posed by novelty lighters.

“If you have any lighters that look like toys, please be extra careful where you store them, how you use them – and especially who has access to them,” Burns said.