During the first July 4th after House Bill 110 legalized the use of private fireworks in Georgia, Decatur City Manager Peggy Merriss said she knows of no resident getting hurt this time around. The major complaints she said concerned noise and how late the pyrotechnics lasted.
But she believes, in a city often considered the state’s densest — 20,140 people in 4.2 square miles — the “potential is high” for injury.
“It won’t be long,” she said, “before somebody figures out they can shoot them off, let’s say, during a wedding party at the old courthouse. Or say somebody wants to shoot them off as part of a protest on the square.”
Merriss said the city hasn’t yet discussed a resolution modifying the bill to take to next year’s general assembly, but that might happen later next fall.
“In my perfect world,” she said, “we would not be able to sell or use fireworks in Georgia. That won’t happen. But I believe local governments should be able to set a place and time.”
