Georgians will no longer have to travel to neighboring states to buy fireworks under legislation signed by Gov. Nathan Deal.
House Bill 110 will legalize the sale of consumer fireworks in Georgia, allowing residents to buy bottle rockets and other launchers in the state. It will take effect July 1.
Supporters see it as way to spark the economy because every state bordering Georgia except North Carolina already allows the sale of fireworks. Opponents, including firefighters and health care groups, fought the proposal by pointing to tragic cases of maimed children and damaged property.
Those safety concerns caused previous efforts to legalize fireworks sales to fizzle. But Deal said this year that he doesn’t think the proposal is as controversial as it once was.
“People in our state are crossing state lines and buying fireworks,” Deal said Tuesday. “We have so many neighbors around us that already authorize the sale of fireworks, I think this just made sense. And I think we have taken every precaution we can to try to eliminate any injuries associated with it.”
The measure requires businesses and nonprofits to pay a $5,000 licensing fee to sell the popular explosives, and the funds must be spent for public safety purposes. The law also creates a new excise tax of 5 percent on every sale, in addition to state and local sales taxes.
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