Rob Bacon
“Snappers and poppers” could be legally sold in Iowa if a bill that’s pending in the Iowa House becomes law. Nearly all fireworks are illegal in Iowa, but Representative Rob Bacon, a Republican from Slater, says these “caps” that snap and pop are harmless fun.
“Little kids like having them and they throw them to the ground and they pop,” Bacon says. “They’re not what I would call dangerous by any means. They’re fuseless. It’s a concussion type thing. It’s the noise — they’re obnoxious if anything else.”
Firecrackers like “lady fingers” which have a fuse that must be lit are still illegal in Iowa, as are most fireworks. Bacon says the owner of a novelty store in his district approached him with the idea of making fuse-less snappers and poppers legal in Iowa.
“The upside of this thing, other than they’re obnoxious for everybody on the 4th of July, is the sales tax this will create for the state,” Bacon says.
There’s just a “very tiny amount” of gunpowder in snappers and poppers, according to Bacon, just enough to make a popping sound when they explode.
The bill cleared a three member subcommittee this morning. Representative Kevin Koester, a Republican from Ankeny, told his colleagues the bill brought back memories.
“I remember some of these as a kid,” Koester said, making a loud popping noise with his mouth. “Who wouldn’t want it?”
The bill must clear a House committee tomorrow to remain a live round for the rest of the year. A different bill that has apparently died in the Iowa Senate would have made all fireworks legal in Iowa.