Matt McCoy (file photo)
A bill that could make it legal to sell and shoot off fireworks in Iowa is advancing in the state senate. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says making it legal to blast fireworks 365 days a year is a “nuisance” to many Iowans.
“I’m sorry, we don’t all have 14 acres between us and our neighbor. Sometime we have 14 feet. In some cases, we have 14 inches,” McCoy said. “…This is a bad piece of legislation.”
During a senate committee meeting on the issue Wednesday afternoon, McCoy successfully tacked a provision onto the bill which calls for having cities and counties “opt in” to allowing fireworks within their borders.
The bill as originally proposed did give cities and counties the authority to ban fireworks locally, but McCoy says that’s a recipe for lawsuits. Supporters of legalizing most fireworks in Iowa hope to rip McCoy’s alternative off the bill — if it comes up for a vote in the Senate.