Do you think America should move away from personal fireworks for 4th of July in favor of safer practices?

I do; I'd be in favor of such a proposal. I hate it when tragedies occur during holidays. And I think I'm turning green.

First, I don't think this is a "Right" or "Wrong" answer... it is a matter of to what degree and what perspective you approach the subject. It is not unlike Gun control: are you willing to give up some rights for public safety. Drug legalization, very similar question. There are benefits and risks, once you recognize both, it is no longer a clear right or wrong, but more a matter of personal opinion.

in this particular case:

NO, I would not support this. I recognize that there is a safety factor, (I'm a Firefighter/Paramedic, I see the results all the time), and to be honest, I don't personally use fireworks. But I do believe in the individual rights of each person, that includes the right to hurt yourself. The real question here concerns hurting others and children hurting themselfs. Again, I further accknowledge that anyone who choose safety over rights for these reason are coorect, but I don't think in this case, the benifits outweight rights.

I know this isn't P.C. to say, but there is a limit to the cost of saving a life. I'm quite sure I could come up with a set of a thousant or so laws enforceable by death without trial that would save a lot of lives, but when you are force to sit in an empty padded room and only allowed to eat a healthy powder suppliment, you may recogonise, that there is a limit. While taking away fireworks is certainly not even close to such an extreme, I present it to illustrate that all safety issues or saving a life somehow outweight all other things. Do I think all people should have the right to set off a nuclear weapon? no. Do i think we should not allow people to wear cloths so they can't hide the butter knives that are outlawed? no. but somewhere in the middle of those two extremes, lays a middleground with a lot of space to either side. I just personnaly lean to the side of personal rights over limiting personal stupidity (sorry for the lack of a better way to put that).

I don't do drugs or drink alcohol, but I support the legalization of drugs and right of an individual to kill themself anyway they choose. I support Gun ownership, with reasonable limitations. and i support the right of individuals who what to blow their hands off or burn down their house with fireworks.

But then again, I know I won't be letting my son touch fireworks, even if i have to take away his right to do so.

If humankind had always been as risk-averse as the current crop of nanny state 'Not On Planet Earth' (NOPE) control freaks, we'd have starved off and/or frozen to death in the Neanderthal age, because we couldn't have been allowed to leave the cave to hunt (big, scary animals) or light a fire (might get burned)...

Sheesh.

By this logic cars should have been banned long ago as they injure more people and cause far more pollution. Even with helmet laws far more people are injured every year on bikes than by fireworks.

No I don't think we have to ban personal fireworks. If they are exploded in a responsible manner, no one should get hurt. I know there are several states in the US that don't allow them at all.

Here in Tasmania Australia you have to get a permit to buy and set off personal fireworks. That is good because you have to be over a certain age, and that keeps them out of the hands of juveniles and others who could potential hurt people or animals.

Yes I do.....and I think we shoudl move away from leavign the hosue becasue that increases our chances of being hit the car......we should also move awy from staying In hte house becuase this increases our chances of being caught in a house fire