http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-901307.mp3
Phoenix, AZ – The them, in this case, are sparklers. Fact is, Arizona is the
only state west of the Mississippi where you can't light one of
these metal rods and hold it in your hands -- or even put it on
top of a birthday cake. All that is going to change. On Monday,
Gov. Jan Brewer penned her approval to legislation which,
effective December 1st, will make sparklers legal. That comes
after two decades of vetoes by previous governors -- including
Brewer herself just last year. Gubernatorial press aide Paul
Senseman said his boss decided this new version makes sense.
(Looking at the language, it has become more and more limited
over the years in its various iterations. This one is no
exception. This one is much more limited.)
Among those limits is the ability of city councils to keep
sparkler use illegal, though they can't ban the sale. County
supervisors also would get authority to ban their use during
periods of high fire danger. And buyers have to be 16, though
nothing prohibits an adult from giving one to a child. For the
time being, revelers will have to settle for sparklers. Most
kinds of fireworks will remain illegal for consumers, including
anything that explodes or anything that shoots up into the air.
For Arizona Public Radio this is Howard Fischer.