Gov. Jan Brewer on Monday signed legislation which will make sparklers and similar devices legal.
That follows decades of efforts on the part of sparkler manufacturers and a series of vetoes — including one last year by Brewer — amid concerns of fire danger.
But gubernatorial press aide Paul Senseman said the restrictions in this measure have convinced Brewer there will be no undue safety hazards.
The law, which is effective Dec. 1, puts Arizona in line with every other state west of the Mississippi River.
But it still leaves most kinds of fireworks off limits for the average Arizonan. Anything that explodes will remain illegal, as will anything that actually shoots up in the air.
So what’s left?
Aside from hand-held sparklers, that leaves fountains and wheels that shoot off sparklers. And toy smoke devices also will be legal.
The restrictions, however, will be significant.
Purchasers must be at least 16, though nothing prohibits an adult from giving one to a child.
Cities will be allowed to prohibit their use entirely within their limits, though local governments can’t ban stores from selling them.
And county supervisors can enact temporary restrictions “during times when there is a reasonable risk of wildfires in the immediate county.”
