Legalize them. Ban them. Train people to use them safely. 

After a deadly New Year’s holiday when five people died in fireworks-related accidents and more than 100 were injured, many severely, Civil Beat asked readers what to do about illegal fireworks.

Hawaiʻi residents, who reacted to the carnage — a single massive explosion at a Salt Lake home killed four people — with horror and sadness, weariness and anger, responded in force. Nearly 400 of them sent in their ideas, with one common thread that it’s time to just say no to fireworks.

“I understand the cultural attachment to them. I have had fun with them and have many fond memories,” Henry Nowicki of ʻEwa Beach wrote. “That being said, the downside outweighs the pros at this point.”

Some thought outlawing fireworks would be ineffective and that they needed to be legalized and regulated. That could provide tax revenue to fund “education and safety systems so people know just how dangerous these actually are,” said former Oʻahu resident Kainalu Matthews, who now lives in Washington.

Others suggested that toothless law enforcement contributes to an ongoing sense of impunity.

“Keep the fireworks team going, give them more funding and tools to catch any illegal fireworks coming in,” said Sean Cluney of Kalihi, where a 20-year-old man was killed by fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Responses from across the islands and the mainland shared one resounding message: Status quo isn’t working. As Corazon Takara of Makiki put it: “ENOUGH ALREADY – Just say the word and PAU IS PAU FOREVER.”

Here is a selection of solutions proposed by our readers.

Educate people on the dangers of fireworks

Marco Topete

Legalize and regulate them, allow for areas where allowed and not allowed, provide education and safety, include Fire Department education on storage and handling.

Marco Topete, Wailuku

Kawika Landers

Educate people on how toxic fireworks are. How they kill wildlife. How they leach tons of heavy metals into the water systems, reefs and fish. Explain how someone with PTSD feels ... Explain how it is not a part of Hawaiian culture and it's imported and grown out of control.

Kawika Landers, Hilo

E. Chu

Get churches involved to help their congregations understand that participating in illegal fireworks activities is going against all Biblical principles of obedience to laws and protecting, and not causing, harm to others.

E. Chu, Mililani

Sj Hassett

Graphic videos work wonders and everyone should have to see one and sign paperwork before they are given their box of fireworks.

Sj Hassett, Kahana Bay

Matt Chalker

One of the major hazards of fireworks is the storage of large quantities of them in people's homes, as evidenced by the Aliamanu tragedy. We should have at least two fireworks amnesty days a year on each island, following the major firework holidays, where people can safely dispose of their excess, old or dud fireworks. People are literally stockpiling explosives in their garages all across the state and the Aliamanu tragedy need not be repeated.

Matt Chalker, Waikōloa Village, Hawai'i Island

Jill Warning

People love the fireworks and willingly spend big money and take great risk — tax them coming in and require a safety course for a fireworks license. Of course this is full of annoying complications (and city/county/state would need to consider its liability), but the overwhelming love of these fireworks suggests punishing laws aren’t gonna work and most likely will be unfairly enforced.

Jill Warning, 'Ālewa Heights

Swipe for more →

Stage more public shows — and alternatives

Douglas Perrine

The state should ban ALL fireworks and ... fund public "drone fireworks" displays on all islands. People will see that drone LED displays are much more artistic and enjoyable than old school fireworks, and they will start to associate such displays with the holidays

Douglas Perrine, Kailua-Kona

Pat Alvarez

Outlaw fireworks in any location except the local public park. Have neighbors or businesses contribute to a fund to have professionals put on a fireworks show on New Year's Eve and July 4 evening for about an hour. Neighbors can bring refreshments and congregate in the park to watch as they do at Kailua Beach on July 4.

Pat Alvarez, Kailua

Paula Sumimoto-Matsushima

If there were designated areas/sites the public could legally play fireworks, where you purchase them at the stand on site and the city can make a small revenue from that. Think of it like a carnival fairground. Pay a fee to enter the zone to watch, buy your fireworks (sparklers, fountains, small bottle rockets) at the site and blow them there under the supervision of fire officials.

Paula Sumimoto-Matsushima, Hawaiʻi Kai

Nancy Knight

Expand formal, regulated fireworks by each Island as at 4th of July to include New Year's and Chinese New Year. This creates a safe celebration opportunity that everyone can attend. Also this is at a scheduled time so people can prepare animals ahead—and stay home or go as they desire.

Nancy Knight, East Side of Big Island—HPP

Alyce Dodge

If some people really can’t live without their fireworks, I think they should be allowed to get a permit to set off small fireworks only in a tiny limited area of each island, leaving the rest of the neighborhoods quiet and clean and safer. One park, like Magic Island on Oahu, could be sacrificed twice a year only - on New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year. (No need for Fourth of July fireworks in Hawaii.) And some dedicated first responders can be right on hand there, in case of emergency.

Alyce Dodge, Palolo

Swipe for more →

Enforcement needs collaboration, creativity

Brian Yamane

Have our Governor declare a state of emergency. Activate the National Guard since HPD claims to be understaffed. Post a guard at random hotspots like Ewa and Waipahu on every block from Thanksgiving to New Year's. Give them the authority to arrest.

Brian Yamane, Moanalua

Jay Silberman

I know fireworks are popular, but so are speeding and other reckless behaviors. Fireworks aren’t the problem: it’s the people who use them. Strengthening enforcement at our ports is not going to work; it's a band aid at best, and if the supply really got constrained, people would just make their own bombs, as they already do. How about repeatedly announcing starting two weeks before NYE that you're going to arrest people for illegal use of fireworks, and then sending a few police cars around all the neighborhoods, making very public examples of the people they catch? Catching people would be like shooting fish in a barrel.

Jay Silberman, Kaimukī

Melissa Nobriga

We have such a strong Dept. of Agriculture enforcement on fruits, plants, etc. through our harbors and airports, shouldn’t we be doing that same enforcement on illegal drugs and illegal fireworks on incoming freight and cargo through our harbors and airports?

Melissa Nobriga, Kauai

Matthew Miyahira

Maybe we need a group of lawmakers to look into automated piers used around the world. Would an automated pier allow for more man power to be assigned to checking containers? Maybe the fireworks group teams up with the invasive species folks for a little extra political juice, they'll need it with some of the players involved here.

Matthew Miyahira, Kealakekua, Hawaiʻi Island

Ellen Michino

Fine the shipping companies an extremely high penalty per container found to have fireworks. If they feel the pain they will be more cautious about what they are shipping. Use proceeds to fund additional police patrols/drones and phone operators to run a tip line and enforcement on New Year's Eve.

Ellen Michino, Waiʻalae Iki

June Kaleponi

One more for enforcement: In my honest view, the illegal fireworks issue is too much for local law enforcement to deal with (HPD is constantly short-staffed). With the MILLIONS of dollars involved, this criminal activity needs Federal expertise for enforcement AND prosecution. It's reached the same criminal level as the illegal drug trade going on across the country, except it's in our islands.

June Kaleponi, Maui

Swipe for more →

Neighborhoods should step up

Kathleen Platt

This could be helped if the neighborhood boards stepped up and confiscated any and all evidence of fireworks. Pay a reward to people who make a complaint.

Kathleen Platt, Pukalani Maui

Roxanne Whalen

In the development I reside in, it is in our House Rules that any type of fireworks (poppers, snappers, aerials, fountains, bombs) are strictly prohibited. An immediate fine for the use of any type plus an eviction will occur if you are a tenant. As communities, we could start with the 1st step of House Rules enforcement.

Roxanne Whalen, ʻEwa Beach

Jan Davis

Institute a law making homeowners of record (or lessees with a legally executed agreement) responsible for any illegal fireworks activities on their property with stiff penalties (fines and jail time). The police to enforce these laws by implementing a website whereby neighbors can upload videos as evidence. Prosecute the offenders.

Jan Davis, Kaimukī, Oʻahu

Sal Miwa

I think people already know who the violators are but are afraid to come forward because of potential retaliation. They should be treated like whistleblowers with certain legal protection with severe penalty for harassment. Maybe create a special anonymized reporting channel with photo evidence upload capability, collecting enough evidence to go after the violators.

Sal Miwa, Kaimukī

Cheryl Reeser

If we're going to rely on neighbors to report illegal fireworks and bombs, there needs to be a financial incentive. It's also difficult to determine exactly what house is doing this when every house in a neighborhood is behind a fence (like mine). Most likely the immediate nextdoor neighbors know but are hesitant to report their neighbors for various reasons.

Cheryl Reeser, Makawao, Maui

Swipe for more →

Legalize all fireworks, carefully

Harry Pritikin

Legalize them but require purchasers to go through a state approved training program. Training program graduation certificate required to show in order to buy. Only for use on 4th of July, New Year's and Chinese New Year.

Harry Pritikin, Kailua-Kona

Chris D

Teach people the proper ways and safe handling and only then you are able to buy fireworks with a certificate of completion. You do it for hunting. Tax the fireworks and treat it like firearms. Offer training classes like hunter ed. Then you can use and purchase fireworks after certificate of completion. If you get caught with no certification then you face consequences.

Chris D, Kauai

John Shockley

Because fireworks are so ingrained in Hawaii, they should be allowed on ONLY 24-hour periods of specific holidays — New Year's Eve night and 4th of July evening to midnight. Enforcement of fireworks usage on "nonholidays" should be enforced as a misdemeanor on first arrest with a fine. Second should require a criminal trial that can result in heavy fine and short jail time.

John Shockley, Makakilo, O'ahu

Jordan Rosado

They need to make fireworks legal again. Outlawing them clearly doesn’t work. Drop the permit law. Make laws that are enforceable.

Jordan Rosado, Kalapana

Steve Allen

Don't spend taxpayer money on pursuing fireworks. Like the drug war, it's a loser for money.

Steve Allen, Upcountry Maui

Swipe for more →