Iowa Poll: Public support plunges for legal fireworks

William Petroski
The Des Moines Register

© COPYRIGHT 2017, DES MOINES REGISTER AND TRIBUNE COMPANY

After a booming, smoke-filled Fourth of July, Iowans are evenly split on whether legalizing fireworks was a good idea.

A new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows public support for legalizing fireworks in Iowa has plunged as the haze cleared in the wake of Independence Day celebrations.

A flag flies outside of a TNT fireworks stand in the Walmart parking lot on June 27 in Iowa City.

In a February poll, nearly two-thirds of Iowans — 65 percent — expressed support for legalizing fireworks. But the latest Iowa Poll shows 46 percent of Iowans surveyed say legal fireworks are a good idea, while 46 percent say they are a bad idea. Eight percent are not sure. 

Poll respondent Patrick Foley, 51, of Bettendorf, a real estate investor and a former teacher, suggested some changes are needed in the fireworks law approved by the 2017 Iowa Legislature.

"For about a week and a half before the Fourth of July, it was like a war zone out there," Foley said. He favors limiting the use of fireworks to perhaps a couple of days before the Fourth of July and a day after.

But poll respondent Sarah Boland, 31, of Council Bluffs, a mother of three sons, thinks legalizing fireworks has been a good way to celebrate Independence Day, which is her favorite holiday.

"By legalizing it, Iowa gets the money from fireworks, and people won't have to smuggle fireworks from Missouri or South Dakota," Boland said.

The Iowa Poll of 800 adults, conducted July 9-13 by Selzer and Co., has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. 

The poll also found demographic and partisan divides on the issue. 

Sixty-four percent of Iowans surveyed who are under age 35 believe legalizing fireworks is a good idea, while 65 percent of Iowans age 55 and over think it is a bad idea. Iowans who voted for Republican President Trump like the idea of legalizing fireworks by a 50-43 percent margin, while those who voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president oppose fireworks by 59-33 percent.

There is also a major gender gap on the issue: A majority of Iowa men (56 percent) believe legal fireworks are a good idea, while a majority of women (54 percent) think it's a bad idea. And a majority of city dwellers (51 percent) believe legal fireworks are a bad idea, while 50 percent of rural residents think they are a good idea.

Poll respondent Vivienne Blatt, 82, of Urbandale, who is retired from the Federal Reserve Bank, believes legalizing fireworks is a bad idea. Her primary concern is that fireworks are a hazardous product that people will not use wisely, resulting in injuries. 

"So many crazy things can happen with fireworks," Blatt said, adding, "Some younger people don't have good judgment."

But Austin Olson, 21, an artist from Decorah who participated in the poll, said legalizing fireworks has been a good idea. While fireworks can be hazardous, he said, he doesn't see problems as long as people comply with safety rules and don't use them in a heavily populated residential area.

The Iowa Legislature voted in this year's session to lift a statewide ban on fireworks sales that had been in place since the late 1930s. The ban was implemented after fires linked to fireworks struck Spencer and Remsen, devastating both Iowa communities.

The new law limits fireworks sales to periods surrounding the Fourth of July and New Year's Day. A total of 15 fireworks wholesalers have been registered in Iowa, and 664 retailers have been licensed to sell fireworks, according to the Iowa Fire Marshal's Office. The Iowa Legislative Services Agency has estimated that sales of consumer fireworks in Iowa will total $24.8 million in 2018 with $1.24 million in sales tax collections.

State Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, a strong supporter of legalized fireworks, said the fact that lots of folks were shooting off fireworks around the Fourth of July was an indication of their enthusiasm for lifting the ban.

"As I talked with folks who were upset, it wasn't about people shooting off fireworks at 9 o'clock in the evening. It was people who complained about fireworks at 2:30 in the morning," Chapman said. "I don't support that, either. That was against the law last year, and it is against the law now. So it's understandable that some people are upset."

Under the new state law, consumer fireworks can be used only from June 1 to July 8, and again from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3. The hours to use fireworks are generally limited to between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily, but they can be used as late as 11 p.m. on certain days, and as late as 12:30 a.m. to celebrate the arrival of the New Year's holiday. However, local governments have the option of further restricting the use of fireworks, or banning the use of fireworks.

Chapman said he still hears from Iowans who tell him legalizing fireworks was long overdue. However, he intends to propose an amendment to the law in the 2018 session to make it clear that fireworks can generally be sold at most businesses that offer retail products. He disagrees with local governments that have used zoning ordinances to restrict where fireworks can be sold.

Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, who voted against legalizing fireworks, said the Dubuque City Council has agreed to keep a previous ban on fireworks use. But she still heard more fireworks explosions than ever this year and had troubling sleeping on four nights because of the noise. 

"This stuff is not good to breathe in, and I still hear from veterans who say the noise triggers post-traumatic stress. I also hear from people with dogs who say their animals go crazy when fireworks go off," Jochum said.

 

About the poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted July 9-13 for The Des Moines Register and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 800 Iowans ages 18 or older. Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted households with randomly selected landline and cell phone numbers supplied by Survey Sampling International. Interviews were administered in English. Responses were adjusted by age and sex to reflect the general population based on recent census data.

Questions based on the sample of 800 Iowa adults have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the percentages shown here by more than plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines Register and Mediacom is prohibited.

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