Landon Hinkler of Huntington bags up a customers purchase at TNT Fireworks located in the Walmart parking lot on Tuesday, July 1, 2014, in Huntington.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — With 4th of July nearly here, fireworks stores, tents and roadside vendors are busy with customers preparing for holiday entertainment.
West Virginia and Ohio have stricter laws than Kentucky concerning fireworks, but in all three states, officials and retailers stress safety.
Only “novelty” fireworks, such as sparklers and party poppers, can be discharged by unlicensed individuals in West Virginia and Ohio. The sky is literally the limit in Kentucky.
Tom Tracy, owner of Freebies Fireworks just off I-64 near Catlettsburg, Kentucky, said states that restrict firework sales are thinking under an antiquated mentality.
“The days of the M-80s are gone,” Tracy said. “There’s nothing with the explosive power of 20 or 30 years ago. The quality control and federal government testing of all of these is greater than in the past.”
However, the law is the law, and Tracy said he is not responsible for where his customers set off fireworks. He said what people do after purchase is up to them…
