Utah fireworks bill wins final approval

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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

HB22 • The Legislature sent to Gov. Gary Herbert on Monday a bill that a GOP lawmaker says would help stop Utahns from bringing back illegal, dangerous fireworks from stands in Evanston, Wyo., by letting them buy safer but still-spectacular ones here.

The House gave final approval, after earlier Senate amendments, to Rep. Jim Dunnigan's HB22 on a 70-0 vote. It would allow "cakes," multishot devices that fire off aerial shells or mortars from a stable base.

"They [fireworks from cakes] go up hot, but come down cold," so are not dangerous, Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, earlier told The Salt Lake Tribune. "Cakes offer a lot of exciting fireworks. I think the net effect of allowing them would be that fewer people will feel a need to go to Evanston. That means we will keep more of our sales taxes here."

His bill also would allow fireworks to be bought and set off between June 26 and July 26.

"Currently, you can buy them beginning June 19 but aren't supposed to set them off until three days before or after July 4 and 24. That's silly," Dunnigan said earlier.

"When I talk about this, most people don't even realize they can buy them but are supposed to wait before they can legally set them off," he said.