John Adams in a July 3, 1776 letter to his wife, Abigail, imagined annual celebrations marking independence from British tyranny with “Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”
Flash forward to 2020 and fireworks fans are doing their utmost to take liberties with Adams’ suggestion by subjecting their neighbors, including Lynn residents, with a mid-June bombardment that has frayed tempers, upset pets, and alarmed local officials.
Although the exact statistics aren’t clear, residents, city officials and police agree that there’s been a “significant increase” in fireworks throughout the city this year, according to a June 16 Daily Item story.
Some Lynn residents say fireworks, although illegal in Massachusetts, have become a near-nightly occurrence in their neighborhoods, and it has affected their quality of life.
One resident described feeling “under siege” from the nocturnal explosions and another said he felt like he was “under attack” from fireworks. Lynn City Councilors have placed signs in areas where they have received large numbers of fireworks complaints urging the people shooting them off to respect their neighbors.
There is always an annual ramp-up in fireworks use through June into the holiday weekend. But police and city officials agree Lynn is seeing a substantial increase in fireworks ignited on a near-nightly basis.
Only someone who time-traveled from Adams’ era could claim they are not aware fireworks are illegal. The explosives are also extremely dangerous and fire departments issue annual pre-summer warnings about fireworks injuring people.
Fireworks also pose a significant fire threat in a city that was once famous for its penchant for July 4 bonfires.
Sociologists or psychologists could probably point to social isolation imposed by coronavirus and months spent away from classrooms for inspiring undoubtedly youthful fireworks fans to get carried away this month.
But turning local parks, playgrounds and parking lots into acoustic war zones merits a police crackdown on fireworks use. Summer offers plenty of fun activities for local residents. But it is everyone’s responsibility to curtail warm weather hazards, including fireworks, swimming in restricted ponds, and hazardous driving during a time of year when children are playing outdoors.
