It Should Be Legal To Pop Fireworks In Lawton

Here we go, headed towards another extended holiday Independence Day weekend to celebrate all that freedom the city of Lawton has restrictions on. It's 2022, how are we not allowed to pop a few fireworks in the privacy of our own driveways?

I get it. People in general, including you and I, have a tendency to be stupid from time to time... but isn't the danger of fireworks what makes them so much fun? The City of Lawton prohibits celebrating freedom with those rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air due to the umbrella clause - Chapter 11: Fire Prevention.

Okay, that's a fair concern... but the responsibility of not burning down the neighborhood is as much a part of the holiday as hot dogs and burgers. It's not only extremely rare, it's part of the experience.

I used to live in Denver, Colorado. If you've ever been, you've probably seen how most neighborhoods have shake shingle houses. These homes are literally capped with dry tinder, yet citizens are more than welcome to shoot off fireworks in their own driveway.

How is Denver offering more freedom to the individual than Lawton? Granted, there is a limit on what kind of fireworks you're allowed to pop. Nothing aerial, all else goes. I can't tell you how many July 4th weekends we had racing tanks, running through fountains, and tossing M80s... The big aerial stuff is fun, but kids tend to enjoy the stuff they can shoot off instead.

One might argue that the hot and often dry conditions are a big concern, but I offer a counter-argument... People in my neighborhood shoot off the big stuff every year, and while I'm sure the fire department gets called out for an isolated incident or two every year, that's literally their job.

Most of the surrounding communities offer their citizens a place to pop fireworks. Community parks, city ballfields, etc... Except for Lawton. Lawton doesn't offer a place where the average free citizen can go to celebrate their freedom. What is up with that?

Our Fourth of July has been celebrated as an American original holiday since 1777. I'm not advocating that the city/council/mayors office open the codes up to allow a pyrotechnical free-for-all... I'm just saying we should be able to enjoy some sort of semblance to make our own noise on our own property this one day each year, especially since they no longer offer a place to do so.