Here's How Fireworks Enforcement In MA Is Going In 2023

MASSACHUSETTS — The July 4 season in Massachusetts is getting off to a bang, with police seizing thousands of fireworks and handing out fines, according to authorities.

So far during the state's annual fireworks enforcement period in the weeks leading up to July 4, state police have handed out 10 summonses for violating the fireworks law, according to the state Department of Fire Services.

"Don’t risk injury, fire, or a day in court: Leave fireworks to the pros," the department said in a tweet this week.

In Massachusetts, it's illegal to buy or sell consumer fireworks or bring them in from states — like New Hampshire — where they are legal. Massachusetts has, by some measures, the strictest fireworks law in the nation. States like Vermont and Connecticut have banned projectile fireworks, but allow handheld devices like sparklers — but those are also illegal in the Bay State.

If caught with fireworks in Massachusetts, scofflaws can face fines ranging from $100 to $1,000, and up to a year in prison in some cases. Fireworks are confiscated in every instance.

States with strict fireworks laws typically cite data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission that shows thousands of people are injured in fireworks-related accidents every year, with multiple deaths reported as well.

Fireworks injuries have spiked in recent years, and were up 25 percent between 2006 and 2021, according to the latest available emergency room data collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Some 11,500 people were treated at emergency rooms for fireworks injuries in 2021, down from 15,600 in 2020 when pandemic restrictions kept people at home. Nine people died from fireworks injuries in 2021 — six because of fireworks misuse and one because of a mortar launch malfunction, according to the Consumer Product Safety Association. That compares to 26 fireworks-related deaths in 2020.

The devices can also be harmful for pets, and sensitive groups, like military veterans.

But that doesn't mean you can't see fireworks in Massachusetts this July 4. There are about 80 licensed events in communities from Brockton to Pittsfield through Independence Day. See a full list of events here.