Fireworks issue gone to far again

Each year as we approach the Fourth of July, the same thing happens - fire crackers and fireworks start popping.

While fireworks are a part of America's heritage, using them foolishly is not.

In nearby Toledo, how many people lost their apartments and homes over the weekend due to reckless use of fireworks.

In Chesapeake, Va., a teenager is facing charges for a fireworks-sparked blaze that destroyed $100,000 worth of soybeans on July 4.

In both cases, firefighters' lives also were endangered because someone thought it was no big thing to set off a few fireworks. They never considered the consequence.

The youth in Virginia is facing a felony for the crop damage and a misdemeanor for the use of the fireworks.

In Toledo, a $5,000 reward is being offered for the arrest and prosecution of the people behind the fire at the apartment complex that left 200 people homeless.

Twenty-some years ago after some accidental fireworks deaths of bystanders, Ohio lawmakers toughened fireworks laws. But legislators left big gaps and loopholes so their use continues and seems to escalate each year. We have seen dozens of complaints in our own Clyde Police reports.

If people want to use larger fireworks, they should be trained. Being an American comes with certain rights and freedoms, but it does not guarantee you the right to be reckless and stupid to the point of putting others in danger.