Every year, the week before the 4th of July, the CPSC, (Consumer Product Safety Commission) puts on a firework demonstration at the Mall in Washington DC (Damned Confusing). You have to remember that the CPSC would like to see all fireworks banned, so their demonstration is, just a little, tilted toward this end.  The comparison of illegal fireworks and legal consumer fireworks is just not fair, to say this as politely as I can, and it should not be done. 

The CPSC is also making life difficult for the hobbyist manufacturer of fireworks, and small firework company's such as ours, by using the excuse of stopping illegal fireworks. Our small company cannot afford to purchase truck loads of chemicals, and because of illegal firework manufacturers small amounts of necessary chemicals are harder and harder to find, and are many times more expensive. If you'd rather purchase American Made Fireworks, don't support the bootleg manufacturing of M-80's.

Despite the efforts of the CPSC illegal fireworks are out there, and always will be ... (If you could stop illegal explosives, the Israeli forces would not have a problem with "complete nut jobs" out there blowing up innocent men, women, and children!)

Illegal fireworks should be avoided. It is the people illegally making ground salutes, M-80s and the type, that has caused a lot of headaches in the firework manufacturing industry in here in America. Do not continue to support them! And, report illegal fireworks to your state Fire Marshal, or the BATFE.

M-80, Cherry Bombs, Silver Salutes, or whatever you want to call them are ground salutes, and they are illegal for public sale, possession, and use. The main reason to avoid any illegal firework is simply that -- they are illegal! They are illegal for a reason. They are not regulated, so there is no way to determine what is in them, how much of a pyrotechnic load is in them, and how they were constructed. They could have been made using chemicals that are impact and shock sensitive. This means that if you were to handle them too roughly or drop them that they could detonate. I do mean detonate, not deflagrate like most fireworks. The chemicals generally used to make salutes are a high explosive composition and very dangerous.

When you combine both the danger and the illegality, it is just not worth it.

Something else you'll hear people say or ask is trying to compare the explosive force of fireworks with dynamite. Something like, "as powerful as a 1/4 stick?" The two have NOTHING to do with each other. We are also High Explosive manufacturers and can tell you that HE has no comparison with fireworks and salutes, aerial or ground. If you hear someone say something like that they, number one, have no idea what they're talking about, and probably have an illegal explosive device. It is a good time to leave that party, or ask them to leave yours, before someone gets hurt!

Identification of illegal fireworks is usually very easy. In the photo below you will see inert examples of some illegal fireworks would look like. Note first that they have none of the, required by law, warning labels and company identification. Any firework or explosive, whether for the professional or public use must be labeled with the manufacturer name, description of the item, and have warning labels. They usually have that homemade appearance, but the lack of a label is a dead giveaway. On the right in the photo is legal item known as a shell insert. Even though this insert will be inside of another larger firework, and will never be seen again, it is still marked with our company information and have the required legal warnings.

M-80's started out many years ago with the military to simulate weapons fire. They were also manufactured commercially for public use.  (I'm old enough to remember these fireworks.) After numerous injuries the Child Protection Act was passed in 1966 making fireworks such as the M-80 illegal. Subsequent regulations have limited the amount of pyrotechnic composition that can be contained in ground and aerial fireworks. A lot of this regulation comes from a persons inability to comprehend "place on ground, light fuse and get away". People would light them in their hand and wait until the last second to throw them, sometimes with disastrous results. Darwin must have been a friend of theirs! 

Pictured below are ready to be loaded 1", 3", and 4"  --legal-- ground salutes. They are pre-wired for electronic firing only. Devices such as these require an FEL (Federal Explosives License) to purchase, possess, and use.

There are other illegal fireworks and modifications to fireworks that should be avoided too. One example; Sparkler bombs are modified fireworks that can be very dangerous. We do not recommend that anyone attempt to relight a dud firework, or to modify commercially made fireworks in any way. If you are interested in how fireworks are made, or you would like to make fireworks yourself contact us. You can also search online for a pyrotechnic club near you and contact them. A great starting point, and a highly recommended organization to join is the Pyrotechnic Guild International. Contact them at www.pgi.org