The worst thing about the state's fireworks law is that it overrode all local ordinances on things like nuisances and noise. Neighboroods let local officials know they werre upset with the disturbance of their peace and quiet, and local officials let the state know. But now that some corrective action might be taken, the author of the law isn't happy:
But Sen. Tom Weatherwax, R-Logansport, said he will work to kill the proposal.
"The state would become a patch quilt of rules, with some communities having no shooting and others limited shooting," said Weatherwax, who authored the current law. "This would probably take away from what we tried to do, which was keep a statewide, uniform approach to fireworks."
What's wrong with a "patch quilt of rules"? Why should Fort Wayne be like Warsaw? Why should Wabash have the same fireworks rules as Indianapolis? This is the kind of thinking that has made home rule such a tough fight in Indiana.
