Lewiston joined the list of Maine communities voting to ban the sale and use of private fireworks, passing over plans that would have created fireworks zones and allowed residents to use fireworks at certain times of the year. Instead, City Councilors opted for a complete ban. Here’s what some residents had to say.

Erin Dehetre, 25, of Lewiston:

“It’s inappropriate not to regulate it. People are just going to set more fires, just because they can.”

 Janet Morin, 41, Lewiston: 

“They need to regulate it. I think the state should regulate. I don’t think it should be up to the cities, or it’s going to wreak havoc everywhere.”

Justin Jewell, 30, Auburn: 

“I think explosives should be best left to people that are knowledgeable. I’m thinking there will be missing fingers, blown-up cats, blown-up mailboxes and all kinds of stuff going on downtown.

“Maybe if there was an age limit, like 21. But even then, just like alcohol, you’d have older guys buying stuff for kids. If you just find the right guy, you can get some fireworks.”

Aaron Yoscovitch, 36, Lewiston:

“Banning them in the city is useful, because there are just too many kids that will use them and just end up starting fires. I think that maybe they should be available for sale, but not used in the city limits.

Maurice Carrier,78, of Lewiston:

“As far as I’m concerned, the people going and buying fireworks, I’m not for that. As long as the city does their shows, that’s good.”

Perry Chan, 17, Lewiston:

“Now that they’re legal (in the state), more people can get a hold of them. People were shooting them off before they were legal. So what’s going to stop them now?”

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