Govt contemplating Fireworks Ban

Given that an orange is typically a good spherical shape, and has many small indents on the surface (kinda like a golf ball), I would think that with enough propulsion 2 kilometres is definitely achievable. It’s also worth remembering that you can vary the range by altering the trajectory. 45 degrees gives close to optimum distance, I think. It comes down to basic physics – give it a good shove in the vertical to keep it in the air for a long time, as well as some horizontal push, and it will fly for as long as it can stay in the air. Also, it gains velocity on the way down, despite it’s net forward speed slowing, so you can get the range and still achieve high destructive potential, as the velocity at which it hits the ground will be almost the same as the muzzle velocity when it’s fired (assuming the same altitude for launch and target points).

They call them mortars RAGD – not a new technology.

I don’t doubt thats how long it is. I doubt that it can fly that long. 2KM is ridiculously long for a projectile to fly, but I could be wrong.

They should sell their ‘technology’ to the Defence Force. I am sure they could put that to good use. You could fire frozen fruit over sand dunes 2KM away and be driving off before it hit the ground.

Google earth it if you like RAGD – Holt IGA to the edge of the housing complex in the golf course as the crow flies.

I didn’t think of freezing them until ingee mentioned it, but it kind of explains the freezer burn effect that is a characteristic of spent ballistics I have found along the fenceline.

2KM is a little unbelievable…

Why not just use rocks instead????

Oranges are funnier :o)

To get that kinda range they are probably using nitros oxide as well as their personal favorite hydrocarbon (my vote goes to propane).

Those whipped cream bulbs arn’t just for getting high you know….

Why not just use rocks instead????

Jeeeesus! Has anyone been killed yet?

Freeze the orange.

I’m seriously intrigued by the prospect of propelling an orange around 2000m. Our efforts at best managed 300-400m – we could get one from Banjo Patterson Cres into Lake Jindabyne. How does this guy hold it together? Too much explosive force and you end up with the orange blowing apart … any clues?

To get the propulsion power for a decent ballistic flight (eg 2km), compressed air doesn’t have the guts. You need combustion.

In this guys case, and the description given to me by S4anta, I think a lot of combustion is being employed.

“Select an appropriately flammable hydrocarbon put it into a spay bottle …”

A spay bottle? My cat doesn’t like the sound of that!

“Some dickhead in Holt can propel an orange over 2km in any direction without the use of gunpowder”

Holy shit!

I think we should wrap everyone in several layers of bubble wrap before being allowed out of our homes, as someone might get hurt and then sue someone. Life is sooooo dangerous in Canberra!

That orange thing sounds kinda intriguing…

That’s it VY! I once heard a saying on a similar vein – that it’s easier to get yourself a pair of slippers than to carpet the whole world.

The orange gun …mmm … you’re bringing back memories of a miss-spent youth.

You need about 1200mm of heavy gauge 90mm poly pipe with and a end-cap. Use the genuine blue glue for the end cap. Drill a hole about 30mm back from the rim of the end-cap. Now you need an appropriately sized orange one that will fit snuggly inside the 90mm pipe. Select an appropriately flammable hydrocarbon put it into a spay bottle … I’m not saying any more.

A word or caution though, like all of these things you can do yourself a mischief – losing a limb/digit/appendage is not out of the question so remember – STUPID HURTS!

lol @astro

My comment was an attempt at a perspective of the scale of the issue.

Only a dickhead would harm, or intentionally harm an animal. Ban dickheads.

My animals (2 cats and a dog) sit in the window and watch fireworks. They are more scared of lightning than fireworks – the reaction to that is they go sit under a table and watch the lightning out of the window.

yebbut if you gave a firework to a puppy, it’d get the short end of the straw! fireworks don’t hurt puppies, boots hurt puppies. ban boots.

ban everyone who wants fireworks banned, i rekkun. f’fark’s sake, why’n’t anyone ever bother to read what they or anyone else writes? there is ‘a’ problem associated with a thing, so let’s annihilate the thing, not address the problem? sheesh!

people are stupid. that’s universal. you could ban everything and people would still fuck up and get it wrong and what’s left to ban? ban sex, then there’d be no more peope when these ones run out, and the world would be wonderful.

or just ban maelinar. he’s just wrong! 😉 [actually, fireworks do wonders for cat population excesses if used correctly]

Alcohol causes people to turn into alcoholics
Tobacco causes people to fill our cancer wards
Fast Food causes people to become obese
Fuels are full of carcinogens that are polluting the air
‘Farmers’ who have absolutely no idea are ploughing their lands and then suffering from sheet erosion
China is hovering to war with America where nuclear radiation will be employed as a weapon
There’s either not enough water, or too much depending on if you are currently in flood or not
a percentage of the world’s surface is currently on fire
Some dickhead in Holt can propel an orange over 2km in any direction without the use of gunpowder

Fireworks hurt puppies.

Interesting. My experience of England was that they only let them off on GF night – i.e. one night only. Which would be fine if they did the same over here.

But it sounds as though the yobs have taken over in Old Blighty, too.

I love fireworks but not ones that are bought from shops.

I’m in England and we are approaching Guy Fawkes night (fireworks night) and that isn’t until 5th November yet the fireworks started going off a week or so ago – every night. They are so bloody loud. Kids get a hold of them and misuse them ie putting them in phone boxes, putting them in wheelie bins and sometimes putting them through letter boxes (our letter boxes are on our front door and post comes through to house so not a good thing)

I have always thought that fireworks should only be available for public displays and not to the public and I stick with this thought. They are dangerous – end of.

When your hand finally slips off the end of your knob Dennis and you stop to take a breath, you might want to think about getting yourself a life – How the hell does pointing out the simple fact that a permit system allowing us to use fire works one weekend a year does not consitute a ‘right’, and that suggesting it does simply makes the argument in support of fireworks facile, make me a “soup-straining wowser”?

Heh Heh Heh

Well christ, Ingeegoodbee, exactly how much pith do you expect me to invest in responding to a pathetic soup-straining wowser like yourself?

Nice response. Well crafted and thoughtful. Tool

Que? Sorry WTFAU to respond to one of my posts – blow in.

Your rights end where mine begin, Ingeegoodbee.

Like the right to not have fireworks sully the night sky one weekend a year? You do nothing when you over egg your argument by suggesting fireworks are some sort of right.

Christ, why don’t we just ban everything? It’s not like we value liberty and individual rights round here.

More Information:

Copied and pasted from http://www.chiefminister.act.gov.au/media.asp?media=3064&section=56&title=Media%20Release&id=56

FIREWORKS PUBLIC MEETINGS

Minister for Industrial Relations Andrew Barr today announced the details of two public meetings to be held on consumer fireworks, saying the meetings are an important part of the ACT Government’s review of the Dangerous Substances Act 2004.

Mr Barr said a panel of experts, with a variety of perspectives on the use of fireworks over the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend, will be present at the meetings.

“The ACT Government has previously announced we will be reviewing the Dangerous Substances Act 2004, which includes the regulation of consumer fireworks,” Mr Barr said.

“Two public meetings are being held to provide members of the community with the opportunity to comment on the current and future regulation of consumer fireworks.

“I encourage all members of the community to attend a meeting. The community’s response at the public meetings will assist the Government to determine whether there is a need to further regulate or deregulate the use of consumer fireworks.”

“The meetings reflect the Government’s commitment to a comprehensive and transparent consultation process on the future of fireworks in the ACT,” Mr Barr concluded.

The panellists include Michael Linke, CEO of the RSPCA; Martin Brady, Director of Fireworks Australia; Senior Constable Maxim Mokrij, Australian Federal Police; and a staff member from the Office of Regulatory Services. The panel members will participate in discussions and respond to any questions posed by members of the public.

The meetings are open to all members of the public.

The meetings will be held at:

· 6.30-8.30pm, Monday 12 November 2007 at Lake Tuggeranong College, Cowlishaw Street, Tuggeranong; and

· 6.30-8.30pm, Tuesday 13 November 2007 at Lake Ginninderra College, Emu Bank, Belconnen.

Pre-registration is preferred. In order to register, please email DSAReview@act.gov.au or telephone (02) 6205 0338

Mr Barr said that the community consultation process for consumer fireworks also includes public submissions and an online survey which can be accessed http://www.psm.act.gov.au/oir_fireworks.html. The closing date for both the survey and submissions is 30 November 2007.

I have no particular interest in fireworks, but well remember the fun of bonfires and bungers as a youth. Also seem to remember that letterbox destruction was fairly rare.

My gripe is that yet again, as in so many aspects of modern life, the powers that be have decided it is all too dificult, and all of us are to be reduced to the lowest common denominator. Ban this, limit that, impose fines for something else.

Our governing bodies should be required to include sunset clauses on all of these restrictive laws, hopefully generating a damn sight more logic and consideration before initial imposition.

Do not ban personal fireworks. Enforce the laws already in place

> It won’t affect me to much though, because I am sure that the illegal ones will still be availible.

Hehe…nail on the head right there. Prohibition…ever worked? Never.

Have a public exhibition on the neighbourhood oval. A jazz band, sausage sizzle and Apex collecting gold coin donations. The dedicated fans can go and watch with family. The tightwads can watch from their own yards. Sale of fireworks to anyone who still wants to set them off privately should be banned

The problem with this is, while lots of people will be willing to pay between $20-$100 for fireworks in their back yard, most wont pay $20, let alone $100 for a much better display in a public place, which is why big displays are only viable with major sponsorship (skyfire(104.7) / newyears(Gov’t)), or as a small part of an event people will pay for (summernats).

I think that it will be a shame if consumer fireworks are banned, because I think that they are just one more part of growing up that will disappear. It won’t affect me to much though, because I am sure that the illegal ones will still be availible.

I like your idea tuggers.

Have a public exhibition on the neighbourhood oval. A jazz band, sausage sizzle and Apex collecting gold coin donations. The dedicated fans can go and watch with family. The tightwads can watch from their own yards. Sale of fireworks to anyone who still wants to set them off privately should be banned

Inevitably they will be banned..

Fireworks all the time would be a disaster, so would caving in to kill-joys all the time.

I think this setup is a good balance. The problem is (obviously) the people letting them off outside the allowed time. The panel should be focusing on fixing that problem, instead of spoiling the party.

not i. but i know whom it is, look for the young pup at the shops @ 3.30-4.30pm with a bandaged hand.

There’s already enough legislation without more to worry about (read. disregard). If anybody wants a demonstration of what will happen when fireworks are completely banned – go play golf at magpies golf course, Holt. No doubt you will see somewhere on the course one of many oranges that have been fired over the suburb by somebody living in the vicinity of Holt IGA.

You still haven’t managed to hit my house yet S4anta if its you…

A yankee up your arse.

Or you can move to WA

> I guess small things amuse small minds though.

& small children perhaps?

My son loves them, all the kids on our street love them, I loved them when I was a kid.

We have a dog, he doesn’t like the fireworkds. Mind you, he dislikes thunderstorms considerably more & we can’t ban them. We keep him inside for a few nights, no big deal. Cat owners can do the same, and if you can’t…well, you shouldn’t be a cat owner. Don’t get me started on the perils of domestic cats in the Australian environment. I’d sooner ban cats than fireworks.

Let the kids have their fun you boring, boring, pathetic old farts.

Ban them, it’s not seomthing I want me kids doing as they get older playing with fireworks. And besides that, for one week leading up and two weeks after they still are being let off by morons who think its hilarious to blow up letterboes etc. Despite what you here in the lead up about crack downs on illigal usage, its never ever happens nad we spend three weeks with out dog in the loungeroom scared out of its head.

When I had a dog, we took it inside whilst we had our fireworks thingy. I’d hate to see them banned, or restricted to a designated area because of a bunch of kill-joy NIMBY’s. Having said that. This is the riotact, and there are plenty of kill-joy’s about. I expect a great deal of anti-everything comments to follow …

I think banning fireworks on the Queens Weekend, because of a few pelicans I think is a bit of travisty. Granted pets are extremely important members of families/society, but i think the use of animals as a break is a bit of a soft option.

IMHO i would like to firm data, on illegal types, criminal damage, underage useage and injuries. Then i think we might want to ban skateboards as i have seen dogs got through windows on them, and fish hooks, chook wire fences and hire powered hoses.

there are times when i wish we really back in the time of moses, because issues such as this would be sorted by fight to the deaths. And i can tell you my money wouldn’t be the bleeding hearts in this case.

Sweet. Ban them.
I don’t really get what the big deal is about fireworks anyway. Not that interesting.
I guess small things amuse small minds though.

Ban ’em.

For all those who support ’em, i’ll shove ’em up our arse and light the fuse.

That a 2 against 1 for soft of panel isn’t it.

“The review panel will be made up of representatives from the RSPCA, fireworks industry and police.”

So no general members of the community get to have their say?

Have the meeting under Parliament House…

As a long time pet owner, I hate fireworks with a passion.

BUT, I know when it’s on and I simply take the right precautions – i.e. when I had a dog we let it stay inside over that weekend, keep the cats in etc etc

It’s the people who detonate them before or long after the weekend that irritate me the most.

In any event, I remember getting a thrill out of the weekend when I was a kid, and I don’t think that should be taken away from the current generation of kiddies who like bright things that go bang.

Punish those who use them outside of the weekend itself, but otherwise, I say keep it.