By JESSA LEWIS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - Fourth of July is just around the corner, bringing with it American flags, barbecues, and, of course, fireworks. But now many are turning outside of Knox County to get their fireworks fix.
Matt Purvis bought fireworks in Loudon County before he headed South for the Fourth.
"Well, we live here, but I'm originally from Amelia Island, Florida, so there are fireworks available down there. But I do not believe they go 'boom', so my friends are saying, 'Pick us up some.' We're going for the 4th," said Purvis.
He and his family aren't having to worry about the different laws in here in Tennessee. For people who want to buy fireworks and set them off, they'll have to go outside of Knox County to do both. It's illegal to even possess fireworks in the City of Knoxville.
"In Loudon County, you can sell and shoot, and in Knox County, you cannot sell and you cannot shoot fireworks. My father was selling them on Broadway in 1948, and that's how come we ended up here," said co-owner of Dixie Lee Fireworks Deanna Sharp.
"Anything in Knox County, if it's above a novelty grade is considered illegal. Novelty grades are the things that you might see at a Weigel's check out, like the finger poppers, snaps, smoke bombs, all of those are legal," explained Captain D. J. Corcoran of the Knoxville Fire Department. He said the rules and laws all come back to safety.
"We see in the emergency rooms every year, around the Fourth of July, children with finger burns and burns to their feet from children stepping on them," said Corcoran. He also said another reason for the ban in Knoxville is because of the season's dry weather.
The Knoxville Fire Department recommends attending one of the larger fireworks displays, like the one at World's Fair Park. Those shows can only be operated by state-licensed pyrotechnicians. Fireworks retailers are issued state permits to operate.
"My father was selling them on Broadway in 1948, and that's how come we ended up here," said co-owner of Dixie Lee Fireworks Deanna Sharp.
It's illegal to even possess fireworks in the City of Knoxville.
