I have PTSD. I was mortared and rocketed a lot as was anyone who was deployed to Afghanistan. It doesn't bother me at all, and I think it's one of the stereotypes of PTSD that non-vets have where they assume that what bothers you is loud noises. It's not. It's as if people think that because you went to war that you can no longer tell the differences between fireworks and mortars.

In Missouri where my grandmother lives we can shoot fireworks from June 23rd to July 10th or something along those lines. It's that time of year where you hear pops and whistles. It's just part of the sound of summer. I shot off fireworks with my son, and we had fun.

Most injuries are men above the age of 25. There are only 230 injuries every year which means you run literally less than a one in a million shot of injuring yourself even though 45% of Americans participate in fireworks displays every year and it's a billion dollar industry. So I wouldn't worry too much about hands being blown off. Simple and obvious safety precautions will eliminate most injuries and close calls. For example, my son is not allowed to use a match or lighter. He uses a punk which is a sawdust stick that has a cherry on the end of it to light fuses. Even if he dropped it, it would be unlikely to start a fire. Even if it did, we use fireworks near a hose and we don't shoot them in dry areas. Seems obvious right?

The paper is pretty much gone in a week after a rain since it's all made to disintegrate. If your neighbors didn't pick up their garbage that's on them, but it's also something that should be expected of someone using fireworks. That's like changing your oil in the driveway and just pouring it down the street. There are privileges and responsibilities in everything.