Ed Huntress fired this volley in
:

Ok, then, just what "freedoms" were you talking about, when you said
"an amateur pyrotechnician - would have a lot of their freedoms
restricted. That's what they want."?

Ooookay... if you're listening -- the 'they' is the power mongers
(mostly, but not all democrats) in government who truly want to remove
all 'power' from all citizens, including the use of dangerous materials
or the pursuit of dangerous activities, even when those only endanger the
participants.

And no, I'm not 'anti government'. It serves many good, necessary
purposes. It's not just our government, either; governments have
inevitably devolved into controlling forms that use public doles and
restrictive regulations to turn their citizens into drones.

But, to the point: The amateur pyros know that any criminal use of
explosives by any person, regardless of motive, will cause these same
power mongers to _attempt_ to further restrict their access to and use of
the materials to make their fireworks. They've already restricted a
number of ordinary, essentially harmless chemicals used almost
exclusively by pyros because they MIGHT be used to make illegal
explosives. (no, I'm not talking about ammonium nitrate, which is not
used in pyrotechnics).

They'll also attempt to restrict their firing of the fireworks (which is
done mostly at licensed shoot sites, during organized fireworks
festivals).

The government has already sought to further restrict amateurs by putting
their suppliers out of business, and without any provocation, but just
because the (now prior) BATFE safety director had "an agenda".

The safety director of BATFE declared in public (in a fireworks
symposium, no less) that her personal goal was to have all fireworks
outlawed everywhere in the US. She was a young, minority, power-hungry
feminist who eventually got thrown out of power, but she set a lot of
things in motion that have yet to have their full effects on the
industry.

And Ed... the amateurs do no harm. They don't even compete with, but
rather contribute to, the professional trade.

Except for the same rare 'fringe element' you'll find in any activity,
they all follow the rules and stringent safety protocols, use care AND
good judgement, and care very much what the communities around them think
of their activities. Most of the guilds will, indeed, censure and
_report_ members whom they find doing illegal things.

So, any time the government gets involved, the amateur fireworkers
rightly fear that their ability to ply their craft will be restricted
further.

LLoyd