If sparklers are legal, the terrorists win.
OK, Mayor Bloomberg didn’t say it exactly that way. But City Hall is pressing Gov. Cuomo to veto a newly passed bill that would allow the sale of sparklers and other small fireworks in New York outside the city. And part of the argument is that a ban will make it more difficult for terrorists.
In a memo urging the governor to veto the bill, Joseph Garba, Bloomberg’s state legislative director, cites Faisal Shahzad — the Times Square terrorist who bought a package of M-88s to ignite his car bomb.
What Garba didn’t mention is that Shahzad clearly knew nothing about fireworks. M-88s are 97 percent paper and contain only 50 mg of powder — the size of one-quarter of an aspirin tablet. One M-88 won’t ignite others, create a fire, cause an explosion or blow a hole in thick plastic. Which, as one fireworks company notes on its Web site, is why they’re legal in many states outside of New York.
The urge for a small-fireworks ban is no surprise, given the mayor’s nanny-state mentality. But claiming it’s an anti-terror measure is a stretch, even for him.
Maybe the mayor should just ban fire. Not only would it prevent terrorists from setting off M-88s — it would stop New Yorkers from lighting up their smokes.