Now that certain fireworks are legal to buy in Oneida County, there are a number of questions about the laws surrounding the use of fireworks. Joe Speciale is the President of Speciale Fireworks. He answered a number of the common questions surrounding firework use.

"You can buy as many of these as you want. You can possess them all year long. You can shoot them all year long. There’s no problem with this. Your neighbors can still have the right to call the cops because you’re making noise, but they’re not going to issue appearance tickets for these items. These are legal. State legal. That’s why you should buy them from a registered New York State retailer."

If you are buying from a legitimate dealer, you should see a certificate of registration, safety signage, a fire extinguisher, and an insurance policy. If you decide to go and get your hands on the illegal fireworks, Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol tells us you might want to weigh the risks before setting them off.

"You’re going to be charged with possession of fireworks if you’re using them, and then God forbid that house catches on fire. I mean if this was a couple weeks ago we probably wouldn’t have to worry about that, but now that we’re going to have 90 plus degrees, it’s not going to take much to light anything on fire."

If that isn’t enough to stop you, Utica Fire Department’s Lt. Joseph Puleo has eighteen thousand more reasons to consider.

"Nationally during Independence Day and fireworks use, over 18,000 people are injured every year using fireworks. Mostly hands and arms."

It is a good idea to bring your pets inside this weekend because of the noise fireworks make. If you do need your fireworks fix, there are a number of local municipalities that do put on a professional fireworks show.