MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With Fourth of July festivities already kicking off in Memphis, it’s never too late to talk about fireworks safety and the legal ramifications of shooting fireworks in Memphis and Shelby County.
It's illegal in both Shelby County and the City of Memphis to shoot fireworks, and if caught, you’ll have your fireworks confiscated and have to pay a fine.
“The only safety guideline I can give you; don’t shoot them because they’re not legal,” said Brent Perkins, a spokesperson with the Shelby County Fire Department.
Perkins has been on the county's firefighting team for more than 20 years and tells ABC24 it’s not an issue of people understanding the law in Shelby County, but that many just don’t care.
“People will look at these fireworks as if it’s a low consequence event, but it has a heck of a high risk,” Perkins said.
According to Perkins, the Shelby County Fire Department responds to several fireworks-related calls each year, some of which result in significant damage or complete loss of homes.
Memphis Police Col. Marcus Worthy said often times during popular holidays where fireworks are launched, bullets also illegally fly.
"If you shoot a bullet in the air it’s going to come down somewhere,” Worthy said. "We have several people get hurt every year by bullets falling down.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a website that tracks shootings across the country, during the Fourth of July holiday in 2023, 20 people were shot and killed and 126 were injured nationwide.