KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

Gee Scott: ‘You’re a jerk’ if you set off fireworks after the Fourth of July

Jul 7, 2025, 1:04 PM | Updated: 1:06 pm

Fireworks tend to go rogue during the Fourth of July holiday, with holiday-themed pyrotechnics continuing throughout the night for days on end—a common frustration for those who want to put the holiday behind them, like KIRO host Gee Scott.

“I’m not trying to be funny by this, but I’m just going to say it right now,” Gee said on “Seattle’s Morning News.” “If you, or anybody that you know, is still letting off fireworks after 12 a.m. on July 5, you’re a jerk!”

“We’re now days later, and I heard some at midnight last night,” KIRO host Manda Factor said Monday morning, three days after the Fourth of July. “I think that you have no regard for our elderly population, and there’s always somebody who says to me, ‘Well, all you got to do is pack up and take your animals with you.’ My neighbor next door is an elderly person. She can’t just pick up and leave. I’m tired of the fireworks, plus they’re dangerous.”

2024 stats on injuries related to fireworks

Last year, 14,700 people were sent to the ER for fireworks-related injuries, resulting in 11 deaths, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. This year, Harborview Medical Center treated dozens of patients for fireworks-related injuries, while a man in Snohomish County lost his entire hand as a result of the fireworks accident.

“Doesn’t it take the significance out of the Fourth of July if you just keep blasting these things off?” Gee added.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Listen to “Seattle’s Morning News” with Charlie Harger and Manda Factor weekday mornings from 5-9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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