Article from For Liberty by Norm Leahy.

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio has turned his attention from welding shut the gates to city playgrounds to confronting that other great menace stalking the five boroughs: fireworks.

DeBlasio said he is assembling a 42 member task force to combat the sale and distribution of illegal fireworks in an attempt to “ensure the safety of all New Yorkers and the ability of our neighbors to get some sleep.”

The task force will conduct:

…“undercover buys” and conduct “sting operations” to catch vendors illegally selling fireworks both in the city and in other states, Hizzoner said.

FDNY fire marshals and members of the NYPD’s intelligence bureau will track down where the fireworks are coming from, while sheriff’s deputies will address the problem “at its root,” according to de Blasio.

The actions come in response to a surge in complaints about illegal fireworks being launched in various parts of the city, though the bulk of complaints come from Brooklyn.

Irate residents have taken their complaints “directly to Gracie Mansion,” using “loud horns giving the mayor a dose of overnight noise.”

But before residents and the Mayor get too carried away with their sting operations, undercover buys, and searches for fireworks kingpins, it’s worth remembering: “every government ban requires government force to maintain.”

And as we’ve seen in government responses to violations of stay-at-home orders, protests, and demonstrations, the opportunity for things to go suddenly, terribly wrong is very real.

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)