Novelty lighters ignite Senate debate
*** Update: The House Judiciary Committee voted down the novelty lighter restrictions this afternoon, meaning the issue has probably flamed out for the year. ***
Novelty lighters could not be sold in Maryland under a plan advanced today by the state Senate.
Lawmakers argue that the toylike devices attract children and therefore pose a fire hazard. The Senate plan, which could gain final passage this week, also prohibits the sale of lighters with cartoon pictures on them.
A similar proposal in the House of Delegates was rejected late this afternoon by the House Judiciary Committee.
Senators on both sides of the issue hoisted lighters on the floor this morning to illustrate their point.
Sen. Barry Glassman, a Republican who sponsored the bill, displayed a tiny totem pole lighter and a mini-Coach purse that ignites when the zipper is pulled and.
"This is a very serious issue," Glassman said as the debate began veering toward puns and snickers. He said toddlers grab the lighters thinking they are toys and can hurt themselves.
Sen. Allan Kittleman, a Republican who opposes restricting lighter sales, fired up lighters of his own: a green one that would remain legal and a similarly-sized one with a picture of a dragon that would become illegal.
Kittleman said he doesn't believe the legislation achieves its stated purpose of protecting children -- especially because Marylanders would still be able to purchase toylike lighters in other states or over the Internet.
Under the Senate plan, violators would be subject to a civil penalty.
The House sponsor of the bill, Del. James Malone, has tried to pass lighter restrictions for several years, to no avail. This morning, he said he felt optimistic.
The Baltimore County Democrat said he brought examples of toy lighters to a House committee last year -- and a delegate burned himself while playing with one.
"These really are dangerous," he said. Though the plan was rejected by the House Judiciary Committee, it could be revived if the Senate sends its version to the lower chamber for consideration.
Glassman cited other cases of injury and destruction. He said a 5-year-old burned playground equipment in Maryland (he wasn't sure where) while playing with a gun-replica lighter. Elsewhere in the country, kids have singed their hair with cell-phone-style lighters and their fingers with car and motorcycle lighers that ignite when their wheels are rolled.
More and more states are moving to ban toy lighters, Glassman said, and 14 have already done so.
Categories: 2011 legislative session
Comments
Wow- people are losing their jobs, the state keeps piling on debt, and a huge tax hike is on the horizon, and the worthless Glassman proposes more big brother legislation. Please let a real conservative challenge him for county exec
Posted by: Lee | March 23, 2011 1:20 PM
Nanny Staters!
Matches are very interesting to those children as well.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 23, 2011 1:31 PM
ok, even I think this is silly. Children have been burning stuff down forever. In fact, I bet Prometheus was a child when he stole the fire to begin with.
How about they just mandate parental responsibility instead?
Posted by: fea24 | March 23, 2011 1:36 PM
Wow, is this a waste of time or what? I guess more pressing issues like the budget crisis can wait.
You could make lighters that look like asparagus and kids would still play with them.
Posted by: John | March 23, 2011 1:49 PM
Don't they have anything more important to do? Another example of the idiots we have in the State legislature!
Posted by: CSC | March 23, 2011 1:50 PM
WHO CARES! Why are they even talking about this stuff? How about fixing the budget and lowering taxes or something. This is so stupid.
Posted by: Neil | March 23, 2011 1:56 PM
Oh yeah! Let ban Lighters, oh its so important (This is sarcasm for the slow ones), but God forbid we enforce laws on Illegal Immigrants.
Only in MD, millions of laws, but lets only enforce the ones that attack the tax paying middle class, those with jobs, legal citizens, and wealthy residents.
Pathetic!
Posted by: Chad Albrecht | March 23, 2011 2:06 PM
Just ban all lighters and matches and make everyone rub 2 sticks together for fire. Oh and charge a license fee for that too.
Posted by: gmc | March 23, 2011 2:06 PM
Will somebody please think of the children!
Posted by: Johnny D | March 23, 2011 2:09 PM
Where are the parents ????
Posted by: Claire | March 23, 2011 2:24 PM
We are thinking of the children. Banning 'novelty lighters' because the kids have irresponsible parents is just plain dumb. It was the same issue with mandatory gun locks. If a parent is irresponsible to leave a lighter sitting out or a gun sitting out then what makes legislators think that they by requiring them to not do so will change a thing? Sillyness.
Posted by: JD | March 23, 2011 2:25 PM
This has to be a story out of The Onion. It can't be possible that the General Assembly members, who only have 90 days a year to manage the legislative affairs of the state, would be wasting the people's time with something a trivial as this.
The state is broke. People are out of work. The state is one of the most violent in the country.
These clowns waste time with this.
Unreal.
Posted by: Henry Bowman | March 23, 2011 2:30 PM
I know! Lets license conception! You have to have a license to drive a motor vehicle. You have to a license to carry a firearm. Hell you even need a license to fish, but any idiot can have a child. Clearly, if we have to ban lighters because people ARE TOO STUPID to not let their kids play with them, its time we make people apply for a license before conceiving a child! (Yes, I am being sarcastic)
Posted by: Charles | March 23, 2011 2:53 PM
I am stunned that with the continued articles in the Sun on job losses both in the State and in Baltimore City that once again there is another non critical issue that is taking up what little time remains for the Session to be of relevance. Do these people ever talk to the average person on the street????? Or are they so out of touch they don't realize how foolish this looks.
Posted by: Anonymous | March 23, 2011 2:54 PM
I am stunned that with the continued articles in the Sun on job losses both in the State and in Baltimore City that once again there is another non critical issue that is taking up what little time remains for the Session to be of relevance. Do these people ever talk to the average person on the street????? Or are they so out of touch they don't realize how foolish this looks.
Posted by: Jim Seay | March 23, 2011 2:55 PM
Only in Maryland! They need to clean house and light the debris on fire with a lighter! This is so ridiculous! Don't they live in the real world. they have MUCH more important issues to be dealing with than this. Just like picking a state cake, etc. They need to prioritize their agenda! They need to have pay taken back for wasted time and stupidity!
Posted by: Lisa | March 23, 2011 3:20 PM
Hey Maryland legislators, why don't you just get it over with and ban FIRE? Silly rabbits.
Posted by: JijiN | March 23, 2011 3:48 PM
These idiots refuse to make a decision on same sex marriages but they will waste time on lighters. Good job you "dolts"!
Posted by: Terry | March 23, 2011 3:49 PM
Really? Really? This is what is being debated in Annapolis today? Attention lawmakers, please read the front page of the Sun. Another company is leaving Maryland and laying off workers, and your playing with lighters. Can't wait to leave this state.
Posted by: Sturmy | March 23, 2011 3:50 PM
Novelty lighters #whitepeoplesproblems
Posted by: Calvin | March 23, 2011 4:03 PM
If people decorate plain lighters with stickers, googley eyes, or nail polish designs, will those be illegal too?
Posted by: Mike | March 23, 2011 4:35 PM
This pretty much sums up why Maryland is in so much trouble. No one is actually trying to seriously run things. We have a bunch of dolts in our capital.
Posted by: Independent Voter | March 23, 2011 5:00 PM
Apparently the House Judiciary committee agreed with Senator Kittleman. They just killed the companion bill on the House side, no more than 5 hours later.
At least somebody has shown the fortitude not to allow this sort of government intrusion into people's private affairs, particularly when there were absolutely zero documented fires created by these lighters.
Posted by: Peter Cairns | March 23, 2011 5:07 PM
hey... lets ban legislators!~
gotta be better than what we have here now.
Posted by: lee | March 23, 2011 5:50 PM
When I started reading this article, I thought it was a joke. When I finished reading it, I thought the legislators were a joke.
Come to think of it, it is better to think it's a joke. If I don't laugh at how inefficient these people are, I'd cry!
Posted by: Liz H. | March 23, 2011 11:55 PM
I have little regard for your average member of the General Assembly. They are generally people of low intelligence and high corruptibility, heavily seasons with a nanny-state nosiness.
Posted by: Gunpowder Chronicle | March 24, 2011 7:14 AM
Excuse me.... What ever happened to Parental Responsibility ?
Get a grip, Annapolis !
Posted by: Michael Dragon | March 24, 2011 10:14 AM
Let's ban fire altogether! ;)
Posted by: JD Lynn | March 24, 2011 12:46 PM