Veterans and animal shelters ask you to shoot fireworks only during legal hours

QUAD CITIES (KWQC) – Veterans and animal shelters urge you to adhere to designated fireworks times and stop shooting fireworks before the weekend of July 4th.

It is estimated anywhere from 11 to 30 percent of U.S. veterans have PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder. This includes Ben Enlow who served in Iraq and was in the Army Reserve from 2003 to 2010. He says fireworks can be difficult when firing at all hours of the night: “It can be a trigger. . This is why it helps to know when they are going to shoot them down within hours. Personally, I also like to shoot my own fireworks, I like to continue to take my children with them. But when they start going out after hours. You don’t know what’s coming, it can be a trigger.

“For me personally, [independence day] means freedom, being able to do what we want when we want and how we want, ”explains Enlow.

Recreational fireworks are illegal in Illinois. In Iowa, they are only allowed from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on July 3 and 4. Enlow asks you to stick with that and reminds other veterans that it’s okay to ask for help on the holiday weekend. “Remember that there are others with you who have been through the same thing. And don’t be afraid to reach out if you need help, ”he says, a great resource is the Quad City Veterans Outpatient Clinic.

Animal shelters also ask you to be careful. According to King’s Harvest Pet Rescue, an average of 40 to 50 animals show up at shelters after the July 4 weekend. Principal Elizabeth Corn said: “A lot of pets have loud noises / storm anxiety. And with the fireworks, it’s something that happens maybe twice a year, on July 4th and New Years. They’re not used to that noise, so it’s scary for them.

It is recommended that you keep your pets company when the fireworks go off and keep them in a quiet place like the basement, so that they do not escape. Corn says that pets often “will be cowardly and then get hit by cars because they are scared and don’t know where they are.” She says it’s ideal if your pet has a microchip, that way if he escapes it will be easier for you to recognize him.

You can find a list of fireworks events throughout the Quad Cities area by clicking here.

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