Availability and use of consumer fireworks are hotly debated topics. Critics and safety advocates point to the numerous injuries and accidental fires that are attributed to fireworks as justification for banning or at least severely restricting access to fireworks. Complaints about excessive noise created by fireworks and the large amounts of debris and fallout left over after shooting are also used to support this position. There are numerous incidents of consumer fireworks being used in a manner that is extremely disrespectful of the communities and neighborhoods where the users live.

Meanwhile, those who support more liberal fireworks laws look at the same statistics as the critics and conclude that, when used properly, consumer fireworks are a safer form of recreation than riding bicycles or playing soccer. A careful reading of the literature reveals that nearly all fatalities from consumer fireworks are due to the users not following the directions printed on the label. Safety advocates urge people to "Leave it to the professionals": in the US, you are more likely to be injured driving in your car to or from a professional fireworks show than you are to be injured by using consumer fireworks in your backyard.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has established strict guidelines regarding the construction and composition of consumer fireworks. Together with US Customs and BATFE, they are very proactive in enforcing these rules, intercepting imported fireworks that don't comply and issuing recalls on unacceptable consumer fireworks that are found to have "slipped through". Many states in the United States have laws on further restrict access to and use of consumer fireworks, and some of these states vigorously enforce them.