I posted this on trapshooters.com as well but wanted to get your take as well:

Been going to LBI (Ship Bottom, Loveladies and Barnegat Light) my entire life (45 years). Specifically been taking my family to my aunt's house in Barnegat Light for the past 20 years.

Since we had kids, we always gave them sparklers to run around with in the yard/street and I would light a few of the ground sparklers you can buy in the supermarkets. NEVER HAD A PROBLEM for the past 20 years.

Evidently there was/is a problem in NJ.

This past 4th, my family and I were lighting sparkers after dinner at my aunt's house in Barnegat Light when it got dark. We had a small window because the rain was coming in. I had set up a few of the ground sparkers and had lit two of them. Neighbors were on their decks (like every year) cheering after each burned out. BTW... if you looked up, it looked like Bagdad in '91. Every year it looks like this.

With that... a car pulled up in the middle of the street, I actually waved him on and waited for him to pass because it was a "regular" car. A guy got out walked up to me, no uniform and did not identify himself, and told me "You can't have fireworks in New Jersey". I said "These are sparklers not fireworks". He said he was taking them. I said... "who are you and... they are sparklers?". He said the police and he said I had one option, he was taking them. I said they are only sparkers and asked if I could box them up and take them home. He then said if I wanted to be that way he was going to give me a ticket. I said I guess you gotta do what you gotta do but they are only sparklers and if you look up there are plenty of other places to find people lighting rockets. By that point another guy showed up, plain clothes badge around his neck. Neither were uniformed, neither were in squad cars.

They made me get my identification out of the house then 10 minutes later, they both came back with a citation to appear in court July 18th at 5:00pm to answer for the citation. I asked "all this for sparklers?", they said "we are just doing our job". I was not drinking, not cussing them out, never told them they cant take the sparklers, didn't try to stop them, etc... All I said was "How about I box them up and take them back to PA?" and the undercover officer said "If thats how you want to be you are getting a ticket". I figured I would get a ticket not a summons to report for court in two weeks.

So... I of course I went in and looked online at the laws of NJ and yes, sparkers are illegal in NJ, DE, and Mass. So obviously I had broken the law. In my state, PA, we differentiate sparkers and fireworks. i bought the sparkers in our local market. We have huge warehouses of PA illegal fireworks for sale here but PA residents can not enter the store and buy them. ANY OTHER STATE's residents can buy them. So what Im saying is the sparkers I bought were jokes compared to rockets, cherry bombs, fire crackers, M-80's, bottle rockets, etc...

My plan was to show up and not say anything and just take the fine, pay it and be gone and not buy my aunt's house as I was planning to do this fall and never return to LBI. If the cop tells a different version of the story or I am being roughed up by the judge about how horrible of a person I am, I was going to basically give my 45 years of good citizenry in their state, the amount of money I have spent over the years, I was planning on buying my aunt's house on the island this fall, the years I have been lighting sparkers and NOTHING was said, having to take half a day from work to go back, etc... then apologize for wasting their and the taxpayers money for a ridiculous citation and say this will be the last summer me and my family ever spend down there and head to the outer banks from now on.

Either way, I know Im probably going to be fined and read the act of "we are a quiet town and the law is the law, etc..." and lose but I want to make my peace with this because I really felt discretion was needed with this and this is nothing but a money grab pure and simple.

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions, etc....

It TOTALLY destroyed my vacation!! It just festered all week

stay out of NJ.,,...everything is fkn illegal.

Was staying in Wildwood back in the late 90s and Memorial Day weekend was a washout.  In a break of the rain, me and another guy were standing on the hotel's large parking lot talking and he tossed a football to me from the back of his car.... once... immediately we heard a crown vic floor it towards us from a block away.  Thr cop said, "that is enough of that crap, if you throw that ball again you will spend the night in jail."  We told him to chill out which he did not like.

Everything is Illegal in NJ.  Stay the hell out of that state.  

It's a shame too as far as geography it's probably one of the nicest states in the country.  Great coastline, good hunting, nice hills in the northern part of the state.

its far from the nicest state...

The NJ beach towns are pretty awesome.

That aside, I saw on Channel 6 tonight that Ocean City is going to fine people $500 and give up to 90 days in jail to people who feed seagulls.  Why not give them the chair?

CRUSHED.  Offered me "a deal".

1.  accept the state charge of disorderly persons in the 4th degree and pay a 500 dollar fine (would have a record then)
2.  accept the boro charge of "code violation" and pay a 1000 dollar fine (no record)

The did not care that we only had sparklers.  They did not care that we have been vacationing there for years.

Had all of us there by the balls!!!

I paid the thousand and said that was the last money they will ever see from my family.

That's insane.  Even though you were apparently in the wrong, that is retarded.  I would call the media and start absolutely destroying the parties on social media.

Well you learned a lesson that was cheap in the sense you didnt purchase a house in Communist NJ. The northeast is pretty much the same PA is the only one left and they keep electing liberals/democraps/communist to offices like Governor you will see it turn also like NY/NJ/MA etc .  You need to look south of the Mason Dixon line. Lots of freedom and a lot less BS.

Uhhh.. Maryland is on the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Thats a border state in the fight for Northern aggression.  So i dont count MD as a southern state

New jersey is fuct.all fireworks are illegal.  Depending on the area depends how it goes.  About 10 years ago I lit off a ton of them, mortars, real bang stuff, ect.  At the third call the police said if there was one more call there would be charges.  This was off of the Burlington bristol bridge, ri th t off of 130 I think.  They were as cool as can be for upholding stupid laws.  In my experience, shore cops are always the dicksthat just want to f people's day up.