— An effort to legalize more fireworks in North Carolina fizzled in a House committee on Tuesday amid opposition by fire officials, retailers and safety advocates.

House Bill 615 calls for allowing sales and use of "consumer fireworks" in the state but sets rules for who can sell and buy them and where and when they can be used. Cities and counties would be allowed to prohibit their use locally under the proposal.

Sponsor Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, said he is tired of seeing people stock up on fireworks in South Carolina or Georgia and set them off in their North Carolina neighborhoods.

"We have more hazardous conditions when they're bought out of state illegally than if we had a legal product," Szoka told the House Regulatory Reform committee.

Consumer fireworks are defined in the bill as those rated 1.4G, which are a step below those used in professional fireworks displays. They can contain up to 50 mg of flash powder for ground effects or 130 mg for aerial effects and must meet specifications on the types of chemicals included to produce different colors and effects.

But Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Yancey, recounted the story of a child killed by 1.4G fireworks, and Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret, noted that her neighbor's home on Emerald Isle burned to the ground after a fireworks accident.

"We can't stop them from coming across the state line, but we don't need to make them legal here," McElraft said. "We need to protect our children."

Rob Roegner, senior deputy with the state Fire Marshal's Office, and Lt. Lemuel Hubbard, deputy fire marshal for the Raleigh Fire Department, both expressed opposition to the bill.

"We will have more injuries. We will have more fires," said Hubbard, noting that Raleigh firefighters alone had to put out 14 fireworks-related fires on July 4.

Szoka and Rep. Keith Kidwell, R-Beaufort, argued that lawmakers shouldn't be legislating personal safety and responsibility.

"There are other things we all use in our daily lives that are inherently dangerous," Szoka said.

Kidwell, who was unsuccessful in trying to remove a 5 percent excise tax on fireworks from the bill, suggested more people are hurt every year by turkey fryers than by fireworks.

Sarah Bales, a lobbyist for the North Carolinians for Fireworks Safety Coalition, called Szoka's argument that fireworks are being used illegally in North Carolina now disingenuous, equating it with loosening laws on drunk driving.

"Just because you make something legal doesn't make it safe," Bales said, noting many fireworks are imported from overseas and don't meet safety standards. "They're dangerous products that are inherently not safe."

Dan Peart, director of governmental affairs for Phantom Fireworks, spoke in favor of the bill, noting that 17 states have legalized consumer fireworks since 2000 and that injuries continue to decline as usage expands.

"We've got a pretty good safety record in the U.S., and the numbers reflect that," Peart told lawmakers.

Andy Ellen, president of the North Carolina Retail Merchants Association, complained about the permit fees retailers would be required to pay and the dozens of pages of regulations they would need to meet to be able to sell fireworks, calling them barriers to entry.

After close to an hour of debate, Szoka pulled the bill from consideration before it could be voted on. It's unclear whether the bill will resurface this session.