With the summer season upon us, the widespread use of illegal backyard fireworks in Maryland communities has resumed in full force, including in the Parkton community where I live. Normally peaceful communities and their residents are assaulted by fireworks bombardments that mimic the sensory violence of mass shootings and terrorist attacks: loud explosions and shrieks, the pop-pop-pop of what sounds like gunfire, sharp flashes of light, and aerial bursts of flaming embers falling upon rooftops, lawns and forested areas.

Community residents can feel like they are living in a war zone when they face a night-time barrage of loud firecrackers in their neighborhood. The following morning when they wake up they may feel alienated from the community where they have lived for many years.

This sensory violence frightens infants, young children and pets. It endangers the health of those with cardiovascular issues such as hypertension and heart arrhythmia when they are suddenly jolted by loud explosions outside their window. It can terrify those with anxiety disorders and trigger a panic attack in those who have been victims of violence or lived in war zones. I have seen this first-hand as a psychotherapist working with clients around the New Year’s and Fourth of July holidays.

We would not accept an unsanctioned NASCAR stock car race through the streets of a quiet residential community, so why do we tolerate triggering fireworks explosions outside our homes? Those who feel compelled to entertain themselves with fireworks throughout the summer could alternately do so by looking at fireworks on their computer or phone. But then this would take away from the fun of terrorizing their neighbors. Sitting in front of a computer screen does nothing to force violence into the personal space of those living nearby or satisfy the perpetrators’ need for attention and to treat their community like a schoolyard bully.

The malevolence of backyard firecrackers is revealed in the titles of popular fireworks packages available at retail fireworks outlets, titles such as “Thermobaric Warheads 16 Shot,” “Pounding Barrage 49 Shot,” “Rain of Fire 36 Shot,” “Red Devil Canister Shell” and “Monster Cannister Shells.” Note the frequent references to the number of “shots” in a package. It’s no coincidence that participants sometimes fire guns in the air during fireworks displays, nor that the summer months see both more backyard fireworks bombardments and higher rates of homicide and criminal assault.

The increased frequency of backyard fireworks displays is symptomatic of a wider threat to our society today, namely the pandemic of inconsiderate and aggressive behavior, both verbal and physical, occurring on social media, in schools and shopping malls, on streets and highways. While as a society we officially deplore violence, many are still fascinated and look to carry it out in different ways both large and small.

Police and local officials have shown little interest in proactively taking measures to enforce the law and curb this growing problem that adversely affects the quality of life for so many people each summer. This may in part be because the police are overstretched on summer weekends and need additional funding for more front-line officers.

The fact remains that increased police surveillance of problem areas is needed, along with much higher fines for the use of illegal fireworks. In Maryland, the minimum fine is $250. This provides little incentive to stop detonating backyard fireworks, since perpetrators are already willing to spend upward of $300 on a single residential fireworks package.

Beyond tougher regulation and enforcement, collectively we need to reaffirm in our daily lives the importance of civility, kindness and self-restraint out of consideration for the rights of others, including their right to live within safe and peaceful communities.

Fred Medinger (fmedinger@comcast.net) is a psychotherapist who lives in Parkton.