Examples of novelty lighters. (Photo: WI Legislature)
Legislation being proposed by a central Wisconsin lawmaker aims to restrict kids’ access to “novelty” lighters. State Representative Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) is the latest legislator to push a measure that targets lighters that look like toys and have been linked to fires started by children.
“It just doesn’t make sense, with all the other laws we have in place today, for not only consumer protection but just common sense,” Krug said.
Krug’s bill would require retail stores to display the lighters behind a counter that is not accessible to children — which isn’t always the case now. “It’s really weird . . . you can find a whole aisle of different lighters that are right next to regular-type toys.”
Lighters in general remain the nation’s number one cause of residential fires, and more than a dozen other states have already restricted the sale of novelty lighters.
“I think over the last few sessions we’ve built that momentum to get other legislators to recognize that there’s not really any valid reason why we should be selling guitars that shoot flames, or fire extinguishers that shoot flames to kids under 18,” said Krug.