Thanks to the Illinois House, it's still legal to impress your bar friends with a lighter shaped like Jesus.
A ban on novelty lighters that had sailed through the state senate stalled in the more populist chamber.
"There is a big difference between a good intention and a good piece of legislation," state Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) said.
The novelty lighter industry has been under assault in state legislatures nationwide, but is holding its own.
Most recently, a bill to ban the lighters in Vermont never made it out of committee. A bill calling for an outright ban in South Carolina remains alive only after a modification that would simply ban those under 18 from purchasing the lighters.
Still, eighteen states in all have introduced or passed legislation banning novelty lighters, according to the National Volunteer Fire Council. And bills are pending in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, according to Consumer Reports.
But do we really want to live in a world where lighters that look like baseball bats and guitars are illegal?
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"It’s interesting to note that several states have banned the sale of new novelty lighters since they appeal to children and pose a potential hazard," one collector tells Out Of The Attic 2 U. "This will likely make vintage novelty lighters more sought after.”
But here in Illinois, we can continue to amuse ourselves with such charms as this lighter shaped like a satisfying gesture to local pols and this one for the woman with moxie.
Keep them out of the reach of children, but please let the rest of us play. Soon we'll be taxed every time we use them to "access amusement" anyway, so for now let us enjoy.
Steve Rhodes doesn't smoke but finds a novelty lighter refreshing every now and then anyway.
