AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Many Mainers hear popping and see fireworks bursting over neighborhoods on the Fourth of July. Right now, that’s against the law, but a state lawmaker wants to change that.

Republican Sen. Walter Gooley of Farmington knows fireworks can cause injury and start fires. But he believes it would be better to regulate the sale of fireworks because people are buying them elsewhere and bringing them to Maine illegally.

Gooley faces opposition from Fire Marshal John Dean. Dean tells the Kennebec Journal that even with a law banning fireworks, there have been 45 fires tied to fireworks since 2000 in Maine.

As it stands, five states ban all fireworks. Another five, including Maine, allow sparklers.