A couple of points:

A) Isn't everything illegal in Jersey, including Safe and Sane?

B) Mr. McDonald has no business selling fireworks if he, himself, cannot follow simple fireworks safety tips.
1) NEVER light a damp firework.
2) NEVER light fireworks with sparklers; use punk, candle lights, fireworks torches, etc. Sparklers burn too hot too quickly to be effective and safe lighting devices.

C) If Mr. McDonald is anything like the roadside vendors down here, he is likely to be selling illegal items. Two Color Spaceships, UFOs, Magic Crystals, and Galileos were readily available down here. These items all fly about 40 feet into the air and explode. At some stands, they were selling multi-packs of what appeared to be nothing but fountains and cones, yet they contained bottle rockets as well.

D) If everyone would use common sense when lighting fireworks, there would be little danger. Use an open, mowed field. Have a hose and fire extinguishers in case of fire. Keep your spectators at least 40 feet away, though more is best. Don't drink. Light your stuff and get the heck away.

Personally, I have use illegal fireworks. I've been trained in the correct way to use them, and my family has put on some pretty impressive shows. I think if PA as a state would lift the ban on consumer fireworks, it'd be a great thing - as long as everyone remembers safety and common sense. I think PA could make some extra revenue through this as well. Either make it so that you must purchase a fireworks license yearly (only after you pass a course similar to the Hunter's Education Safety Courses), or dedicate "shoot sites" (open fields where people get together and fire all of their aerials off) where people must pay x-amount to rent the space for however long. I wouldn't mind paying for a yearly license for the chance to purchase my fireworks legally, rather than have them shipped in from out of state and worry about whether a cop is going to see the giant semi taking up my whole street, with the driver carrying out a box the size of a coffin, decorated in all sorts of haz-mat stickers.