Yet another noob.

[MofoPyro]

Hi everyone,
My name is Mike O. (Mo)for(fo)Pyro (get it...) Yeah, I know I'm clever. What were you all thinking I meant?! Shame. Anyway...
I live in Eastern Washington and have been dabbling in amateur pyro for a few years. I'm a GenX'r who loves amateur astronomy, chemistry, electronics, and pretty much everything science.
Wanted to say hi and ask you all (although it seems this forum may be for more experienced professionals), for advice on how to advance in this hobby while not running afoul of the ATF and local authorities. Would also love to hear about some of your personal experiences about starting out. I'm thinking that constructing a suitable magazine would be one of my first endeavors. Followed by submitting proper applications, but here is where I get lost. Some of what I have read makes it seem you can't get any kind of license, esp. for transporting, without having documented hours working with licensed pro's?
Hoping everyone has a great new year and doesn't forget to take there stuff out of the back of there Cybertrucks!
Mike

[BMoore]

Welcome to the forum! My advice would be to first maximize what you can do with consumer product and of course follow the laws of where you are shooting. With 1.4 professional products now on the market, you may find you don't even need to venture into 1.3 or ATF licensing. If you do choose to advance to that level, your first step should be to attend some training. If you can work some shows with a display company, they usually have their own training programs and nothing beats working side by side with experienced individuals. Another option might be to join a pyro club if there is one in your area. I'd also reccomend Dave's DVD package that walks you through much of the licensing process at the federal level.

The ATF license does not require any formal training or documented hours of working. However, the AFT license really only allows you to purchase and possess explosives. State and local laws control your ability to shoot product and some permitting processes do in fact require experience.

Personally, I would not suggest constructing a magazine right off the bat. A magazine adds a great deal more complexity and paperwork that you'll have to navigate. Once you get the point of being ready for an ATF license, I'd suggest finding a distributor who will offer contingency storage and use that contingency storage for a while. A magazine would be the next step in your advancement.

[displayfireworks1]

If you want to build a magazine many members were kind enough to outline how they did it and included pictures of the progression along the way. I recommend to use the search feature for the forums

[Salutecake]

What BMoore said.
State and local regulations are probably going to be the hardest to navigate. The ATF license is fairly easy to get if you can pass a background check but there is also an interview process that you will have to go through, and depending on the Inspector you get?? I have had a lot of different questions thrown at me over the years, but things the inspectors like to here is that you belong to the PGI or some other group and have taken their course - worked show with pro companies - possible in a fireworks club and ofcourse the big question is if you have contigency storage and how far away is it from you.

Dave, a question for you - we are fortunate in PA that we can do this as a hobbyist, do you know of other states that allow this or is it possible in every state?

Good luck!