Novelty Lighters are lighters, typically used to light tobacco

Tobacco

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...

 products, that are shaped like objects. Novelty Lighters can have audio or visual effects, and oftentimes look like toys.

Controversy Surrounding Novelty Lighters

Novelty Lighters have been connected to numerous fires across the country. Due to their toy-like appearance, children have mistaken them for toys and have caused property damage

Property damage

Property damage is damage to or the destruction of public or private property, caused either by a person who is not its owner or by natural phenomena. Property damage caused by persons is generally categorized by its cause: neglect , and intentional damage...

, injury or death. On September 25, 2007, 2 toddlers from Russellville, Arkansas

Russellville, Arkansas

Russellville is the county seat and largest city in Pope County, Arkansas, United States, with a population of 27,920, according to the 2010 Census. It is home to Arkansas Tech University and Arkansas Nuclear One, Arkansas' only nuclear power plant...

, died after setting fire to their apartment with a motorcycle-shaped lighter.

Bans on Novelty Lighters

On May 11, 2006, the European Consumer Protection Commission adopted a decision requiring Member States to ensure that, from March 11, 2007, cigarette lighters

Lighter

A lighter is a portable device used to generate a flame. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable fluid or pressurized liquid gas, a means of ignition, and some provision for extinguishing the flame.- History :...

 are child-resistant when placed on the EU

European Union

The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 market. The decision also prohibits placing lighters on the market that resemble objects that are particularly attractive to children.

In the United States, Maine was the first state to ban the sale of Novelty Lighters. This ban came about after the son of a Maine fire chief

Fire chief

Fire Chief is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department, either elected or appointed...

 burned his eye on a novelty lighter shaped like a baseball bat

Baseball bat

A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...

. Since then, Tennessee, Oregon, and Arkansas have also banned novelty lighters. The Virginia Legislature

Virginia General Assembly

The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...

 recently passed legislation to ban novelty lighters, and is waiting for Virginia Governor

Governor of Virginia

The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....

 Tim Kaine

Tim Kaine

Timothy Michael "Tim" Kaine is a Virginia politician. Kaine served as the 70th Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2009 to 2011...

 to sign the bill.

Other states considering legislation to ban novelty lighters include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington

Many cities and counties in the United States

County (United States)

In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

 have passed ordinances banning novelty lighters. They include:

California:
Cathedral City,
Chula Vista,
El Cajon,
Encinitas,
Highland,
La Mesa,
National City,
Redlands,
San Diego City,
Solana Beach,
Vista

Georgia:
Dawson County,
Dawsonville

Kentucky:
Shively

Maryland:
City of Laurel

Mississippi:
Meridian

Ohio:
Huber Heights,
Dayton

Washington:
City of Yakima,
Sunnyside,
Yakima County

Wyoming:
Burns

U.S. Senators

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 Chris Dodd

Christopher Dodd

Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....

 (D-Conn.), Ron Wyden

Ron Wyden

Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....

 (D-Ore.), and Susan Collins

Susan Collins

Susan Margaret Collins is the junior United States Senator from Maine and a member of the Republican Party. First elected to the Senate in 1996, she is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...

(R-Maine) introduced the “Protect Children from Dangerous Lighters Act” in 2008, which would ban these lighters nationally.

Novelty lighters were banned from sale and manufacture in South Australia on 6th of January 2010.