Fireworks might be everywhere this summer, but 2 retailers and a pyrotechnician told us your conspiracy theories about them probably aren't true

• If you've noticed more fireworks in your neighborhood, you're not alone.
• Two fireworks retailers told Business Insider they've seen spikes in sales — but that the fireworks you're seeing aren't professional-grade.
• Pyrotechnician Mike Tockstein said consumer-grade fireworks can look quite large in neighborhoods, but they're not what you'd see in a professional display.
• All three experts said conspiracy theories surrounding fireworks don't hold weight, and you're likely seeing them due to a combination of boredom, excitement over the summer, and the cancellation of displays.

If you feel like there have been more fireworks than usual, you're correct: Just ask Jon Weitzel, a partner at Brooklyn Fireworks, which, despite its name, is located in Pennsylvania.

He said that Brooklyn Fireworks is all sold out of wholesale fireworks from China — so they've had to turn to more expensive domestic distributors. That means that, while they're selling more fireworks than ever, they're making less money.

But why are so many more fireworks being sold?

"Point blank, period, I'll tell you where the money is coming from: the unemployment stimulus, the extra $600 they're getting a week, 100%, because I'm swiping those red cards all day," Weitzel said. He added that regular customers have been spending much more than they usually would on fireworks.

In May, overall retail sales in the US jumped by 17.7% — and sales of fireworks have also reportedly increased. It's possible that Americans spent stimulus money on fireworks, in addition to things like weed and video games.

Matt Shea, the vice president of New Hampshire's Atlas Fireworks, said he's not aware of an increase in unemployment benefit spending on fireworks. He added that he would presume "there are some" as "most of the country is receiving some form of assistance from the government."

Pennsylvania is a key state in answering the big question of just where all these fireworks are coming from. New Yorkers have long fled to Pennsylvania to legally purchase fireworks. Weitzel said sales are around eight times greater than last year, with the majority of sales coming from New Yorkers.

Shea said New Hampshire is also a major hub for New Yorkers seeking fireworks, and that Atlas has seen increases in both consumer fireworks sales and out-of-state visitors.

Gothamist reported that fireworks complaints in New York City were 236 times greater in June than the year before. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new task force on Tuesday to address illegal fireworks.

The fireworks you're seeing probably aren't professional-grade

While some have claimed that the fireworks in their neighborhood look like they are professional or display-grade, Shea said that's unlikely.

Essentially, he said, there are two types of fireworks: consumer fireworks and display fireworks. Consumer fireworks are the type you can purchase at a retail store, while display fireworks are the type you'd see at a professional Fourth of July display.

"You have to have a myriad of licenses to buy display fireworks," Shea told Business Insider. In fact, he added that retail stores can't sell display fireworks.

But if you've noticed that the fireworks in your neighborhood seem particularly large or professional-grade, that's understandable.

"It's a very common misunderstanding," pyrotechnician Mike Tockstein told Business Insider. "In a neighborhood, consumer fireworks can look pretty big."

According to Tockstein, who has displayed his technical abilities on Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters," when people come to him and say the fireworks they're seeing resemble the professional ones he sets off, he points them to this video of someone setting off the smallest professional display in a residential neighborhood.

"The general rule of thumb is about 50 feet per inch of shell is the break diameter, so a consumer fireworks might be an inch-and-a-half across, so that would yield 75 to 100 feet in diameter break in the sky, which is pretty substantial for being in a neighborhood," Tockstein said. "Versus the typical smallest shells that we use in professional displays, which would be three inches in diameter, you're looking at a 150-foot break across, and we use shells much larger than that, considering that that would be the smallest shell."

So why is everyone setting off fireworks?

The experts said it boiled down to a few key things: boredom, free time, and the lack of larger displays.

"Everybody is having fun and celebrating," Shea said. "We were locked up for two months as a country, and the weather's warm, people are all having fun. Many are still unemployed, and everybody is overly excited to celebrate summer with fireworks."

Weitzel said he thinks there's also an element of competition to it: if the block next to yours is shooting off an impressive display, you naturally want to one-up them.

And Tockstein said the higher rates of consumer fireworks are "inevitable" as larger displays are cancelled.

What about the conspiracies surrounding them?

As Insider's Ellen Cranley reported, conspiracy theories surrounding the origins of the fireworks caught fire over the weekend. Some theorized that government officials were behind the displays.

Others pointed to a video that seemed to show fireworks going off near an NYPD precinct, and footage of firefighters in front of a Brooklyn fire station lighting a standing firework.

But all three experts said the conspiracy theories don't hold weight.

"That's 95% conspiracy, and 5% nothing," Shea said.

Some have theorized that the increase in fireworks has to do with retailers offering steeper discounts, but both Shea and Weitzel said the deals they've been offering are comparable to last year.

When will the fireworks end?

Tockstein said he thinks many people don't understand that Fourth of July fireworks are going to be drastically reduced this year. It's the first time in 20 years he's not doing a Fourth of July display.

And, once the fourth passes with little professional fireworks fanfare, he said he "could see the consumer fireworks usage going up."

Shea said we won't know if people have just been pre-buying fireworks for the fourth or stockpiling them for future use until July 5.

And Weitzel has a simpler theory for when the fireworks may die down.

"I think it will end at July 31 — when the unemployment stimulus ends."