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The Right to Bear Flame
From the Washington Post comes this terrifying report:
A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed this: There are no federal regulations or restrictions on flamethrowers. Ironically, flamethrowers don’t qualify as “firearms.” The National Firearms Act defines a firearm as a weapon that expels a projectile by the action of an explosive, which a flamethrower does not.
I’m not sure you knew this, but flamethrowers are dangerous. They’ve been in movies and stuff:
Though the modern versions aren’t intended to be weapons, that’s how we’ve seen flamethrowers used in movies — from Iron Man shooting flames from his hands, to Sigourney Weaver incinerating aliens, to that very scary scene in “Project X” where an angry drug dealer lights homes, cars and SWAT team members on fire.
Which, of course, is a logic train that applies to pretty much anything cool. A jet, say. Or a Winnebago. But, terrorism! Crazy people!
So far, the only outspoken politician on the topic is Jim Fouts, the mayor of Warren, Mich., near where [Flamethrowers] XM42s are manufactured.
“My greatest fear is that this could be used by terrorists,” Fouts said, specifically citing homegrown killers such as Adam Lanza, who in 2012 killed 27 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. “Imagine what an unbalanced mind would do if he had a flamethrower.”
There isn’t, of course, a Right to Bear Flame. Which is kind of too bad, because this looks cool:
I mean, it’s totally unsuitable for home defense — you’d kill the intruder, sure, but you’d also burn your house down — but I still want one.
Or, at least, I want to know someone who has one. And I want to head out to a field and let it fly.
Published in General
“There isn’t, of course, a Right to Bear Flame.”
Rob, of course there is. The Ninth Amendment attests to the existence of a list of pre-government individual rights of indeterminate, effectively infinite, length. We don’t just have the rights listed in the Constitution.
But is there a right to flame bears?
To be quite honest it does strike me as bizarre that people who are so concerned about insensitive speech as to create “safe spaces” from hurtful ideas are not inflamed by the idea of someone using this weapon. Through a careful examination of the video, one would notice the health and safety stickers on the device. It is also telling that the only Democrat concerned by this product is the one who has it being manufactured in his city.
Neither are air rifles.
Ask napoleon about air rifles.
Is there a ban on owning nukes? Asking for a friend.
– BHO
Great for clearing snow!
I suspect soon We’ll be seeing:
“Flamethrower Free Zone”
signs everywhere.
That is his greatest fear? Of all the possibilities out there this is one keeping him awake at night?
I was thinking more along the lines of an acre of graham crackers, topped with marshmallows and Hershey bars.
But, yeah, I guess snow.
Exactly my thought. Shouldn’t he be trying to get them to come up with the XM43 and the XM44 and a whole lot more XMs, all manufactured right there within the city limits?
A lighter and can of Lysol makes a great flamethrower.
I can’t be the only one here who’s tried it.
An acre of s’mores? Someone’s been hanging around Colorado again.
Bring back the carousel and put this story under Creme Brulee Hacks.
A match and a specific orifice makes a great flamethrower.
I can’t be the only one Here Who’s read that somewhere.
Outrageous that no candidates are talking about this.
Rob,
Why Robala you’ve given my a great idea. I know just the kind of guy we need. Somebody who can tame an elephant and appeal to the masses.
I give you fire!!!
https://youtu.be/KpvXga-MsSE
Regards,
Jim
Well, this explains the rash of flamethrower-related murders we’ve been seeing. It seems like you can’t open a newspaper these days without reading about another mass torching.
In other news, glass bottles are still totally legal, as are rags and gasoline. Won’t someone think of the children and ban these substances that are so easy to turn into terrible weapons of mass destruction?
And what if these weapons are delivered by
toy aircraftDRONES???Clearly we need more laws.
Great idea of a Ricochet Lifetime Reagan-level Membership premium.
It’s the issue that could have saved Walker’s campaign.
I am looking for something for my nephew. He is going to turn 1 next month. Perhaps something I can stencil the words “My First Flamethrower” on the back.
My sister-in-law won’t be happy, but there is no pleasing some people.
I was planning to share.
Anthony Kennedy will fix that if given a chance.
A can of Ronsonol lighter fluid worked for us.
Sadly, it’s arguable that a paintball marker does (a projectile expelled by an “explosive” gust of air/CO2), which is why some jurisdictions regulate them more heavily that flamethrowers.
FYI: While possession of a flamethrower may be legal, the indiscriminate setting of fires in public places (and often private place as well) is very much NOT. As such, any use of a flamethrower could very well be illegal in your jurisdiction. Ask your fire marshall to be sure.
In other words: One is allowed to discharge one’s firearm at prey, or at tin cans, or at home intruders, etc. The owner of a flamethrower almost certainly would not, due to fire safety laws.
Adds a whole new meaning to the term flame wars.
Seawriter
According to some pages I’ve read online, flamethrowers are mostly unsuitable for warfare as well, which is why so few are ever deployed. They are terribly short-ranged weapons, for one thing.
All they are good for is destroying property, but even then artillery does the job much better and from a much safer distance.
(They’re also useless against zombies.)
Donald Trump:
“There are some terrific people behind these flamethrowers, which are for peaceful purposes, by the way. But they could get into the hands of some bad people, who could do some really bad things. That’s what a lot of people are saying – not just me. So we are going to be looking at this – we are going to be looking at this closely. I’m going to put the very best people on it. On day one, I can assure you, I will know more about flamethrowers than any other president. The Constitution, which I’ve read by the way, says the right to bear arms will not be infringed upon, but come on – there’s gotta be a limit.”
Sounds like a job for Joycelyn Elders!
We used to do it with spray paint.