Military flamethrowers being sold to the public

[pixy0stix]

eclaires - Its no tank, but what about a flamethrower?


kdvr.com/2015/08/13/flamethrowers-given-up-by-military-are-now-being-sold-to-the-public/


NEW YORK — Flamethrowers were gruesome weapons of war and so controversial that the U.S. military stopped using them after Vietnam.

But as crazy as it may sound, they are available for sale to the public.

A Cleveland startup called Throwflame is selling flamethrowers for $1,599 that can shoot fire for 50 feet. Another company, Ion Productions Team of Detroit, is selling $900 flamethrowers that can eject flames for 25 feet. Both companies started selling them this year.

The flamethrowers are marketed not as weapons, but as fun devices.

“We always have the people who just want it for fun. Impress the neighbors at the BBQ,” said Throwflame founder Quinn Whitehead.

Both Whitehead and Ion CEO Chris Byars said their flamethrowers have caused no injuries, and safety is a priority. But Ion notes on its website that the flamethrower “may result in injury or even death.”

Living History Detachment Uses FlamethrowersThe flamethrowers do have practical uses, both companies told CNNMoney. They said farmers can use them to clear fields by burning unwanted brush, and fire departments can use them for controlled burns, to try and prevent accidental forest fires or to stop them from spreading.

How do they work? Throwflame’s fire comes from a hose connected to a backpack with a tank of fuel. The Ion flamethrower is powered by a fuel can that’s attached directly to the device.

Are flamethrowers legal? A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it doesn’t regulate them because they are not guns. That means buyers don’t need to go through background checks from the FBI.

Still, flamethrowers could run afoul of state or local laws. They are banned outright in Maryland. California considers them “destructive devices,” which are illegal, but the state does issue permits for use on movie sets.

Many other local jurisdictions have fire codes and weapon controls, which could prevent people from buying or using them.

There’s no outright ban on them in the country’s National Parks. However, you cannot use one, and displaying one could result in prosecution for causing “unrest,” according to the Parks’ regional chief ranger William Reynolds.

The Department of the Interior, which controls the Office of Wild Fire, said its firefighters use a variety of incendiary devices, including drip torches, flares and propane torches. While it didn’t name a flamethrower, it does use a Terra Torch, which behaves like one. However, it’s fueled by a tank mounted in a truck, which isn’t portable.

Throwflame and Ion sell their flamethrowers online.

Byars said he ships via the U.S. Postal Service, which has restrictions against flammable liquids. So he ships them without the fuel.

Whitehead said he ships via UPS. Susan Rosenberg, a UPS spokeswoman, confirmed that “a flamethrower device without fuel is not a restricted item and is not licensed in the same way as firearms or ammunition. UPS will accept the device for shipment if legal in the origin and destination locations.”

[penguingrrl]

Well this doesn't make me uncomfortable at all...

[elleblue]

What a swell idea. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

[pixy0stix]

But they're FUN DEVICES!

[summer]

Even buyers under 18! Awesome!

[penguingrrl]

Aug 13, 2015 15:48:01 GMT -5 summer said:

Even buyers under 18! Awesome!

Now I know my new stock birthday gift for the kids from school whose parents I don't like!

[Daria Morgandorffer]

Wut.

[summer]

Aug 13, 2015 15:50:17 GMT -5 penguingrrl said:

Aug 13, 2015 15:48:01 GMT -5 summer said:

Even buyers under 18! Awesome!

Now I know my new stock birthday gift for the kids from school whose parents I don't like!

even better, put them in the gift bags for your kid's next birthday party.  Waaay better than gummy bears.

I guarantee some celebrity is going to do this

[mbcdefg]

[eclaires]

I know what I am asking for for my birthday!!!!

[Deleted]

Well we are all going to need one for the Zombie Apocalypse.

[irishbride2]

Aug 13, 2015 15:48:01 GMT -5 summer said:

Even buyers under 18! Awesome!

So schools cannot have large bottles of hand sanitizer in classrooms because kids can light it on fire, but giving a minor a flamethrower sounds like a fabulous idea!

[josieposy]

Aug 13, 2015 15:53:22 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!

[ttt]

I mean, it's not much more dangerous than the other weapons currently available to the American public, so why not?

[debatethis]

Not military issue but they've been for sale on Amazon for quite awhile.

[sparrowsong]

There was a video going around last winter of a guy sick of shoveling using a flamethrower to clear snow in his yard.

[ttt]

Aug 13, 2015 16:56:43 GMT -5 sparrowsong said:

There was a video going around last winter of a guy sick of shoveling using a flamethrower to clear snow in his yard.

I don't see any possible way this could go wrong. 

[LadySusan]

This would make weeding the witch grass that comes up through the paver walkway the funnest thing ever.

[sushi]

Guys, it's just a machine. They can't hurt anyone without people.

[Elsa]

Whatever. You'll be grateful when a good guy with a flamethrower is there when you are in danger. I mean as long as he doesn't set the bad guy AND you on fire.

[ttt]

Aug 13, 2015 18:30:54 GMT -5 sushi said:

Guys, it's just a machine. They can't hurt anyone without people.

Flamethrowers don't kill people - people kill people. 

[sushi]

I'm happy to use a flamethrower against terrorist ants. meshaliuknits

[meshaliuknits]

Aug 13, 2015 21:18:04 GMT -5 sushi said:

I'm happy to use a flamethrower against terrorist ants. meshaliuknits

I'm seriously considering burning down the house and salting the earth right now. It's INSANE.

[downtoearth]

Such a grand idea. More people should have these as global warming keeps raging on.

California drought: Wildfires rage across parched state after four-year water shortage

and

Smoke from hundreds of North American wildfires is taking a toll on U.S. air quality