18 August 2015

America, F%$# Yeah!

Say what you will about America, but we lead the world in firearms related stupidity:
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.”
A flamethrower may result in injury or even death?

Gee, you think?

One bright spot, for me, anyway:
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.
So these lunatics are not selling their weapons of death in my my state.

I'm now beginning to wonder how this country ever managed to survive our occasional bouts of peace.

There are times that I wonder if we are more of an episode of Jackass than we are a nation.

H/t Naked Capitalism.

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