Why can't they make purchasers of explosives show an ID and be put on a list

[pnwmom]

just like purchasers of decongestants?

This wouldn't interfere with the 2nd amendment -- you could even let them buy the stuff. But it would allow the FBI to crosscheck those purchasers against the names on the terrorism database -- and know who should be monitored extremely carefully.

[jberryhill]

1. Depends on what you mean by "explosive"

Diesel fuel and fertilizer?

Fireworks?

You're going to need a big list.

[pnwmom]

4. The Boston bombers got theirs from a fireworks store.

That would be a place to start.

You're right that there are other highly explosive materials. Why not monitor them all? Are any of them less dangerous than decongestants?

[jberryhill]

7. I don't know where you live....

...but I don't know anyone around here that doesn't go through a couple hundred gallons of diesel every heating season.

That's gonna be a long list.

[Yo_Mama]

21. He had to show ID and be put on a list

The fireworks store figured out they had sold the fireworks to the bomber by going through their list of purchasing records, and than yhey contacted the FBI, I believe. It could have been another agency. But anyway, they were taking ID and keeping a list.

You can make bombs from lots of materials - we'd have so many records no one could go through them all.

Most people buy gasoline. Many people buy heating oil, propane or kerosene. The list seems practically endless. I believe you can make explosives by combining a few common cleaning chemicals. Certainly it's easy to make poison gas bombs.

[gateley]

2. Don't tread on me!!!!!

[dkf]

3. They do. That's how they found out about the NH purchase.

[pnwmom]

5. Are you sure? Then they should be cross-checking

this info against the terrorism database.

[dkf]

9. Oh sorry that was STORE policy to ask for an ID

He used cash but they still insisted on an ID.

[Tx4obama]

6. Bill on sale of explosive powder introduced in US Congress

Bill on sale of explosive powder introduced in US Congress
http://election.democraticunderground.com/1014464381

Also related...

How The NRA Impeded The Boston Bomber Investigation
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022726604

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. The former is not going to work as written and the latter has been debunked

[Epiphany4z]

8. in ohio when you buy

fireworks you have to show an id and fill out a half sheet of paper with some info and your signature.

[doc03]

15. Where I live in Ohio you sign a sheet saying you live out of state. n/t

[Travis_0004]

16. This isn't true where I buy fireworks (In Ohio)

Last time I bought fireworks, they made me sign a sheet asking where I was taking them to. I put Guam, they they laughed and said 'good enough', and I bought them.

[Trajan]

10. What are you? ... Some god damned Liberal explosives grabber

Don't you know it's every American's god given right to blow shit up?

[Mopar151]

11. The nature of fireworks retailing

Makes that highly unlikely. Most of the stores are located close to a state line, so that the fireworks can be transported quickly to where they are illegal. MA State Cops lie awake at night wishing that Phantom's customer records were somehow accessible to them.

[freshwest]

12. I believe that. I wonder what the NY laws on them were.

[pnwmom]

13. I was thinking of a Federal law, actually. n/t

[Recursion]

17. The relevant law was written before most people had heard of IEDs

It's governed by the SAFE Explosives Act. This was passed in 2002 before anybody knew what an IED was; the idea was to track people who bought the kind of explosives that could take down buildings rather than take out people in a crowd. This should probably be updated.

[Fumesucker]

19. The Olympic bombing happened in 1996

The term IED may not have been in common parlance at the time but that's exactly what Rudolph used to bomb the Olympics and several other places including a gay nightclub and a women's health center.

[Recursion]

20. Fair point; people were still thinking high-concept targets, however

Rightly or wrongly (so apparently wrongly) Congress was more worried about another McVeigh- or Yousef-style bombing than another Rudolph-style bombing. Though also the materials to take out a building are much easier to track than the materials to take out people in a crowd. For that matter, flamethrowers are currently unregulated too... I don't like even thinking about that.

[krispos42]

18. because 12 people were murdered with explosives last year.

It's non issue. The country has been awash in gunpowder and black power for decades, and it is not use to kill people.

And if you're a terrorist, manufacturing a pound of two for a terrorist device is not a big hurdle.

Hell, you can buy a box of rifle ammo and just pull the bullets out to get to the powder.

[Agony]

22. farmers