Bill on sale of explosive powder introduced in US Congress

[Judi Lynn]

Source: The Indian Express

Bill on sale of explosive powder introduced in US Congress
PTI : Washington, Wed Apr 24 2013, 11:15 hrs

In the wake of the Boston terror attack, an American Senator has introduced a legislation in the US Congress which requires that sales of explosive powder be subject to a background check.

"It defies common-sense that anyone, even a terrorist,can walk into a store in America and buy explosive powders without a background check or any questions asked.

Requiring a background check for an explosives permit is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our communities," Senator Frank Lautenberg said after introducing the Explosive Materials Background Check Act.

The bill requires a background check to purchase black powder, black powder substitute, or smokeless powder, in any quantity. It provides the Attorney General with the authority to stop the sale of explosives when a background check reveals that the applicant is a known or suspected terrorist and the Attorney General reasonably believes that the person may use the explosives in connection with terrorism.


Read more: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/-/1106972/

[Downwinder]

1. What is an explosive powder? Flour?

[DeSwiss]

4. Yeah it is....

...but I'm sure the DOJ would bother a citizen's flour unless they were using it to make marijuana brownies.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_explosion#Sources_of_dust

[Tx4obama]

5. The article says: black powder, black powder substitute, or smokeless powder

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Flour is only explosive as a suspended dust; not a threat in bomb-making. nt

[Downwinder]

10. OK. How about powdered aluminum and powdered iron?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. That's not explosive but very hot and will cut through steel. nt

[Downwinder]

13. Will weld a trolley to the track before the light turns green.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

14. How many die or wounded from shrapnel from a welded trolley? Not explosive. nt

[Kolesar]

21. What websites have you been perusing that you have such enthusiasm for such mixtures? eom

[Downwinder]

38. Just harkening back to my inglorious youth.

[Posteritatis]

30. It'll be defined retroactively in practice. (nt)

[DeSwiss]

2. They might as well....

...pursue world disarmament.

- Not to mention that it would make more sense.

[Tx4obama]

3. It will be interesting to see what excuses the GOPers come up with to oppose this bill. n/t

[krispos42]

17. "suspected terrorist"

In other words, the government can put you on a list, arbitrarily, then once you're on the list you lose privileges and rights without due process or judicial process or judicial review. Or even if a person with a similar or identical name to you gets on the list.

"John Smith" and "Jose Rodriguez", yeah, you're shit out of luck.

Indefinitely, too. Can't fly on a plane, can't buy a gun, can't buy ammunition or reloading supplies... can that person still buy drain cleaner? Ammonia? Propane tanks?

[Kolesar]

22. Oh, we cant ban purchase of propane, so we should not ban any explosive?

That is analogous to the RW/can't get rid of guns, so none should be banned bullshit

[krispos42]

43. Incorrect.

My point is that a suspected terrorist is not a convicted anything. There has been no due process to remove constitutional rights.

If people on the terrorist watch list lost their right to vote, or to privacy, or to faith, or to privacy, or to a lawyer, would you still support this?

[NYC Liberal]

6. Waiting for the bill requiring background checks to buy pressure cookers.

That would probably pass something like 95-5, even when the logical bill (for guns) failed.

[Cali_Democrat]

7. So true

Congress is a complete joke.

[tclambert]

18. The right of the people to keep and bear pressure cookers shall not be infringed.

I didn't find that exact language in the Constitution, but the founders probably meant to include pressure cookers. After all, Benjamin Franklin invented the pressure cooker.


(No, he didn't. I made that up.)

[groundloop]

31. A well regulated kitchen, being necessary to the feeding of a hungry family

The right of the people to keep and use pressure cookers, shall not be infringed.

[tclambert]

40. I keep forgetting the well regulated kitchen part . . .

[Javaman]

25. First they came for my pressure cooker and I did nothing...

lol

[Hoyt]

28. LMAO.

[sofa king]

9. Bwahaha, good luck on that!

The three ingredients of gunpowder are charcoal, sulfur, and saltpeter, all of which can be purchased at a drug store, individually or together, without an ID. There is no chemical process needed to make it beyond mixing--the store-bought precursors are already ground, or easily can be.

(Lest the more adventurous of you are tempted to try this, keep in mind that a single friction-spark will blow off your fingers. You have to be a special kind of asshole in the first place to want to risk that.)

Are they gonna run a background check for Salma Hayek's acne treatment (10% sulfur)? What about eggs? Is everyone grilling on the porch that weekend going to have to inform Homeland Security?

I appreciate Senator Lautenberg's concern, but seriously, the problem is crazy ass human beings, not the consumer products they use to commit their crimes. Perhaps we should turn our legislative attention in that direction.

Last edit: The Boston bombers appear to have at least attempted to acquire their gunpowder through the purchase of... fireworks. So add those to the list of nice things we can't have anymore.

[Kolesar]

23. see 22

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014464381#post22

[sofa king]

47. see 43

[dipsydoodle]

12. I'd read elsewhere here

They may have got the materials from display large display fireworks. http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022741295

[Ash_F]

15. Does that cover explosive-powder-containing bullets? /nt

[Javaman]

26. Shhhhhhh....nt

[gejohnston]

41. bullets don't contain powder

the powder propels the bullet. Modern gunpowder is a propellant, not an explosive. Black powder, the type used in muzzle loading firearms like muskets is.

[Ash_F]

42. Cartridge. Thanks nerd /nt

[gejohnston]

45. thanks for the complement

While my gun collection is quite modest, my book collection is larger than most.
If it isn't Ubuntu Mint or Mac, it isn't.
Oh yeah, I really did have a pocket protector and used a slide rule, showing my age, in high school.

[Mr. X]

44. Modern Gunpowder

Is classified as a low-yield/low-power explosive though.

[gejohnston]

46. true, but if

you just pour it in an ash tray light a match to it, it just burns. If contained, the gases formed pushes outward.

[maindawg]

16. well here in Ohio

there are dozens of fireworks stores. Even though fireworks are illegal to light ,here in Ohio.
These stores are big and they sell millions of dollars worth. The one in Boardman is owned ny a guy named Bruce Zoldan and he is a huge democrat even hosting Bill Clinton. So its not a republican thing.
Its all very strange.

[ileus]

19. Includes fireworks right?

[mainstreetonce]

20. There are no politicians

who are owned by the NBPA so this bill might have a chance.




(national black powder association)

[Kolesar]

24. My asshole neighbor sets them off at midnight

Sales should be banned.

[sinkingfeeling]

27. That's satire, right? The same Senate that refused gun background checks?

[ripcord]

29. Thankfully we won our lawsuit over the ATF

My hobby is flying high power rockets and after 9/11 the ATF decided that ammonium perchlorate was an explosive. It took years and a lot of money to get a ruling that was actually based on science.

The moral of this story is that just because the government claims something is an explosive powder doesn't necessarily make it true.

[SeattleVet]

39. The NAR/TRA suit was rather ground-breaking.

It was really the first time that someone was able to reign in BATF(E), even a little bit.

But the status of BP for ejection charges was never really taken up. And igniters (even the nichrome wire with a bit of flammable substance) has always remained a 'grey area', since BATFE does have 'igniters' on their restricted list, though they have never come up with an actual legal definition.

(Yes, we donated to the NAR/TRA fund as soon as it was established. We haven't flown anything in a while now and will have to go through the High Power certification process again if we decide to start flying again, since our memberships have been inactive for over a year.)

[premium]

32. Another useless bill

introduced into a useless congress.
So now are they going to require a background check to by fireworks?

[formercia]

33. Don't forget Matches

Prisons banned them long ago.

[Marrah_G]

34. Wait....what?

Background checks for gunpowder in any quantity.... good luck with that.


We can't even get background check on the guns that that powder goes into.

[Poll_Blind]

36. THIS--> "We can't even get background check on the guns that that powder goes into."

Well-said!

PB

[cynzke]

35. Better Than NOTHING!

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/boston-bombing-man-got-crackers-from-same-store-as-times-square-bomber/articleshow/19709799.cms

There should be a background check and a waiting period. Better than to sell to any Tom, Dick or Terrorist as it apparently happened in New Hampshire. Even gave them some of the material for FREE.

[cynzke]

37. We May Not Stop Terrorists.

But seriously, why make it easy for them?