Dangerous weapons

In addition to most firefighters, rescue workers, and police officers, nearly everyone who has survived high school chemistry with a ‘D’ or better grade, is well aware of what can be done with common household chemicals. It’s totally amazing to some people that explosives, incendiaries, and poisonous gases can readily be manufactured using a few of the cleaning chemicals commonly found under the kitchen sink. Add the fertilizers, weed killers, insecticides, and petroleum products often found in the garage, and a witch’s brew of lethal chemicals are quickly at hand. (“Lethal Chemicals” readily translates to “Weapons of Mass Destruction”.) Biological Agents (also WMD’s) are nearly as easy to produce at home by a High School biology student, but I’m not about to describe that technology.

A ten-minute trip to the grocery store can provide the propellants for a small rocket motor. It may not be up to NASA standards, but it works quite well despite that. Very effective bomb, grenade, and rocket casings can be made from common hardware store items, along with mines, booby traps, some rather crude firearms, and even small cannon.

“Plastique” can be easily made from a common child’s toy!

Most Vietnam vet’s are quite well aware of the many firing devices that can be devised from a tin can and a flashlight battery. I understand from news reports that Palestinian terrorists commonly use cell phones to detonate many of their bombs.

During the early 1970’s, some of the anti-war protesters were using an incendiary device made from two common household items and a mailing envelope that was, after a short delay, self igniting, quite effective, and very difficult to extinguish.

In 1970 I attended a fire department bomb disposal class, in which the instructor was asked “Who makes the world’s nastiest bombs?” referring to the Viet Cong, the Soviet Union, China, and etcera. The instructor laughed and said “American college students.”

Now, today, the “Gun Control” advocates think private ownership of a hunting rifle is dangerous? Please people, don’t make me laugh so hard, my ribs are starting to hurt.