Stupidity often has dire consequences!

coltle6920

coltle6920

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Some young men in Georgia decided to blow up a lawnmower using 3lbs of Tannerite.You can google the article if you want to read about it.

One of the men lost his leg below the knee when a piece of shrapnel hit him.He was shooting a semi-auto rifle at the lawnmower and in the course of shooting was about 25yds away when the lawnmower exploded.

Needless to say the man is very lucky that the injury wasn't fatal.We like to laugh at people doing stupid things but this isn't funny.It's a sad way to learn a lesson.
 
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I read the article and watched the video last week. He definitely qualifies for the Darwin Award. The manufacturer of tannerite recommends a minimum distance of 100 yds when using a 1 pound charge. The article said he had 3 pounds of tannerite in the mower and investigators determined he was only 43 feet away from it when it went off. He is very lucky he and the goofs along with him weren't all killed.
 
Tannerite was introduced here in Canada a while ago, it caused some controversy but I believe the end result was that its still legal. Looks pretty cool but I've never tried it. Expensive, and I don't know enough about explosives (read: NOTHING) so I've stayed away from it. Plus I think I would have buyer's remorse as soon as the dust cleared unless I really needed that lawnmower gone.

I think its great that we have the freedom to buy and use such a thing, but it seems to be a common misconception that tannerite is just another reactive target. People don't seem to take it too seriously, and this is an example of the possible result.

Just like anything else, there's a right way and a wrong way. We get to learn the lesson by seeing the video, and may forget this thread in hours or days. He learned the hard way and will probably not forget any time soon.

Did he disregard the manufacturer's instructions? Apparently. I am thankful he didn't harm anyone else but I still feel for him regardless.
 
I feel bad for the guy, but hey...if you're truly that stupid. I must live in a closet, because until a year ago I didn't even realize that stuff was out there for sale. I'm actually rather surprised that it can be sold, due to one of the components being ammonium nitrate. I thought that stuff was so highly regulated that it was nearly impossible to get it anymore.
 
He looked a LOT closer than 25yds in the vid....maybe 50 feet.


That stuff is no joke. We shot the tiny targets once (about 2 tablespoons of boom powder) from about 35yds, and you could feel the concussion in your chest.


The neighbor shot a two-pounder off about 6 months ago, and it rattled the house. He lives about a quarter-mile away.
 
I believe that it will not be very long until Tannerite is regulated like most other explosives. It's not at present defined as an explosive only because it requires on-site physical mixing of non-explosive materials in order for it to become an explosive. Enjoy it while you can.
 
I was at a shoot some years back where someone brought some tannerite. One was placed on the dash of a old junk car. One shot and no windows or dash left. Another was put inside an old microwave. BOOM! Pieces were seen going over the berm. :eek:
Tannerite can be fun and interesting stuff. But you gotta use some common sense.
This poor guy apparently didn't and it cost him big time.
Stupid should hurt.
 
I think I can top that one in the "That's not funny, but bwuahaha...." department.

A few months ago I visited family in Europe. While there, local news reported a fatality in a nearby town. Apparently, a few guys had attempted to break into a condom dispenser by using an IED fabricated from illegal fireworks. A piece of metal struck one perp in the head and killed him.

I assume they were after the money, not the condoms. Otherwise, it would be rather ironic, getting killed this way while trying to keep your genes out of the gene pool.

The photo shows a cop examining the remains of the condom dispenser (which you can find everywhere in Europe, including public places where you'd never see one in the US).
 

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