Commercial Flamethrower Successfully Crowdfunded

ColdWetDog writes: You've always wanted one, of course. Zombies, the occasional alien infestation. The neighbor's smelly roses. You just need to be prepared for things. You can get freeze dried food, AR15's, enough ammo to start a small police action (at least here in the U.S. -- YMMV), but it has been difficult to get a modern, portable flamethrower until now. CNET has a brief explanation on the XM42, which doubled its Indiegogo funding target in just a few days.

Comments

Merchandising, Merchandising

[bkmoore]

"....where the real money from the movie is made. Spaceballs-the T-shirt, Spaceballs-the Coloring Book, Spaceballs-the Lunch box, Spaceballs-the Breakfast Cereal, Spaceballs-the Flame Thrower.... The kids love this one."

Re:Merchandising, Merchandising

[oodaloop]

I was planning on putting some Hyperbolic Upgrade Stickers on it, but I may also put a Spaceballs sticker on it now.

Re:Merchandising, Merchandising

[TWX]

I've wanted a Spaceballs: The Flame Thrower since I was a kid. Mel Brooks was right, the kids love this one.

I like how also it has nothing to do with the movie, except that it's shown in the movie as something available as a movie tie-in. Reminds me of that Spock helmet.

Re:Merchandising, Merchandising

[khallow]

I was expecting actual warnings about hyperbolic space.

Re: Merchandising, Merchandising

[Anonymous Coward]

What a better way kill indiscriminately people in enclosed places like schools and theaters quicker and faster than with a gun :-(

Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Anonymous Coward]

https://www.indiegogo.com/explore?filter_title=water+well

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[NotInHere]

Why is this modded troll?
Is expressing pacifism trolling? What can flamethrowers do anything useful besides killing and grief?

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[stoploss]

I take it you don't use a charcoal barbecue. "Taste the meat, not the heat" you say?

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Anonymous Coward]

You forgot fun. Having dangerous toys isn't in conflict with being a pacifist.

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[PopeRatzo]

I take it you don't use a charcoal barbecue

I'm not sure how you do it where you're from, but up here in the North we generally don't barbecue from 30 feet away.

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Adriax]

Says you.
I've been itching to whole roast a deer mid jump.

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Intrepid imaginaut]

Killing isn't bad when it's mosquitoes. You've supped your last on me you little bloodsucking bastards!

Re: Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a self confessed pacifist, and live my life that way in every imaginable way. Yet, I have a bigger (and better) gun collection than my local sheriff's office, and I can use them better than any of their officers. Is that the definition of irony?

P.S. one of these will be added to the collection.

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[stoploss]

I take it you don't use a charcoal barbecue

I'm not sure how you do it where you're from, but up here in the North we generally don't barbecue from 30 feet away.

Ha, suuuurrree... next you'll tell me you light all those candles on the birthday cake one at a time rather than all at once. From across the room.

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[PopeRatzo]

OK, when you put it like that it sounds pretty awesome. And delicious.

I'll bring the sauce, aloe vera and skin graft kit.

Re:Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Zontar The Mindless]

The best way to deal with a mosquito is to give it just what it wants. At about 5x normal pressure/flow rate.

IOW you wait until the little bastard lands on your arm, give a little squeeze, and--boom! No more mozzie.

Re: Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Zontar The Mindless]

That sounds a bit like claiming to be celibate while boasting that you've the neighbourhood's biggest and best porn archive.

Re: Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Anonymous Coward]

I would imagine having a big porn collection would be an absolute requirement for being celibate, no?

Re: Better fund water wells than flame throwers

[Zontar The Mindless]

No.

Too late

[nospam007]

The snow season is almost past us.

Re: Too late

[jandrese]

Delivery wouldn't be until next winter at the absolute earliest anyway, even if these were real.

Re:Too late

[Anonymous Coward]

April 12. Winter is coming.

Re:Too late

[Anonymous Coward]

In your hemisphere.

Re:Too late

[GrumpySteen]

Flamethrowers aren't very good for removing snow, even though they're better than microwave ovens.

Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

Reminder that 'flame *throwers*' throw *napalm*, which, I'm pretty sure, is illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention.

This is a glorified torch.

Can't wait for the ensuing soccer mom backlash and redneck celebration.

Re:Bad name

[rubycodez]

no, there are different types of flamethrowers with differing fuels, see my other comment.

The Geneva convention only forbids flamethrowers in certain situations, look it up. Two armies roasting each other in a field is perfectly fine by the GC

The U.S. military still has flamethrowers and practices with them

Re:Bad name

[CrimsonAvenger]

A flamethrower is primarily useful for clearing bunkers.
Squirt a jet of flame through the firing slit on a concrete bunker, and it quickly ceases to be a threat to the guys on the outside.

Like a demolition charge, it's utility is pretty limited, but when the right (or wrong, depending on perspective) situation comes up, there's no substitute....

Re:Bad name

[BitterOak]

Reminder that 'flame *throwers*' throw *napalm*, which, I'm pretty sure, is illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention.

I think you can make your own napalm-like substitute out of gasoline, styrofoam, and benzene. Apparently it works almost as well as the real thing, but I've never tried it myself.

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

There has to be a matching Nazi trooper uniform with the necessary protection to mach. And some actual napalm, chlorine and insect killer for that Halloween insect massacre. The Captain America costumes look so much better when there is something to balance the equation.

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

  I'm pretty sure, is illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention.

Not really. Napalm was perfectly legal since as late as 2009 for us by US government and used extensively in the Vietnam war. The US to still reserves the right to use it "if civilian lives can be saved", which you could twist to use it really anytime you like.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napalm#International_law

Re:Bad name

[BarbaraHudson]

Gasoline and vaseline.

Re:Bad name

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Well, if you have a shotgun that you don't care much about, you can buy some "Dragon's Breath" shells for it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D...

Re:Bad name

[rubycodez]

don't forget trench cleaning

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

Also, pest control.

Swarms of bugs and rodents are the main reason it's legal to own a flame thrower in the USA.

Re:Bad name

[ColdWetDog]

Oh come now folks, just look it up.

It's practically on Recipes.com.

Re:Bad name

[ShanghaiBill]

Gasoline and vaseline.

Gasoline mixed with powdered laundry detergent also works fairly well.

Re:Bad name

[Opportunist]

The Geneva convention does not apply. Neither am I going to war, nor are any of the affected parties non-combatants. I do not plan to use it on POWs or on shipwrecked people.

Not to mention that I never signed it and I, as a person, cannot become a signing party considering that only nations can.

Re:Bad name

[Twinbee]

Er, when you say "clearing".....?

[fearing the worst].

Re:Bad name

[PPH]

How about flamenwerfer

Re:Bad name

[Mr. Shotgun]

Er, when you say "clearing".....? [fearing the worst].

Burned the people inside to death or near enough so they stopped fighting. What do you think the flamethrower did? Spewed chocolate bunnies inside to make the enemies lapse into a diabetic coma?

Re:Bad name

[rubycodez]

ag flame thrower is a very different thing, just a torch with flame inches long to maybe a foot

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

+1 Funny. Best comment all day.

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

The word napalm is a mashed up contraction of aluminum napthenate and aluminum palmitate. It was invented by Louis Fieser. The idea was to load as much aluminum into it as possible (without separation or breakdown of the gel) to make it burn as hot as possible. The gel must not become thin at 150 degrees F or brittle at -40 degrees F. It needed to withstand an explosive charge without turning into a fine mist, and it had to be field fillable.

"To one, made from aluminum naphthenate and 'aluminum palmitate,' I gave the name Napalm."

It turned out later that the primary component of the palmitate product they were using was actually lauric acid, a slightly shorter chained hydrocarbon. Anyhow, the name stuck.

Re:Bad name

[rossdee]

"illegal even for governments to use since the Geneva convention."

Who takes notice of the Beneva Convention these days?

Many of the current groups of combatants (ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah etc) never signed the Geneva Convention, and certainly don't follow it.
Others have had a change of Government since back then, )like Russia and Iran, so don't feel bound by it.

And if you're a state fighting against such people (Like Israel) you realize that you're fighting at a severe disadvantage if you 'follow the rules' and they don't.

Re:Bad name

[Zontar The Mindless]

Spewed chocolate bunnies inside to make the enemies lapse into a diabetic coma...

I think that's a wonderful idea. Say, I've been looking for a potential Kickstarter for some time now...

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

You'd have to have a LOT of Vaseline on hand...

Re:Bad name

[BarbaraHudson]

Well sure, since if you do it wrong, you're going to be royally screwed :-)

Re:Bad name

[Anonymous Coward]

Er, when you say "clearing".....?

[fearing the worst].

This certainly disproves the old canard that "There are no stupid questions."

Re:Bad name

[goofyspouse]

Well, this IS slashdot. I suspect most people here have PLENTY of Vaseline on-hand.

the big question

[slashmydots]

I'm not up on my flamethrower laws but is this legal in any of the 50 US states?

Re:the big question

[oodaloop]

It's legal in all states except MD and CA. There generally hasn't been a big problem with drive-by flamethrowings.

Re:the big question

[Anonymous Coward]

The criminals figured our really quick that torched paint on their cars was highly suspious.

Re:the big question

[SuperKendall]

The criminals figured our really quick that torched paint on their cars was highly suspicious.

Not to mentioned the blackened corpses in the rear seas from the guys in the front seat using the flamethrower. Wind matters...

Re:the big question

[Anonymous Coward]

There generally hasn't been a big problem with drive-by flamethrowings.

Yet.

Re:the big question

[Anonymous Coward]

The first reaction of a California Democrat is to ban something that either (a) they don't like or (b) scares them. As one might expect this leads to a very long list of banned items here in California, bordering on the ridiculous in some cases. How many times have shuriken been used to commit a crime here in California? I don't know, but its so few and rare that I've never heard of it and I've been living there for over 20 years now. What would be the harm of not banning shuriken? A rash of drive-by shuriken throwings? The horror!

On/Off button

[Anonymous Coward]

Some WW2 flamethrowers used a small turbine to create the ignition arc, why rely on batteries and crappy blue leds?

Legality...

[osu-neko]

Chris Byars, CEO of Ion Productions, the company behind the XM42, told me: "It is legal where there are no laws or codes written against such a device."

Incoming legislation in 3... 2... 1...

Re:Legality...

[Anonymous Coward]

Doubtful. Flamethrowers generally aren't very regulated and in case you haven't noticed - there hasn't been a lot of flamethrower related crime.

They're just not that practical of a weapon for everyday use.

Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

I know from Myth Busters they are not legal in California.

Re:Legal

[ColdWetDog]

I know from Myth Busters they are not legal in California.

Is anything legal in California these days?

Re:Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

I know from Myth Busters they are not legal in California.

Is anything legal in California these days?

Idiot politicians who waste taxpayers' money are legal in California.

Also, idiots who make frivolous lawsuits against their former employers
appear to be legal.

All in all, it is a good place not to live.

Re: Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

Good we don't want any tea-baggy cry babies here anyway

Re: Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

And they don't want to prop up your tax base. It's a match made in heaven.

Re:Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

We can put our dicks in pretty much anything tho. All it cost us was letting the govt. shove theirs in our asshole. Tearing it like tissue paper.

Re:Legal

[PopeRatzo]

Is anything legal in California these days?

Medical marijuana, gay marriage, conceal/carry.

Say you're not really pissed that fucking flamethrowers aren't legal there, are you? I don't know if you've gotten a look at your fellow man in the United States lately, but are these really people you want to be able to have flamethrowers? Geez, louise, there can't be more than maybe 1 in 100 that I think should be allowed to drive a car. Maybe 1 in 10 should be allowed to have shoelaces for chrissake.

Although I'm sure we can find someone reading this that believes "More flamethrowers = Less crime".

Re:Legal

[gtall]

Hehehehe...and there are two congresscritters who want to do away with Wash. D.C. gun laws. There are only several killed every week using guns in D.C., of course they can always walk them over the border from Virginia which is awash in guns and dumbfucks toting them around to make their dicks look bigger. Wait until one of those congresscritter's loved ones get whacked, we'll see how enthusiastic those dimbulbs will be then.

Oh, and say away from Republican candidates for president, they are all packing guns for the cameras. Shouldn't be too long before one of them blows his foot off.

Re: Legal

[phrackthat]

Good we don't want any tea-baggy cry babies here anyway

And the rest of the country doesn't want you so-called "progressive" ideological bigots and fascists either.

Re:Legal

[phrackthat]

Concealed carry is legal in most California counties only if you have an in (read: large contribution) with the Sheriff because whether or not a license is issued is entirely discretionary with the Sheriff. Most counties have not followed the Peruta case because there was a question as to whether the 9th circuit would be taking it up en banc (it decided to do so yesterday). So, no, we don't really have concealed carry in California.

Re:Legal

[FrozenGeek]

Stupidity. It's not merely legal - it's a requirement.

Re:Legal

[Noah Haders]

exactly. the criminals get them anyway but the innocent civilians cant protect themselves. do away with the gun laws and let people arm up to protect themselves and their families.

Re:Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting that firearm carry in California has been mentioned. Check out Gursant Singh's lawsuit against the State of California for violating his First Amendment rights by violating his Second Amendment rights. Gotta love the "Miri-Piri Approach".

There are those who accuse some Americans of making a religion out of the right to bear arms. Sorry, it has already been done.

Moreover, keep the flamethrowers from the hands of Hindutva activists. All they will do is torch Sikhs and Christian missionaries, yes, more Staines on the historic record.

Re:Legal

[Dutch Gun]

Is anything legal in California these days?

California is a nutjob of a state, but I have to say, I don't really see a problem with them outlawing flamethrowers. I mean, vast portions of the state are hot, dry, and pretty much a tinderbox waiting to be ignited. What could possibly go wrong?

Of course, they probably weren't considering this aspect when they outlawed them. They were thinking "ZOMG! Flamethrowers?!? We're going to see DRIVE-BY-FLAMINGS if we don't outlaw these things!" I'd guess it was just a happy coincidence that they banned something that's probably better off banned for more pragmatic reasons.

Re:Legal

[sjames]

Well naturally. Once the owner burns the store down deterring shoplifting, nothing left to steal == no crime.

Re: Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

Fascism is a right-wing ideology, FYI.

Re: Legal

[khallow]

Except when it's not, of course. Fascism really is about pursuit of power. How that pursuit gets rationalized can be left or right-wing.

Re:Legal

[Bing Tsher E]

Why worry? Call 911 and the police will be along in a half hour or so to tag the bodies.

Re:Legal

[Anonymous Coward]

California is a nice place to live, if you're an orange.

Re:Legal

[Noah Haders]

half hour if you're lucky. theres a lot of black men to beat first!

Re: Legal

[ebvwfbw]

No it's not. It's leftist. Remark by Stalin. They asked him where it was, he said to the right. He meant to the right of Communism. Not the right of center. Still part of the wacko left. Don't believe me? Check out what they're about. Check out what the right is about. It's clear.

I used to think they were to the right also. Then I studied it in history. Now I know only stupid people think it's to the right. Not as in unintelligent, stupid as in they simply don't know. They're in a stupor.

definitions

[rubycodez]

There are different types of flamethrowers. Agricultural flamethrowers are legal but have a range of inches to over a foot. A military flamethrower throws a fuel gel mixture tens to hundreds of feet. Stage flamethrowers are for special effects and also have short range and non-sticking fuel. This article's device seems to be trying to extend the ag and stage effects end a little bit.

Re:definitions

[BarbaraHudson]

We made flame throwers when I was a kid - the old vacuum cleaners could be reversed and used, along with the included spray accessory, to do things like wash cars. We filled the spray jar up with varsol and ignited it with a propane torch. Total cost? $0.00.

Re:definitions

[turkeydance]

here's the napalm site: http://throwflame.com/products...

Re:definitions

[JaredOfEuropa]

Total cost? $0.00

Does that include medical bills?

Re:definitions

[BarbaraHudson]

Surprisingly, considering all the crazy "experiments" we tried as kids, nobody ever got hurt. Though there were some pretty close calls.

Re:definitions

[osu-neko]

Surprisingly, considering all the crazy "experiments" we tried as kids, nobody ever got hurt. Though there were some pretty close calls.

inorite? When I think back on it, I'm utterly amazed to have survived childhood.

Re:definitions

[Rufty]

I swear, eyebrows grow back bushier than ever.

Re:definitions

[dbIII]

I've got a couple of relatives missing a few fingers each from playing with relatively low powered things that go bang, and a friend who got really bad burns from a plastic bag and candle balloon. Meanwhile an uncle who stole cordite and picric acid from an army dump, who made his own gun cotton and made his own toy cannon got away with just causing a bit of property damage.

Re:definitions

[Bing Tsher E]

We made flame throwers in scout camp. You just spray the mosquito repellant at the campfire.

Re:definitions

[RuffMasterD]

I was started to worry I was the only one who made improvised flamethrowers as a kid. I used fly spray and a lighter. A good can reached half way across the living room. Being a kid was fun. Now I work in injury research :-) The reverse vacuum cleaner idea above sound amazing. I wonder if that would make fly spray shoot further?

Re:definitions

[Anonymous Coward]

No need to go that fancy... I just used a can of WD-40 and a lighter.
I still don't know how dangerous that really was...

is there an app for that?

[turkeydance]

there just has to be.

Re:is there an app for that?

[NotInHere]

Using the flameCloud4000 app, you can quickly access your flamethrower controls from around the world. Do you not want to to put a cloud-controllable flamethrower on top of your roof, to get rid of stupid flanders neighbours showing up, or pidgins shitting onto your roof? Using our patented BirdAway algorithm, the cloud-connected camera quickly scans for birds on your roof and roasts them with the remotely controllable 360 degrees flameWielder flamethrower[1]. With the flameCloud4000 app, you can access your flameWielder to control your roof to be free of pidgins. It also features roast statistics, together with a flameCloud4000 share-this button, where you can share images of the roasted pidgins on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

[1] might roast cats too.

Mr President we have a flamethrower gap

[Crashmarik]

On a more serious note but nonetheless just as funny, the liability suits from this should be hilarious.

Re:Mr President we have a flamethrower gap

[jfeldredge]

Judging from the length of the flame being thrown in the demonstration video, I suspect a fair number of new owners will collect Darwin Awards. If the wind shifts, or you get splashback from a wall or earth bank ahead of you, you could easily set yourself on fire. If you then get an uncontrolled ignition of the fuel tank, it is definitely crispy critter time.

Looks ideal...

[Anonymous Coward]

For some pesky varments like...

nested hornets in trees...
webworms..
and definitely fun for fire ants (even though not so effective)...

Loadsa uses!

[Twinbee]

I'm sure this has hundreds of uses!

Such as erm...... uh....... well... bonfire lighter! Er, and you know.......... other things!

Now this on the other hand....

Re:Loadsa uses!

[Mars Saxman]

I use my flamethrower for gardening - my back yard has a strip of asphalt for parking, but all the rest is gravel, so it's easy to keep the weeds down by hosing the place down with fire every now and then. It's a great way to start fires in the firepit - no need to mess around with kindling and wait an hour for the flame to really get going; just toss in some logs, torch 'em for a minute, and you're set. Beyond that, it's also a great way to grill vegetables - hold a bell pepper or an ear of corn in a pair of metal tongs, then give it a quick squirt with the flamethrower. Cooks right up, ready to eat in seconds.

I am not kidding about any of this.

Re:Loadsa uses!

[Aighearach]

Gravel may be all you can grow, but that isn't a garden. That isn't even a rock garden.

Re:Loadsa uses!

[Mars Saxman]

You are correct sir, and that is all thanks to my flamethrower.

Re:Loadsa uses!

[tgv]

And you live in Indiana? Because you just sound like my colleague from Terre Haute.

as usual faith in humanity is gone...

[Anonymous Coward]

"We're receiving color feedback, and it seems gold is a likely contender as well"

gold flamethrowers...

idiocracy is upon us

Re:as usual faith in humanity is gone...

[hey!]

Having fun isn't necessarily stupid. Having fun with flamboyantly dangerous things isn't necessarily stupid. It's endangering unwilling bystanders that's stupid.

Some people like to build and shoot powerful crossbows, or even replicas of medieval siege weapons. These are extremely dangerous and useless things. The dangerous power of a trebuchet to throw an upright piano 150 yards is part of the charm.

But a trebuchet is something that takes certain amount of thought and sacrifice to obtain and use. This flamethrower thing is more like a powerful handgun. There's been a recent fad for ridiculously overpowered handguns, which pack superfluously fatal power into a convenient, affordable form factor. The recent brouhaha over "armor piercing" ammunition was a side effect of a manufacturer selling a cut-down semi-automatic carbine as a "handgun", even though if you look at videos of people using them they're obviously terrible as handguns. This raised the question of whether 5.56 NATO ammunition should be regulated as "handgun ammunition", and in the end I think the decision not to was reasonablee. These aren't cop-killing or military handguns. They're extremely dangerous toys designed to get your rocks off.

There are some who'd say that because these guns are dangerous and impractical they should be banned. But I don't agree. "Impractical" isn't the same as "useless" because getting your rocks off is a legitimate use for a thing. I think people should be able to enjoy their ridiculous firearms as long as they do it at some kind of appropriate range. I also think there's a real danger though from stupid people who will go plinking in the woods with the things like they were BB guns.

That's really the only problem I have with this flamethrower, whether it's gold, chrome, or gunmetal gray. Any idiot can buy one, but it'd take someone reasonably intelligent and determined to find a place where it can be used safely. I'm not against people buying them, but I am for coming down hard on people who use them where they're a danger or public nuisance.

Re:as usual faith in humanity is gone...

[sjames]

They're extremely dangerous toys designed to get your rocks off.

Must resist "living Darwin" comment. Aww screw it!

OMG america is stupid

[maliqua]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

This is it.

I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Whorhay]

As someone else pointed out far above, there is actually a variety of legal uses for flamethrowers. I've seen them used by landowners to conduct controlled burns to keep underbrush down and help prevent wild brush fires.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[PCM2]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

Well, fear and burning people to death so they're no longer a threat. Not very efficient, but effective.

And I guess the "practical applications" of your guns, if they don't involve fear, involve gunning people down, right? Don't bother with scaring them off, just kill them.

Between you and me, it seems like the practical application of creating fear is working just great on you, quick-draw.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Aighearach]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

This is it.

I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"

The only time I ever used a flame thrower was to put out a forest fire. I don't doubt that the deer were frightened of me, but in my defense I was trying to protect their home.

Why are NRA members so dim-witted? Do you even understand your own propaganda, or do you just spew it like a mindless zombie? It isn't the flame-thrower that scares people, it is the asshole waving it around.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

I wanted so desperately for there to be a comment on this that I could mod flamebait. Thank you for your contribution.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[rubycodez]

Most of the tens of millions of US gun owners don't wave them around; making a straw man for your flame thrower?

Re:OMG america is stupid

[oodaloop]

What happened to America the Free? Is there really a danger of someone using a flamethrower as a weapon, despite it NEVER happening before? It's not a practical weapon. If we're going to outlaw things based on how dangerous is it regardless of actual threat, let's start with trebuchets.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a small "flamethrower" made from a fertilizer sprayer that works much better than what's available commercially for hornets nests. This is because the fire makes the hornets just want to leave, rather than want to attack who is messing with their nest - they don't understand non-natural fire.

Now I feel dumb, should've productised it :)

Re:OMG america is stupid

[osu-neko]

You say that now, but when someone starts making kits to build trebuchets into the back of pick-up trucks...

(The more I think about this idea, the more ridiculously awesome it sounds.)

Re:OMG america is stupid

[ChrisMaple]

A trebuchet is a poor choice for a mobile weapon because of the high weight, unless you plan to load the ballast at the firing range.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

Flamethrowers have been legal pretty much since they were invented, in almost every state.

Where's the mass flamethrower crime? I'll give you a hint: there is none. Why be in such a rush to legislate away a non-existent problem?

Re:OMG america is stupid

[dbIII]

who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"

Likely to be hot burning hands. An ex-army guy I know who got to play with military flamethrowers before training on them became limited noted that they are tempremental things that don't just roast the thing you are pointing them at unless you are out in the open on a perfectly calm day. Such weapons are "on the backburner" due to it being a real bitch if the bad guys have them, it looking really bad in the press to roast kiddies with them and difficulties in operating them without burning your own guys located anywhere near the operator.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Bing Tsher E]

Heck, we can start by banning 1000 microfahrad 500 volt capacitors.

Nobody needs that many joules.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[u38cg]

No. No, it really is the flamethrower that frightens me. If the asshole didn't have a flamethrower, I wouldn't be frightened.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

If ever there was a weapon that would be classified as only a weapon of terror with no practical application beyond fear.

This is it.

I hope this fails, and i'm an NRA member who is often caught saying things like "from my cold dead hand"

Wrong. Flamethrowers have been used by militaries around the world, in general combat, for decades.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Aighearach]

No. No, it really is the flamethrower that frightens me. If the asshole didn't have a flamethrower, I wouldn't be frightened.

Right, but if he puts it down and picks up a pointy stick, the fear of him remains. The flamethrower won't look very scary just sitting there unless you're exceptionally fearful. It is certainly still something to be concerned with regarding safety, just like a pile of dynamite or a propane tank.

But even if the flamethrower remains a safety concern, getting poked with the stick is much scarier. And that too goes away as soon as he puts it down.

Attaching the fear to the tool instead of the operator is pretty silly here. Especially since the tool has such limited range. A train or airplane is more dangerous.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[u38cg]

No. An idiot with a pointy stick, I can deal with. Unless he's particularly versed in the ancient art of stick-poking, I can probably put up a reasonable fight.

And he can't walk into a crowded bar and incinerate everyone with his pointed stick, either. I'm not concerned about pointed sticks. Assholes with flamethrowes: nope nope nope.

Re:OMG america is stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, they're actually extremely good at getting rid of unwanted/aggressive beehives. That's a large part of the reason they're still legal, actually.

Bad guys

[Anonymous Coward]

The only way to stop a bad guy with a flamethrower is a good guy with a flamethrower. How to get a concealed/carry flamethrower license?

Re:Bad guys

[Anonymous Coward]

The only way to stop a bad guy with a flamethrower is a good guy with a flamethrower.

Actually, I think a handgun round to the bad guy's fuel tank would help keep him warm for the rest of his life.

Re:Bad guys

[Larryish]

Concealed flamethrowers in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

George Carlin's dream finally realized.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Well, we don't have them, the army has them. That's right! We don't have any flamethrowers. I guess we're fucked if we go up against the army"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nknAzQPHE

Weed

[Anonymous Coward]

pretty much

Welcome to the USA

[Qbertino]

Sorry to the 90% U.S.ians here on /. for my upcoming rant, but bear with me please:

WTF? I mean, seriously, WTF??? Who in hell would think that what the world needs now is a small concealable commercially available *FLAMETHROWER* ?!??. This is so bizarly US american, words fail me.

When's the first one going to run amok with one of these? Who's gonna pay the medical bill of the first rampage victims with 80% burnt skin for life? The people who built this thing? ... I hope as soon as the first one falls victim to one of these, that these people get sued into next wednesday big-time USA style. Better would be they'd abandon the project alltogether.

Does anybody here know what a gastly cruel final effort weapon this is? Seriously folks. Even as a military weapon Flamethrowers are about as wicked as it can get - even hardboiled hardcore SS members would instantly surrender at the mere sight of the "Churchill Corcodile", a british tank with a flamethrower attached. Which shows they actually can, in rare cases, have a 'use' - if I may use this notably unfitting verb in this context - as a last ditch (no pun intended) effort in marginal scenarios, such as finally and once and for all bringing down a totalitarian regime bent on ruling the planet by ethnic cleansing and such. And communicating to members of such a regime that you're effing serious and now won't stop short of total surrender.

But a commercially available flamethrower for "normal" people? "normal" in double quotes(!!). Jebus H.B. Crickey, this is so sick words fail me. However, this guy pretty much puts the finger on the insanity.

My 2 cents.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[oodaloop]

It's not a practical weapon, and no one sees it as a threat, hence the almost complete lack of laws in the U.S. Even in WWII, it had limited use. No one wanted to be the one carrying either, since you became a target of enemy fire with an explosive backpack on. This thing is also incredibly dangerous for the user as well; just look at the protective gear in the video. Sure, it's whacky and unnecessary for most people (some people need a portable flamethrower for clearing land on large properties, but that doesn't seem to be the marketing here). But some people might say the same about your hobbies and spending habits. Let bygones be bygones.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[blind biker]

It's not a practical weapon, and no one sees it as a threat, hence the almost complete lack of laws in the U.S. Even in WWII, it had limited use. No one wanted to be the one carrying either, since you became a target of enemy fire with an explosive backpack on. This thing is also incredibly dangerous for the user as well; just look at the protective gear in the video. Sure, it's whacky and unnecessary for most people (some people need a portable flamethrower for clearing land on large properties, but that doesn't seem to be the marketing here). But some people might say the same about your hobbies and spending habits. Let bygones be bygones.

Nobody said that "it's a practical weapon", just that it's incredibly dangerous. It's perfectly suited to kill, mail or deface for life a busful of random people. In this case not even the "if we outlaw handguns, only outlaws will have them"-argument flies, because you don't protect yourself from a flamethrower with another flamethrower. In fact, a flamethrower is not suitable for self-protection, only for attacking large numbers of soft targets. It's the perfect mass murderer's weapon.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, it did seem useful against Korean riot police.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[physicsphairy]

While you're linking to youtube, you might checkout the homemade flamethrowers. I can't claim to have made one but plenty of my friends have (including my school physics club). The mechanics of a flame thrower is just a squirt gun + a match. I can buy propane "flame throwers" as is at the local hardware store (used for burning weeds).

Why are people making all these flame throwers? Because something that shoots jets of flame is freaking cool. As far as I could discern on a quick google search, none of them have been used to commit murder.

What I personally find horrific is the idea that anyone would be so afraid of their fellow citizens that their first assumption on hearing they have access to a projectile shooter/flame maker/etc. is "OH GOODNESS HOW ARE THEY GOING TO USE THAT MURDER ME?" I realize unhinged people are out there, and will do bad things, but there are also bears in the woods which could find their way to my house and easily maul me to death. But the statistics are low enough that I don't worry about. I suppose my luck could run out some day, but trusting my fellow citizens not to murder me has worked so far, and I wouldn't care to live any other way. I like the idea of a society and a government that assumes I have good intentions until proven otherwise and I consider it worth some risk to have it even if I am not personally a person who is interested in owning a weapon.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear that they're also working on a gasoline powered internal combustion engine murder device that's covered in hundreds of devastatingly sharp blades attached to a chain that spins at 3000 RPM. When's the first one going to run amok with one of these? Who's gonna pay the medical bills of the first rampage victims missing their limbs? Better to abandon the project altogether. This idea is so sick words fail me.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[maestroX]

And communicating to members of such a regime that you're effing serious and now won't stop short of total surrender.

Get the fuck off your moral high horse. What was Churchill trying to communicate with Dresden?

Re:Welcome to the USA

[foreverdisillusioned]

1. If I recall correctly they were very popular in South Africa as a self defense weapon at one point. So, not quite uniquely American

2. The "clearing snow" thing might be a reasonable usage case. Depends on the efficacy.

3. Regarding deadliness, there are flamethrowers and then there are flamethrowers. Glancing at the pics and vids, I'm not seeing any burning fuel on the ground. If this thing spews a fireball that burns itself out instantly without coating anything with the still-burning fuel, it's probably not something you can accidentally maim someone with. Singe their hair off and give them second degree burns, sure, but it's not napalm. Barring fuel tank rupture, I'd say this thing appears to be significantly safer than a gun.

4. I appreciate the desire to stop bad ideas before they snowball, but having a society based liberty (and generally averse to the idea of a nanny state) means asking "why not?", not "why?" Europe is safer in a lot of ways, but there's a reason why it's not the main driver of innovation despite having a higher GDP and a population 50% higher than the USA. The side effect of letting people innovate is that sometimes someone goes and starts selling flamethrowers. Oh well.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[lgw]

Still less dangerous than a car - heck, even as a flamethrower, a car with 100-200 pounds of gasoline in the tank is a good starting point. I would think fireworks laws are more relevant here than firearms laws.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

Allow me to take a moment to mourn what Slashdot has become as many of the interesting people have left for other pastures.

There was a time I'd come to an article about this and learn all sorts of neat details, such as why flame throwers existed, the mechanics and challenges involved with producing something like this, why it hasn't been done before and speculation as to how this is working... along with stories of where their usage has gone wrong by those with interesting backgrounds, and yes, a healthy dose of humor at the absurdity of it existing and maybe one or two freakouts.

Now? Mostly just some freakouts. Where have all the slashdotters gone... I'm starting to feel like only the helicopter moms are left, refreshing slashdot because they like their macbook air so think they enjoy tech.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

4. I appreciate the desire to stop bad ideas before they snowball, but having a society based liberty (and generally averse to the idea of a nanny state) means asking "why not?", not "why?" Europe is safer in a lot of ways, but there's a reason why it's not the main driver of innovation despite having a higher GDP and a population 50% higher than the USA. The side effect of letting people innovate is that sometimes someone goes and starts selling flamethrowers. Oh well.

I'm not sure what you're defining as "Europe", but some quick numbers show me that Europe has over twice the population of the US, with a similar GDP. And "main driver of innovation" doesn't really have a definition, so as soon as you said that you could spout whatever crap you wanted and someone would agree with you.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[gtall]

Yep, that Brit must have Churchill genes or something, so he should be held directly responsible for Dresden.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're using a flamethrower to clear snow it's mostly for fun (or if you've been shoveling snow for two straight weeks and just want your revenge). You can buy a snowblower instead. Those will clear snow, faster, more safely, and using less fuel. They also won't leave scorch marks on your walkway.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Required Snark]

Once you've burned the car, how easy is it to reload?

Can you carry a car into an area surrounded by walls?

Stupid much?

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

USA # 1!!!!!

suck it US hater

because I know youve never thought of someone just throwing or dowsing an area with gas, PETROL for the eurofag in u and setting it on fire?

Flamethrowers are a useless weapon. Seriously fire alarms going off, no range what so ever, walking bomb? why dont you think terrorist use them more often if they r soooo bad???

Yes go into a room fire and burn everything including u soooo smart!!!

this is a joke and your what there laughing at.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[cascadingstylesheet]

It's the perfect mass murderer's weapon.

Then why isn't it already used for mass murder? It's apparently widely legal.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[schnell]

What was Churchill trying to communicate with Dresden?

I understand this comment is actually a rhetorical question to comment on the morality of the Allies in the Dresden firebombing. (BTW, Dresden was never intended to be "Dresden." It was an area bombing with incendiaries and was thus expected to cause indiscriminate damage to civilians alongside the military targets; but nobody involved had any clue it would turn out to be the indescribable charnel house it became.)

But in case anyone is interested in the actual question for purposes of historical context: there was a putative purpose for the Dresden bombing, and two actual audiences that were supposed to receive different messages.

• The purported message of Dresden to the world was "Dresden has some military targets of benefit to the Wehrmacht, and we will show you that the Allies can always find and destroy them. This is part of an ongoing program where we will continue to find and destroy everything in Germany that has any military value. Please understand how fucked you are and save lives by surrendering."
• The actual intended message of Dresden to Germany's leadership was "Yeah, you have figured out that our bombers can't attack from a safe altitude and hit the broad side of a barn. But that doesn't mean we will just give up. Instead, we can and will fuck your cities up to the maximum imaginable degree by bombing far and wide, even though we know lots of civilians will die. We claim that's against our principles, but you know what, Hitler? Given what you have done so far, we are not going to lose any sleep over any collateral damage in order to get you, so please leave some Earl Grey in Berchtesgaden for us."
• The third message was from "Bomber Harris" and the RAF to SHAEF and Churchill - "Look, we are doing stuff to Germany that is visible and makes Allied civilians feel like Germans are feeling the pain of retribution. Oh, and by the way, look what a great job we're doing so after the war we should be a Very Important Branch of the Military." This, by the way, was pretty much the exact same message that Curtis LeMay's firebombings of Japan were intended to deliver to Roosevelt and then Truman.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[khallow]

You just went well beyond calling it a "practical weapon". So I think the original poster's argument remains intact. It's not a perfect mass murderer's weapon for several obvious reasons.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Bing Tsher E]

Also, a snowblower doesn't leave an inch of sheer ice on your driveway.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know why you're so incensed. It'd be much easier to make a flamethrower then to buy this overpriced toy. Do a quick search on Google/YouTube and I'm sure you'll find some excellent video tutorials on how to make one for much cheaper. If you make it it also has the added benefit of nobody whatsoever knows what you're doing.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[maestroX]

It is a comment on morality in war. Dresden was a historical cultural landmark without defenses; it was known to be of large wood constructions, it was known to harbour fugitives. This is exactly the reason why it was never bombed before.
(firebombing was in effect since 1942 on major German cities).
War has never been a place for ethics, ashing thousands of (civilian) people and claiming to save humanity is a fucking joke.
It didn't work either, because Japan had to be nuked twice afterwards.

“Dresden, the seventh largest city in Germany and not much smaller than Manchester, is also far the largest unbombed built-up the enemy has got. In the midst of winter with refugees pouring westwards and troops to be rested, roofs are at a premium. The intentions of the attack are to hit the enemy where he will feel it most, behind an already partially collapsed front, to prevent the use of the city in the way of further advance, and incidentally to show the Russians when they arrive what Bomber Command can do.” RAF January 1945

Re:Welcome to the USA

[Crash24]

Your problematic nostalgia is triggering me, harasses women, someone think of the children, contribute to my Patreon.

More seriously, the decline to shit here coincides with Slashdot Beta and the rise of Reddit. Of course, that place has spiraled into a corrupt cesspool of censorship and social manipulation.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[shutdown -p now]

I'm not sure which country you're from, but chances are good that this kind of flamethrower is actually legal and unregulated there, as well.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[ebvwfbw]

Then why isn't it already used for mass murder? It's apparently widely legal.

Because mass murderers aren't stupid. They don't want to be burned up either. May sound strange. They aren't afraid of dying. Being shot, stabbed, even beheaded. Burning up - nope. It'd take a special type of evil for that.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[ebvwfbw]

Clearing snow/ice sounds good. I remember my dad had a propane thrower for just this purpose. Sounded great. Didn't work worth a damn. We were a lot better off with a hand edger.

Re:Welcome to the USA

[lgw]

Can you carry a car into an area surrounded by walls?

Really? That's how you think about it? Carrying the car?

People drive cars though the walls of buildings all the time. Sometimes on purpose as a weapon, more often just by clumsy driving, or even just forgetting the parking break, as happened to a friend of mine. This is real danger in the real world, unlike fantasies involving flamethrower-wielding maniacs. And when something ruptures the gar's gas tank, that's extremely dangerous - there's a reason they'll close a freeway when that happens in an accident, until the fire department handles it.

Will be needed for coming automation apocalypse

[Anonymous Coward]

Where can i pre order

DIY

[Anonymous Coward]

When I was a kid, putting gasoline into one of those super soaker guns seemed to do the job, if one wanted a longer range than with an aerosol can.

I prefer the George Carlin angle to issue...

[denzacar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I think emacs has a mode for this

[NotInHere]

or at least systemd! email is shit, it will be replaced by facebook! space idents are the future!

Gas is good, liquid bad

[Checkered Daemon]

We played around with what were known as 'Flame Effects Generators', also known as 'Fire Cannons', for years out at Burning Man. We even shot them directly at people, clad in fire suits of course (search YouTube for 'Dance Dance Immolation'). As far as I know no one ever got hurt, or even burned a little, and we compared notes a lot. But these were all pressurized propane. The subject line above was something of a motto. These things use liquid, and the potential for an accident is pretty high. I've used FEGs for years, but I wouldn't want to be within a city block of a liquid based flame thrower.

One early year a guy had a kerosene-based torch, a big one. I heard him tell the Black Rock Rangers, "You know, if anything goes wrong here you're gonna have to move 2,000 people 100 yards in about 20 seconds".

Welcome, Permanently Afraid Euroweenie

[SuperKendall]

Let's be clear, absolutely no-one is going to be using this as a weapon. It's not even a "last line of defense" weapon for home invasion, because while some may want to watch the world burn, they have different feelings about their own home specifically.

There are actually some pretty valid uses for this thing - farming an pyrotechnic displays being just two. There are a lot of people in the U.S. with large properties that could have very good uses for these things.

But basically, this is just fun, because fire is fun. Anyone who fails to see that has had irrational fear of EVERYTHING so deeply ingrained into them I cannot possibly see how they can function in real life.

People always accuse people who like guns, and now fire, of being fearful. But it seems to me like instead, those afraid of such things are the ones always afraid, and without any real joy.

Re:Welcome, Permanently Afraid Euroweenie

[Anonymous Coward]

Kerdall, I've bookmarked this thread. It will give me zero pleasure to be right but I'll be e-mailing you your remark eventually.

Re:Welcome, Permanently Afraid Euroweenie

[lgw]

If you want to be afraid of something, worry about ladders - those fuckers are dangerous. If you want a rational view of danger, then statistics, not imagination, is your friend.

Re:Welcome, Permanently Afraid Euroweenie

[dbIII]

Definitely. See how dangerous the ladder is from 3:18 :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Re:Welcome, Permanently Afraid Euroweenie

[SuperKendall]

Go ahead if you want, my mind wouldn't be changed by hundreds of innocent people being burned alive. That is on the wielder, not the tool... taking one tool away does not mean some other tool cannot be used for whatever grim task the wilder imagines.

Your desire to ban anything dangerous leads to a world where people are incapable of handling any danger. I don't need to bookmark it because your philosophy is already killing hundreds (thousands?) of naive people per day, and growing. The disaster you so grimly anticipate is here, and you are causing it. Whats sad is your complete lack of feeling responsible for the creation of incompetent adults.

Awful choice of weapon against zombies!!

[LostMonk]

A flame thrower, however powerful, is a short range weapon. A zombie by definition doesn't feel pain. Result? Getting up close and personal with a zombie . . . only now it's a flaming zombie.

Re:Awful choice of weapon against zombies!!

[ColdWetDog]

OK, OK. Alien infestations and smelly roses then. Two out of three ain't bad.

Geez. Tough crowd.

Loud and Divisive

[SuperKendall]

Why are NRA members so dim-witted?

Hint: He's not really an NRA member. They actually do have common sense which he obviously lacks.

ATF says hello

[X0563511]

... how could this have any hope of not being classed as a destructive device?

Re:ATF says hello

[Anonymous Coward]

So $200 tax stamp?

Re:ATF says hello

[shutdown -p now]

By the same reason regular flamethrowers aren't classed as such?

Take it outside!

[AndyKron]

That's definitely an outdoor weapon.

I'm waiting for the flame mine

[Catmeat]

Basically a disposable, one-shot flame thrower that's set off by a trip wire. Used by the Russians and the Germans in WW2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

For when you really want the kids to stay off your lawn.

Any of these guys named Calvin?

[phrackthat]

Calvin and dad

Calvin Bambi eyes. . .

Would anyone really want to use one?

[FrozenGeek]

If something goes wrong, you're carrying a boatload of highly flammable material while playing with fire. Sounds like a setup for a Darwin award.

I love the smell ...

[PPH]

... of napalm in the morning.

Hey guys watch this...

[Anonymous Coward]

Here come the zombies so let's burn down our house so we can attract more zombies while we become homeless.

Obviously

[nospam007]

It needs a sayhellotomylittlefriend tag.

Betting Pool

[Required Snark]

After these are delivered, how long will it take for the first person to die from one?

Anybody want to buy a date? Drum up enough interest in the pool and you could make a killing.

A lot of paranoid people

[ArylAkamov]

I made a flamethrower in middleschool, kerosene powered by pressurizing old propane tanks. They are a lot safer than a lot of you seem to think. No, nobody got hurt and it's a huge hit at 4th of July parties. What's with the sudden need to regulate absolutely everything? Flamethrowers are federally unregulated, and only illegal in two states, one of them (Of course) being California. I doubt anybody is going to get hurt using this device, it doesn't even preform all that well for the price tag. The one I made (On a budget of "Random stuff I had laying around") had a range of around 50 feet, at a pressure of 120 PSI. It's a pretty simple device to operate. Don't point it at things you don't want to burn. If you are too stupid for that, don't force regulation on the rest of us who enjoy having fun.

This is /.

[RuffMasterD]

Everybody wants to buy a date. How much?

As if the guns werent enough..

[Anonymous Coward]

Totally completely irresponsible. There is absolute no reason a weapon like this should be available to the civilian population - none.

Deep thought

[Anonymous Coward]

Allowing idiots to own flamethrowers...what could go wrong?