Exploding Targets!

 


Introduction:

Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer and am nothing I say here has any actual legal bearing. Do your own research on things and don't take legal advice from internet blogs. I am talking about this topic as I understand it.

If you've watched Youtube since the early 2000's and have any interest in firearms, you've probably seen a video of somebody, somewhere, using Tannerite. Tannerite was designed as shooting target that creates a significant explosion when struck by a bullet at high enough speed. The product gained massive popularity after coming on to the market. Videos of people shooting tannerite and blowing up all sorts of junk spread far and wide across YouTube. Much like many things in the firearms community, people from the outside looking in often see tannerite and ask "how is that legal"? Although tannerite is perfectly legal, it does ride a fine line and relies on the user to use it in a correct and legal way. 

Details:

Tannerite as an explosive target relies heavily on the user to make sure it is used correctly and legally. The product ships and is sold as two separate components: a fuel and an oxidizer. Separately, these are inert products that do not pose any real danger under normal conditions. They're shipped and sold separately because when mixed, the mixture is considered an explosive is subject to transportation regulations. This means that in order to legally use tannerite, it has to be mixed at the same location it is going to be shot. Additionally, it's subject to regulations based on possession. A man in 2008 was charged with a felony after detonating some tannerite with a rifle after it was discovered that he was on probation and was not permitted to possess explosives or firearms. For those of us legally allowed to possess such things, we can go by the ATF guidelines for tannerite-like products that state that although mixing the components constitutes manufacturing of explosives, it is legal without a federal license so long as it is used for personal use only.

 

Above you can see the actual explosive power that enough tannerite can generate. There are actually a few different brands of exploding targets, each with different explosive yields and with different compositions. Tannerite actually shares some similar chemical components with some IED's and the explosive material that just recently caused the massive explosion in Beirut. According to the Safety Data Sheet for tannerite, the oxidizer is completely ammonium nitrate with a aluminum powder fuel. Other brands of explosive targets are comprised of other reactive components such as potassium perchlorate. 

Explosive targets are one of those elements of the firearms community that are lots of fun, but can be very easily taken away at a moments notice. Similar to bumpstocks, which were a novelty until their malicious use in the Las Vegas shooting. There really isn't much that is preventing the government from unilaterally banning these types of products or redefining existing statutes in order to restrict their use or possession. 

Conclusion:

The legality and widespread availability of tannerite has always surprised me given its explosive capability. Although I believe that it should 100% be legal, when ammonium nitrate fertilizer is no longer widely available to a lot of people, the ability to have 50 lbs of tannerite shipped to your doorstep is surprising. This is something that Americans really need to be careful with though. If people abuse the ability to have and use tannerite-like products, I find it increasingly more likely that government will seek to regulate it. 

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