Michigan mayor wants to ban flamethrowers

Check out the $1,600 flamethrower
Check out the $1,600 flamethrower

A flamethrower factory? Not in my backyard!

The mayor of a Detroit suburb wants to ban the flamethrowers that are manufactured in his city, out of fear that they could cause "catastrophic damage."

"This has very deadly potential for a deadly disastrous result, with no benefit," said Mayor James Fouts of Warren, Mich. "I think the biggest fear people have is the fear of being burned alive."



ion flamethrower 1
There are no federal laws regarding flamethrowers, like the XM42 from Ion Productions.

"What about someone who is under heavy influence of alcohol and he pulls out a flamethrower to impress his friends at a party?" he said.


Related: Flamethrowers are for sale to the public

Ion CEO Chris Byars dismissed Fouts' concerns. He said no one's been injured or killed by his product. He said the mayor's "discriminating" against the responsible consumers who buy his flamethrowers because he's overly concerned about what "could" happen.

"The mayor is a huge stickler against fireworks and anything too scary for him," said Byars, in an email. "Anyone can buy a gas can and a set of matches, too, and cause harm. There's laws on the books already for causing harm to others/property. There's no need for additional restrictions. Is Mayor Fouts going to prevent kitchen knife ownership because of the chance that a child could use one?"

ion flamethrower 2
Flamethrowers are manufactured in the city of Warren, Mich., where the mayor wants to ban them.



"I only see bad things happening [with flamethrowers,]" said Green, who dismissed the manufacturer's contention that flamethrowers have practical uses for controlled burns in agriculture. "If it shoots 25 feet, where the heck am I going to use it at? [Warren is] all residential."

Green and Fouts said they're hoping a city ban would inspire a "domino effect" among other cities and the state, that would catch the attention of Congress to pass a federal ban.

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