It's happening: Senator to propose bill regulating black powder in wake of Boston Massacre - Polidicks

I don't get why every politician ever goes into a frenzy about banning or regulating something just because someone uses it for harm. Black powder can make some really nasty bombs, but in this case, if it weren't for the ball bearings and such, not that many would've been hurt at all. Honestly, the real reason why the bombs didn't kill everyone on that section of the street, was because detonators are illegal for people to have, and insanely difficult to steal. The Oklahoma City Bombing was done with ANNM, and stolen detonators from a mining quarry. Had he not succeeded in getting the detonators, he would've had to scrap the entire idea.

[QUOTE=zombini;40355024]I don't get why every politician ever goes into a frenzy about banning or regulating something just because someone uses it for harm. [/QUOTE] Because that's what legislators do. Automobile laws and regulations didn't come into effect because a single lawmaker had a well known anti-Ford bias, it was because people were killing themselves in others with one ton speeding missiles.

Why don't we simply ban people, let's start with politicians.

This would be pretty damn redundant seeing how even after GCSE chemistry I know how easy it is to make some of your own explosives

[QUOTE=Raidyr;40355018]How is it emotional at all to offer legislation for background checks on selling a type of explosive that was recently used in a bombing? "Hey, this thing was used to hurt people, maybe we should look into making sure the people who are buying it are legit". It's not banning it, it's not even strictly regulating it, just making sure the people who buy it aren't criminals. Personally I'm split between not thinking it's really necessary (black powder as an explosive is used so little often to commit crimes that it's not even worth talking about) but on the other hand I can't see much going wrong with simply requiring a background check to buy an explosive. So I'm neutral. But atleast I am discussing the topic rather than out of hand dismissing it under the guise of being on a moral pedestal. When is the right time to talk about legislation involving something has killed people? A week? A month? A year?[/QUOTE] The bodies haven't reached room temperature yet and already they're trying to prove they care by proposing a law. It was ONLY proposed because of the recent attack. Even worse, the proposed bill will accomplish nothing. It's completely useless. As for when is the right time to propose a law about something that can harm ppl- how about BEFORE it harms a bunch of people. Do we really need 60% high school dropout rates before education reform can be proposed? How many mentally ill people need to commit mass murder before mental health issues are addressed? Do I need to read about hundreds of ppl sickened/dead before food inspection reform is on the table? I could go on and on but hopefully you get the idea. If the politicians cared at all they would attempt to solve problems before the problem reaches epic proportion. And by solving the problem I mean give me something with substance, not some half assed feel good measure that has zero chance of accomplishing anything positive. By the way, wtf are you going on about this moral pedestal crap. Seriously, don't think your some caped crusader because your willing to give an opinion on some random topic. It's the Internet-opinions are hardly rare.

Fine then. Just use fertilizer, that's proven to be pretty effective at making stuff blow up.

[QUOTE=H8Entitlement;40355377]The bodies haven't reached room temperature yet and already they're trying to prove they care by proposing a law. It was ONLY proposed because of the recent attack. Even worse, the proposed bill will accomplish nothing. It's completely useless. As for when is the right time to propose a law about something that can harm ppl- how about BEFORE it harms a bunch of people. Do we really need 60% high school dropout rates before education reform can be proposed? How many mentally ill people need to commit mass murder before mental health issues are addressed? Do I need to read about hundreds of ppl sickened/dead before food inspection reform is on the table? I could go on and on but hopefully you get the idea. If the politicians cared at all they would attempt to solve problems before the problem reaches epic proportion. And by solving the problem I mean give me something with substance, not some half assed feel good measure that has zero chance of accomplishing anything positive. By the way, wtf are you going on about this moral pedestal crap. Seriously, don't think your some caped crusader because your willing to give an opinion on some random topic. It's the Internet-opinions are hardly rare.[/QUOTE] The entire world is fucked up because of the human condition. Why would people who have 'good' lives (politicians etc) even wish to escape the loop themselves (the loop they are entirely ignorant about) - let alone help others to escape it?

Christ the first page is like walking into my shed and just staring at a bunch of tools

[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;40352720]If you don't stick up for your rights then you might as well just let the government take them away. Sure, black powder make be trivial, but what next? Do they go after the guns that shoot them? What about fireworks? It's a never ending battle.[/QUOTE] I feel people are becoming ridiculously paranoid about their government. They aren't evil masterminds hell bent on taking away your rights.

[QUOTE=H8Entitlement;40355377]The bodies haven't reached room temperature yet and already they're trying to prove they care by proposing a law. It was ONLY proposed because of the recent attack. Even worse, the proposed bill will accomplish nothing. It's completely useless. As for when is the right time to propose a law about something that can harm ppl- how about BEFORE it harms a bunch of people. Do we really need 60% high school dropout rates before education reform can be proposed? How many mentally ill people need to commit mass murder before mental health issues are addressed? Do I need to read about hundreds of ppl sickened/dead before food inspection reform is on the table? I could go on and on but hopefully you get the idea. If the politicians cared at all they would attempt to solve problems before the problem reaches epic proportion. And by solving the problem I mean give me something with substance, not some half assed feel good measure that has zero chance of accomplishing anything positive. By the way, wtf are you going on about this moral pedestal crap. Seriously, don't think your some caped crusader because your willing to give an opinion on some random topic. It's the Internet-opinions are hardly rare.[/QUOTE] If they fix it before it becomes a problem they look like they did nothing and don't get re-elected

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;40352753]If we censor snuff films or child porngraphy, we could very well end up banning every piece of media until thinking is deemed illegal. Whats worse, is that the state will have the resources and time to scan the minds of everybody constantly, and if we censored this single film here, there is absolutely nothing we can do to prevent the state preventing you from thinking. This is of no concern however, for you have already done their job for them.[/QUOTE] *tips fedora and scratches beard* Amen B/r/other.....Amen.

[QUOTE=zombini;40355024]I don't get why every politician ever goes into a frenzy about banning or regulating something just because someone uses it for harm. Black powder can make some really nasty bombs, but in this case, if it weren't for the ball bearings and such, not that many would've been hurt at all. Honestly, the real reason why the bombs didn't kill everyone on that section of the street, was because detonators are illegal for people to have, and insanely difficult to steal. The Oklahoma City Bombing was done with ANNM, and stolen detonators from a mining quarry. Had he not succeeded in getting the detonators, he would've had to scrap the entire idea.[/QUOTE] emotional appeal

[QUOTE=Laserbeams;40354210]This is pointless, you can make a bomb with completely harmless household items[/QUOTE] Chemical fertilizer. hydrogen peroxide and a shitload of newspaper shreds. Put it in a closed container of sorts, add a fuse and you have a bomb. Although keeping tab on who's owning what and how much when it comes to firearms and munition isn't a bad idea. [QUOTE=Scot;40355745]I feel people are becoming ridiculously paranoid about their government. They aren't evil masterminds hell bent on taking away your rights.[/QUOTE] I like how people in the US are incredibly trigger happy at going [I]"FUCK YEAR 'MURRICA"[/I], [B]YET[/B] when the politicians actually propose a sensible legislation for once they go [I]"MUH RIGHTS"[/I] For fucks sake, apply some common sense already, no wonder the political system is in the crapper over there.

Black powder isn't that dangerous, more people died from car accidents than black powder this year. How I see it the only problem with the bombing is the fact that it means that terrorists are still targeting the US. Banning black powder accomplishes nothing, improving relations with the group the terrorists represent. For instance closing Guantanamo or whatever.

[QUOTE=Robber;40356217]Black powder isn't that dangerous, more people died from car accidents than black powder this year. How I see it the only problem with the bombing is the fact that it means that terrorists are still targeting the US. Banning black powder accomplishes nothing, improving relations with the group the terrorists represent. For instance closing Guantanamo or whatever.[/QUOTE] not banning it doe

Does anyone have a link to the archived 4chan post? Eerie, yet I'm interested in reading the replies.

This is so goddamn redundant seeing that you can get all of the stuff to make gunpowder from home depot and just throw it in a ball mill and presto, scary black boom boom powder of death. Hell, you don't even need to buy the ingredients since you can find it in nature for crying out loud.

[QUOTE=Scot;40355745]I feel people are becoming ridiculously paranoid about their government. They aren't evil masterminds hell bent on taking away your rights.[/QUOTE]I find Hanlon's Razor to be a useful rule of thumb for governments.

Examiner is a very shitty source, and the OP's article appears to have been edited since posting because it doesn't include anything about this anymore. So [url=http://www.lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=341435&]here's the press release directly from Senator Lautenberg[/url]

[QUOTE=smurfy;40357038]Examiner is a very shitty source, and the OP's article appears to have been edited since posting because it doesn't include anything about this anymore. So [url=http://www.lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=341435&]here's the press release directly from Senator Lautenberg[/url][/QUOTE] [QUOTE] Current law allows an individual to purchase as much as 50 pounds of explosive “black powder” without a background check[/QUOTE] Just so we are clear, there are people who think this is a good idea? [QUOTE=H8Entitlement;40355377]The bodies haven't reached room temperature yet and already they're trying to prove they care by proposing a law.[/QUOTE] How long do they have to wait before talking about it? [QUOTE]It was ONLY proposed because of the recent attack. [/QUOTE] If you actually read the OP you would see that he has pushed this sort of legislation in the past. [QUOTE] By the way, wtf are you going on about this moral pedestal crap. Seriously, don't think your some caped crusader because your willing to give an opinion on some random topic. It's the Internet-opinions are hardly rare.[/QUOTE] Completely misinterpreting what I'm saying. The people putting themselves on the moral pedestal are the ones looking down on politicians who have the gall to say after a shooting "Hey maybe we should talk about guns?" or after a bombing "Hey maybe we should talk about explosives?". It's ugly ad-hominem, replacing an honest argument about the issues with an attack on someones character to sidestep any real debate.

[QUOTE=ColdWave;40352678]Oh boohoo. Are you people ever happy? Are you ever happy to just be able to have guns? Jesus Christ some people sicken me.[/QUOTE] The problem here isn't black powder, guns or whatever. It's the people who use them wrong.

Fuck off, if people are really intent on doing this crazy shit they will piss in a bucket and make saltpeter etc.

[QUOTE=Raidyr;40357656]Just so we are clear, there are people who think this is a good idea? How long do they have to wait before talking about it? If you actually read the OP you would see that he has pushed this sort of legislation in the past. Completely misinterpreting what I'm saying. The people putting themselves on the moral pedestal are the ones looking down on politicians who have the gall to say after a shooting "Hey maybe we should talk about guns?" or after a bombing "Hey maybe we should talk about explosives?". It's ugly ad-hominem, replacing an honest argument about the issues with an attack on someones character to sidestep any real debate.[/QUOTE] Looking down on politicians? The same ones who exempt themselves from the very laws they aim to create, the same ones who when sitting down to 'talk' about these things spend the whole time doing a handstand so that they may talk out of their asses more easily, the talk you speak of is always about creating defacto bans, even complete bans and that's why none of their bullshit is tolerated, it's never handled with any consideration to what is actually going on or why things happen. Quite frankly me and a hell of a lot of other people are fed up with it, you wanna know why the NRA is so vocal lately? They're backlogged more than a month on donations and membership applications sent in by people like me and we're not going to let your ideals dictate how we live our lives. Μολὼν λαβέ motherfucker.

[QUOTE=Hullu V3;40357772]The problem here isn't black powder, guns or whatever. It's the people who use them wrong.[/QUOTE] You know what might help limit people's capability to use them wrong? Background checks, so the obviously wrong get weeded out. OH WAIT. That's what's being proposed here.

[QUOTE=RR_Raptor65;40358580]Looking down on politicians? The same ones who exempt themselves from the very laws they aim to create, the same ones who when sitting down to 'talk' about these things spend the whole time doing a handstand so that they may talk out of their asses more easily, the talk you speak of is always about creating defacto bans, even complete bans and that's why none of their bullshit is tolerated, it's never handled with any consideration to what is actually going on or why things happen.[/QUOTE] I don't really know what to do with this rambling. Are we talking specifically about the dude mentioned in the OP? Does he want to institute background checks on purchasing black powder just so he can purchase some himself? That seems like a really roundabout way of doing things. How would it be a defacto ban? I guess it is if you have criminal history or are on a terrorist watchlist, but for the average every day person they are just going to check your history, see nothings up, and let you buy as many explosives as you want because goddamnit this is America. [QUOTE]Quite frankly me and a hell of a lot of other people are fed up with it, you wanna know why the NRA is so vocal lately? They're backlogged more than a month on donations and membership applications sent in by people like me and we're not going to let your ideals dictate how we live our lives. Μολὼν λαβέ motherfucker.[/QUOTE] It's pretty sad that so many people are donating to or signing up with a known crooked lobbyist group who works against gun owners on a constant basis with it's hypocritical positions. That said, relax dude. Nobody is trying to take your guns or your black powder, we are just saying that maybe we should check into the people trying to buy those things with a simple background check.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;40352700]Gunpowder, ironically, aren't used in firearms any longer (excepting old style flintlocks).[/QUOTE] It's kind of funny, because you need it if you go into reenacting, and you need a good amount for that.

[QUOTE=Craigewan;40358611]You know what might help limit people's capability to use them wrong? Background checks, so the obviously wrong get weeded out. OH WAIT. That's what's being proposed here.[/QUOTE] So you really think that if there had been a background check in place for this stuff, the boston bombings would not have happened?

[QUOTE=Boba_Fett;40352673]It seems like we always have scumbag politicians trying to push their agendas in wake of tragedies.[/QUOTE] I don't really think this politician had a prior agenda against black powder. Maybe they did, but it's hard to believe they had any really strong convictions before the bombings.

Why ban black powder? Lawn fertilizer is just as explosive, and you can buy a truck load of the shit without anyone raising an eyebrow. You can't buy a crate of black powder without every cop in the state crawling up your ass.

[QUOTE=Raidyr;40357656]Just so we are clear, there are people who think this is a good idea? How long do they have to wait before talking about it? If you actually read the OP you would see that he has pushed this sort of legislation in the past. Completely misinterpreting what I'm saying. The people putting themselves on the moral pedestal are the ones looking down on politicians who have the gall to say after a shooting "Hey maybe we should talk about guns?" or after a bombing "Hey maybe we should talk about explosives?". It's ugly ad-hominem, replacing an honest argument about the issues with an attack on someones character to sidestep any real debate.[/QUOTE] Not to be an ass, but technically black powder isn't even an explosive. It's a propellant. It Burns ultra fast, instead of detonating and creating a blast wave.