Tannerite‘s been in regulators’ sights recently. Three days ago, The National Forest Service banned all exploding targets (including Tannerite) on National Forests and National Grasslands within the Rocky Mountain Region, citing fire risk—despite the Oregon company’s insistence that its product is non-flammable. This after the FBI’s Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center claimed to identify “multiple incidents where criminals and extremists have explored the possibility of employing the binary explosive mixture obtained from ETs as a means to commit criminal and terrorist acts.” And now this: another Tannerite-related shrapnel injury, similar in nature if not scope to the one suffered by FPSRussia’s cameraman. You can’t fix stupid, but you can ban the stuff stupid people use. Not that you should. But you can. Just sayin’ . . . [h/t JJ]

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50 COMMENTS

    • That was my first thought as well. I’m pretty sure that most mixtures that I’ve seen have instructions specifically telling you to use soft containers. (Like plastic.)

    • Or glass. Can’t be found by x-ray. Tannerite is fun. I used it to get a couple friend and the wife into shooting. She didn’t want to shoot at all until I offered that she could blow up a pumpkin.

    • There seems to be an overwhelming amount of “just plain stupid” happening in this video:

      -Binary target placed into a metal container (Gee, that won’t turn into a bomb),

      -shot at close range (Well sheeyit, you gotta see it, right?)

      -against a backdrop to ensure the blast travels towards the shooters (I know, backdrops=safe but in this case backdrop=reflection of force)

      -Bonus points: woman giggles at the end as her partner is hit with shrapnel (I really hope she’s not laughing at him…)

      -This guy is f-ing lucky that piece didn’t KILL HIM.

    • I have used tannerrite alot but the 22 white lightning targets sold under tannerite trade mark are verry unstable my hands and face are messed up keep away from sparks it will mess you up I thought tannerite was tannerite be careful and don’t assume the lable makes it safe

  2. It is not, and should not be the responsibility of government to protect people from the consequences of their own stupidity. We should not be banning anything. Stupidity is a self-solving condition, one way or the other, if not interfered with – so don’t interfere. Besides, binary targets are fun.

    • I’m not saying we should kill all stupid people, we should just remove the warning labels and let nature take its course.

      Let’s see, explody stuff and metal containers. Sounds good to me!!

    • The government trying to protect people from their own stupidity is a major source of society’s problems today.

    • Unfortunately, that doesn’t cover ignorance.

      While it’s not the place of the government to ban Tannerite, it’s not that simple.

      Drunk driving is stupid, yes, and often takes out the moron at the wheel — but what about the folks in the other car? The drunk won’t invariably hit a tree with no further collateral damage, hence laws.

      What about the fool who fills a metal target with the stuff, but others at the range are unaware of precisely the sitch because they didn’t set up the target?

      Also, not everyone understands the difference between one kind of explosive and another. Ignorance can be fixed, but not always before a trip to the ER — or the morgue.

      Since we’re not seeing thirty Tannerite-related deaths per week, it’s likely that the Government shouldn’t intervene, but it’s no simple matter.

      Most of all, we shooters share the obligation to keep to a higher standard, as we wield a certain power others don’t.

      A friend in my rather close-knit occupation lost his daughter — nice, bright kid — a couple years ago because some yoots across a lake “thought” it’d be fun to shoot out into it. I mean it’s a lake at night; what could go wrong?

      A dead girl with a severed spinal column on the other side is what. Bullets travel, so always know whats past your target. Not everyone knows that, but they fu¢king should. Same with high explosives and metal containment.

      “Armedi intelligentsia” is all well and good, but it’s not the whole picture.

      Some of “us” are stupid enough to light farts in a grain elevator, and every one of those wastes of lead gives the grabbers more ammo.

      It IS the PLACE of each and every one of us to educate others, to work with conscience and diligence to keep our Community of the Gun responsible and safe, to collectively be a good neighbour.

      • My Dad [RIP] used to say, “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to remain uninformed.” Personally, I’m of a slightly different philosophy – I’ll yammer at you ’til I’m blue in the face trying to inform you.

        I believe that ignorance, which simply means “I do not know,” is not inherently a bad thing – “I do not know” is, after all, the first stage of wisdom.

        It’s the willful stupidity of the mobocracy that really irks me.

  5. ” you can ban the stuff stupid people use…Just sayin’”
    REALLY?

    stupid people use guns.
    just sayin’

    • Ya, that is very true…Let’s ban everything that stupid people use… Cars, planes, trains, busses, motorcycles, bicycles, razors (electric & manual), scissors (That’s A Large Common tool for injuries), Oh, and Hammers lots of injuries and deaths are caused by hammers…

      I thought we lived in the home of the free and the land of the brave?? Ban’s take away freedom and are enacted by cowards… Ban the Cowards and the politicians that work for them…

      Nothing against you jmk, just made a good spring board to jump off… 🙂

      • Land of the free and home of the brave, sir.

        Home of the free and land of the brave is over across the river.

        And of course there are the mainland and colonies of “land of the fees and home of the knave,” such as Калифорния, Нью Йорк, Коннектикут, Мэриленд, Иллиной…

    • yes but it’s the user that’s stupid, not the object. you can ban stupid objects(guns aren’t stupid!), but you can’t ban stupid people, or stupid actions. it’s really unfortunate.

      • I think part of the “problem” in “society” is the do-gooders trying to rescind the Darwin Effect. Time was, the consequences of stupidity were death. But they’re making it harder and harder for the stupid to Darwinize themselves. Back in the old days, when we had to walk five miles uphill both ways through ten feet of snow to get to school, they didn’t “childproof” the house – they house-trained their kids.

        Wanna decrease traffic deaths to zero?
        http://richgrise.tripod.com/images/Safe-Car.gif

        But, alas, the dumbing-down has been going on since they let the unions get their fangs into the children’s minds.

  6. Oh well. Stuff happens. That was an awful big thing that flew back. rock? or what is pictured?
    I remember a vid of a guy shooting a .50 at something hard in a quarry, the round coming back almost perfectly and knocking his muffs off.
    I believe if you do what we do often enough, there can be accidents. Hot reload, no powder, ricochets, etc…

  7. Just wondering how they altered their Tannerite to pick up that shrapnel that far away?!

  8. I represent Tannerite(r) brand targets. Let us remind everyone that Tannerite(r) exploding targets are to be used ONLY as a shot indicator. It is only legal to use Tannerite(r) brand targets as a shot indicator. Using our targets in anyway other than directed and instructed is wrong. Furthermore, using Tannerite(r) to blow up anything is not using Tannerite(r) brand targets as instructed. Please read the instructions, the information on our website (www.tannerite.com) and the instructional video that comes with your Tannerite(r) purchase (also found on our website). If you want Tannerite(r) targets to be available for purchase and enjoyment, please play by the rules and keep yourself safe.

    A Plea for Common Sense
    Given the popularity of binary exploding targets, there are a huge number of shooters using these targets in a safe and fun manner. There are, however, users doing unwise things with these targets. Please be sure to use these targets as a shot indicator only and away from populated areas. Continued misuse of these targets may result in restrictions on their use. The future of these targets is in your hands, so please use them properly.

    For more information, go to our website: http://www.tannerite.com.

  9. I can’t get to LiveLeak at the moment, but was Tannerite actually used in this video, or was it another binary?

    If it can’t be shown to have been Tannerite for sure, perhaps the headline/article should be changed to reflect that fact. I say this because Tannerite is already taking the heat for trouble caused by generics, so helping it along by naming them when they weren’t actually involved is help they don’t need.

  10. I’m thinking that Tannerite is becoming generic – like Kleenex, Aspirin and so on.

    Unfortunate, that.

  11. Lets outlaw everything that can be used in an irresponsible way, that should solve all our problems!

    But first please point out something (anything!) that can’t be used in an irresponsible way!

  12. Personal Choice = Personal Responsibility. Quit trying to blame the “availability” of an item, for your own stupid choices. Its getting old. Bout time everyone starts remembering what personal responsibility is.

  13. just because one person didn`t use common sense,you want to ban it?let`s start by banning idiots like yourself!why didn`t you just report the facts instead of interjecting with your asinine opinions?

  17. From the argument of some/many, Tannerite is completely safe,
    unless it’s used improperly, and therefore, it shouldn’t be banned,
    is that about it? Does that argument hold true for Dynamite,TNT,
    RDX, PETN, and C1-C4, to name just a few? If these are used
    properly, aren’t they also completely safe? Stupid people doing
    stupid things with explosive substances is no reason to ban
    something, right? Just so we’re clear. How’s the view up there,
    hanging from your petard?

    Tannerite is an explosive composition seeking a justification for
    its production and use as, (I’ll try to say this without laughing)
    a shot indicator? Is everyone here out of their fucking mind?
    Explain this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyIrKzaOSs0
    Or this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DK_pw2tq2Q
    Youtube is full of Tannerite being used as, uh…shot indicators.
    Thankfully, these were just stupid people acting stupidly with
    Tannerite, and not a Muslim Boston Marathon bomber type
    bent on death and destruction with a store bought explosive.
    Lucky for us there’s absolutely no way anyone could possibly
    construct a remotely triggered device that would fire a high
    velocity rifle round into 100lbs of Tannerite loaded in a parked
    car at Times Square or a busy street in Washington D.C.

    Tannerite is going to be used only as a shot indicator, you say?
    Ya, and I secretly took my dads Playboy mags when I was 13
    because I only wanted to read the excellent articles.

    • Yes, a shot indicator. Dan Tanner invented Tannerite as a shot indicator. Again, you are using Tannerite in the generic sense. Tannerite is a brand. The only way to explain reckless YouTube videos is that people are being reckless.

      Yes, I represent Tannerite brand targets. I’ll answer questions that anyone has about the product. I’m not posting to sell more Tannerite targets or using this as a marketing ploy. We simply want people to use our product safely and in the manner it is instructed to be used. If you purchase Tannerite brand targets, please check your state and local laws to make sure you are shooting Tannerite where it is ok. It is very loud and disturbs neighbors. Make sure you are at LEAST 100 yards away from the target. Don’t blow ANYTHING up with the Tannerite target. It is only to be used in the target container provided when you purchase the target. If you want to do stupid things and make reckless videos we ask you to please, DO NOT USE OUR PRODUCT.

  18. The instructions that come with the Tannerite state specifically to be at least 100 yards from even 8 ounces of the stuff. Yes that makes the target small and perhaps difficult for some folks to hit, but to ignore the safety practices in the use of firearms and explosives is a recipe for disaster

  20. This asshole is the reason you can’t have m-80 fireworks anymore, and next they will try to ban astro glide as being againist the Geneva convention

    Thanks asshole

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