Posted: 4/3/2005 12:46:59 PM EDT
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So I was watching Heat the other day... Anyway, there is a scene in which one of the charectors purchases a bunch of explosives from a demolitions company with nothing more than a fake Arizona drivers license. Is it really this easy to purchase explosives? I guess this movie was made before the OK City bombing and 9/11and things may have changed but it just kind of shocked me. Is it just Hollywood BS? I always assumed there were all kinds of advanced licenses involved. |
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www.senate.gov/member/wi/kohl/general/press/021402.html FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: LYNN BECKER OR JESSICA CATLIN FEBRUARY 14, 2002 PHONE: (202) 224-5653 KOHL, HATCH INTRODUCE "SAFE EXPLOSIVES ACT OF 2002" TO TARGET POTENTIAL TERRORISTS Legislation will close loophole in purchasing and possessing explosive materials WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) today introduced the Safe Explosives Act of 2002 to keep deadly explosives out of the hands of dangerous individuals seeking to cause destruction of life and property. Although permits are required for interstate purchases of explosives, there are no current uniform national limitations on the purchase of explosives within a single state by a resident of that state. The Kohl-Hatch legislation will close the loophole in current law by requiring people who want to acquire and possess explosive materials to obtain a permit, significantly reducing the availability of explosives to terrorists, felons and others prohibited by federal law from possessing these materials. "In some states, anyone can walk into a hardware store and buy plastique explosives or a box of dynamite," Kohl said. "No background check is conducted, and no effort is made to check whether the purchaser knows how to properly use this deadly material. Most Americans would be stunned to learn that in some states it is easier to get enough explosives to take down a house than it is to buy a gun, get a drivers' license, or even obtain a fishing license. Our legislation seeks to close this high-risk loophole." Under current law anyone who is involved in interstate shipment, purchase, or possession of explosives must have a federal permit. This Safe Explosives Act creates the same requirement for intrastate purchases. It calls for two types of permits for these intrastate purchasers: user permits and limited user permits. The user permit lasts for 3 years and allows unlimited explosives purchases. The limited user permit also expires after 3 years, but allows for six purchases per year. The two tier system ensures that low-volume users will not be burdened by regulations. The limited permit, like the user permit, imposes common-sense rules such as a background check, monitoring of explosives purchases, secure storage, and report of sale or theft of explosives. However, the Safe Explosives Act does not subject the limited user to the record keeping requirements currently required for full permit holders. In addition to creating the permit system, the Kohl-Hatch measure expands the classes of people who are barred from buying or possessing explosives. Current federal explosives law prohibits certain people from purchasing or possessing explosives, similar to those prohibited by federal firearms law. For example, convicted felons are not allowed to buy explosives. The Safe Explosives Act would extend those prohibitions to non-immigrant aliens. It is known now that several of the September 11 terrorists were non-immigrant aliens, and that sleeper terrorist cells made up of non-immigrant aliens have been operating within U.S. borders for number of years. The Safe Explosives Act also improves the public's safety by requiring permit holders to adhere to proper storage and safety regulations of explosives as proscribed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. These provisions will help ensure the safety of explosives handlers, and prevent accidental or criminal detonation of explosives. Each year, many people are seriously injured or killed by misuse and criminal use of explosives. For example, in 1997, there were 4,777 explosives incidents, killing 27 and injuring 164 people, and resulting in more than $7.3 million in property damage. The Kohl-Hatch proposal aims to reduce these numbers. The Safe Explosives Act strikes a reasonable balance between stopping dangerous people from getting explosives and helping legitimate users obtain and possess explosives. Most large commercial users already have explosives permits because they engage in interstate explosives transport. These users would not be significantly affected by the Kohl-Hatch legislation. The low-volume users will be able to get a limited permit. And high volume intrastate purchasers who are running businesses that require explosives will be able to get an unlimited user permit. Also, the measure will not affect those who use black or smokeless powder for recreation, as the legislation does not change current regulations on those particular materials. # # # Return to Senator Kohl's Homepage Explosive permit www.isee.org/f540013%202.pdf#search='explosives%20permit' |
... and the terrorists wouldn't steal explosives from legit owners because that would be naughty. |
| To buy ammonium nitrate and stuff to make flash powder, you need to present a drivers license. Didn't use to be like that. One place would even sell that stuff for CASH, sent in an envelope. He doesn't do that any more, requires ID and limits the amount you can buy, can't pay cash. |
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In the movie, Kilmer bought flex linear shape charge (FLSC). There's not much of a commercial blasting application for that and most explosives distributors wouldn't keep it around. If someone special ordered it, and they didn't have a proven track record, it might raise some eyebrows and give them a reason to dig into your background. but... It's just a movie. |