“Warren [MI] Mayor Jim Fouts wants to see the fires from flamethrowers put out in his city for good,” wxyz.com reports. “This is something that is so potentially dangerous that it’s just unacceptable,” Jimbo proclaims. As opposed to something that’s actually dangerous like, I dunno, heart disease? Cancer? Chronic lower respiratory diseases? In fact, we know the leading causes of death in Michigan (those are the top three). Oddly enough, flamethrowers don’t make the Mitten State’s mortality toll top 10. Or twenty. Or one hundred. OK, NO ONE HAS EVER DIED FROM A FLAMETHROWER IN MICHIGAN, either by accident of foul play. So is Fouts one of those “anti-everything” guys? Nope! You’ll be glad to hear that he’s “not opposed to the right to bear arms.” But . . .
he’s against people being able to buy flamethrowers online without anything to prohibit the sale to minors or those with criminal records.
Developer Chris Byars says, “We assume they are of legal age and we expect they use basic common sense.”
You can buy these flamethrowers for about a $1,000 with no questions asked and no criminal background checks.
“I’m fan of personal responsibility,” says Byars. “If they’re used safe and on private property, I don’t see a problem with that.”
Warren city council discussed the proposed ordinance this week, but there’s no date set on when the proposed ordinance could go up for a vote.
And the penalty would be . . .
[Fouts] is supporting a proposed ordinance that would ban the storage, possession and use of flamethrowers in Warren. Exceptions include law enforcement and armed forces.
Violations would be a misdemeanor with up to 90 days in jail, a $500 fine or both.
Banning things. That just burns me up. So to speak. [h/t DVH]