20 July 2009

Underage bomb experts in the making

| sunshine
Join the conversation
14

Here’s an interesting one….. went into the local shops tonight and was there to witness two very young (probably 8 & 10 yr olds) boys talking excitedly about how they were going to make a bomb and try to blow up the local school toilets.

After talking to someone on their mobile phone about the ingredients they would need they walked up to the counter with their flammable liquids and attempted to purchase them.

After I suggested to the proprietor that they may not want to sell these items to the youngsters (especially knowing what was going to be done with them), they were turned away.

If i hadn’t have been there i’m sure they would have been able to purchase the items – one was metho, one was ammonia and the other was a blue flammable liquid – not sure what it was. Just had visions of two little boys getting badly burnt.

When they were unable to purchase the items they tried hairspray and asked for paint!

They just wanted to blow something up. is there a law against selling items such as these to underage children such as there is for paint, knives, smokes etc? and where would a shop owner stand if serious damage was caused.

Join the conversation

14
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

Spam Box said :

We threw rocks at a mortar shell we found, boy did that end badly.

Sure as sh!t learned a lesson that day!

now that made me laugh

Can’t they just play with matches like normal kids?

neanderthalsis6:48 pm 20 Jul 09

sunshine said :

hmm so obviously it’s a thing that boys do in their youth – AND here i was the older female spoiling their fun.

Yes sunshine, it’s just boys being boys. We all go through the pyromania stage, most of us survive to tell the next generation of the dangers in home made gun cotton.

Wanting to blow up the bogs at school is going a bit far though.

We threw rocks at a mortar shell we found, boy did that end badly.

Sure as sh!t learned a lesson that day!

turps and polystyrene foam makes a nice flammable putty!

p1 said :

Kerosene is really not a great choice for anything exciting, unless they were using it in place of diesel in anfo…

Firebreathing!

hmm so obviously it’s a thing that boys do in their youth – AND here i was the older female spoiling their fun.

mmmm a mate managed to burn down his parents new (expensive) brush fence with a lighter and something that acted as a flame thrower. “Geez those things go up fast” he said. We live and learn….

Muttsybignuts said :

I remember ripping the heads off all my Star Wars figures and filling the small hole with gunpowder ( and sometimes using a drill to create a bigger hole), sparking them up and watching them melt.
If only I had kept them. Worth heaps nowadays.

Never blew up a crapper I’m afraid.

We always destroy the ones we love. I remember a certain Darth Vader figure that i had as a kid that would be present at most explosions, he was blown to pieces, shame he never made it to retirement (two days and all that). I heard that these days he is worth a cool $1200AUS. If only i had thought ahead.

Muttsybignuts12:26 pm 20 Jul 09

I remember ripping the heads off all my Star Wars figures and filling the small hole with gunpowder ( and sometimes using a drill to create a bigger hole), sparking them up and watching them melt.
If only I had kept them. Worth heaps nowadays.

Never blew up a crapper I’m afraid.

Coming to school on a monday with singed hair was the sign of a weekend well spent when I was a lad.

+1

Kerosene is really not a great choice for anything exciting, unless they were using it in place of diesel in anfo…

I never understood the fascination with blowing up toilets? Blowing things up, sure, but loos? Too much American TV I think.

neanderthalsis10:20 am 20 Jul 09

Most preteen boys have a fascination with making things go boom. Most aren’t usually as sinister as trying to blow up the local school dunnies though. Stick to match bombs to blow up toy cars and pipe bombs for blowing carp out of the river.

Coming to school on a monday with singed hair was the sign of a weekend well spent when I was a lad.

The blue bottle being sold from local shops would likely be kerosene.
Its quite a let-down when it comes to explosive potential, as it is really quite stable and requires wicking action\evaporation to ignite properly.

But as you say, they’re just kids, they’ll eventually learn they should be looking amongst the party supplies.

Bugger it, I will be the first to say let them do it. I would suggest a badly ventilated area to mix up the ingrediants using a naked flame for light. Remember kids, inhale the smell deeply as this is how you tell that it is done right. If you make a mess just wipe it off on your clothes. It is safe to do in the kitchen at home or in Dads garage. And remember to always go and have a good close look at the bomb if it does not go off.

But seriously, The shop owner could stand trial. I do beleive that there might be a law against selling paint to under 16’s although i am not completely sure. In a situation like that it would not be unethical to call the Police to have a chat with them. Having the materials to make an explosive with intent is an offence.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.