California and Idaho Have Different Restrictions on Flamethrower Use

One of my former coworkers owns a flamethrower.  She bought it a few years ago when there was an initial fad.  A pair of companies began selling them for commercial or personal use.  There was an initial effort to regulate them at the federal level.  The government sees something and wants to regulate or tax it.

On the state level, a handful of states made their proposals.  Wikipedia explains California has some limited restrictions.

In most states, sensible places like Idaho, there was no rush to control the population (until COVID!)

To my knowledge, there haven’t been any criminals using flamethrowers to rob gas stations.  Perhaps because they could blow themselves to the nether reaches.  Most of the sales are to farmers and ranchers, who use it as a tool for clearing brush.  I’ve seen a video on YouTube where a man is seen clearing snow from his driveway with a little directed fire.

From what I read about the history of weapons of war, flamethrowers had very limited use on battlefields, due to range and fuel issues.  Mostly, it was used as a means of creating high anxiety among an enemy.

There’s a wide range of prices on commercial models.  Bigger units to battle brush, and smaller makes to start a barbecue.

If nothing else, I think it would be fun to use one.  Not sure about how many are actually in private hands, but if you have one around the house, I’m sure it spends most of the time on a shelf.

Get our free mobile app