Read more from Author Rachel Maga here: https://globelivemedia.com/author/rachel-maga/
Max Cradock, an American, was arrested in June 2-0-1-8 in a port town on Sardinia, Italy. The reason is that the flamethrower that looks like an assault rifle was carrying “Not a Flame thrower”. The bus driver carrying him was frightened when he saw the “weapon” and called the police.
After two days in custody, Mr. Cradock was finally able to meet a lawyer, who insisted on the judge that “it was a toy, not a weapon.” And the lawyer said he would be released soon with just a warning.
The flamethrower was sold by Elon Musk’s The Boring Company (TBC) in 2018. However, according to The Verge, possession of a flamethrower was a crime in Italy, and the judge convicted Mr. Cradock.
A few months later, this time London-based writer John Richardson was suddenly stepped on by five armed police officers while writing at home and was shown an investigation warrant. The policeman then discovered the TBC flamethrower and was asked, “Is this a flamethrower?” It was clearly the investigation aimed at this fire-breathing gun.
In the United States (at least in states other than California), the general public is free to own and use flamethrowers. However, in many countries other than the United States, it is not something that can be carried without permission. TechCrunch states that more than 1000 flamethrower buyers outside the United States have been confiscated by customs and local police, and many are being investigated for fines and arms purchases. Also in the United States, the flamethrower has been involved in several criminal investigations and has been confiscated at least three times by suspected drug traffickers.
TBC manufactures and sells 20,000 $ 500 flamethrowers. In the first place, I named this flamethrower “Not a Framethrower” because it was found that the handling of flamethrowers became a crime in each country as orders flooded from all over the world and shipping approached, “This is not a flamethrower. It’s a toy. ” However, that doesn’t mean that the joke can be understood. When he appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast in September 2018, CEO Musk was asked if this naming could solve everything, and he said, “I don’t know. I think it worked.” But the result is not so, in the UK the flamethrower has been investigated by an investigative team specializing in gun crime, and in Switzerland many buyers have confiscated the device and have been fined.
Mr. Cradock, who was arrested for bringing this flamethrower from the United States to Italy, was suddenly released about a week after he was sent to jail. The lawyer said he asked the judge, “Do you really want to put an American in jail with this toy and be talked about in world-renowned news?” I don’t know if that’s the reason, but Mr. Cradock said he was able to return to the United States safely. Although “Not a Framethrower” is gone, Mr. Cradock seems to have another flamethrower without discipline.
Even in Japan, the use of flamethrowers may be accused of “flame abuse”, so please refrain from playing with fire.
