Rules to Live By, or "The 37mm Commandments"
submitted by forum members
- Never ever fire your launcher at anything or anyone; even legal ammo can land you in jail.
- Label your rounds, either with a text label or number. You don't want to fire because you thought a round was something it wasn't. Numbers can used for reloading data records for improvement.
- Get your papers in order. Get copies of local and federal laws to help shrug off legalities and incarciration, and KEEP A COPY WITH YOU.
- Put your rounds in a military (air/water proof) ammo box. A case of flares can burn down your house pretty quick. Also, if your rounds get wet they won't help you signal that rescue plane.
- Don't leave live rounds in your launcher; load it when you are ready to use it. Pretend it doesn't have a safety.
- Find a place to test untested reloaded rounds away from combustables and most importantly, people. A fire extinguisher wouldn't be a bad idea either in case something goes wrong.
- Speak of your hobby as it is, i.e. avoid slang. It's not a flashbang, it's a bird buster; it's a flare, not an incendiary round, and no, it's not an M79 or an M203, its a flare launcher. While it isn't exactly a firearm, a flare launcher can cause more problems then the rifle it is mounted on if improperly used. The political environment of today sees it as a "devastating assault weapon" or "grenade launcher" despite the fact that you own it for looks or as a perfectly legal hobby.
Your political enemies are uneducated and biased about firearms and even non-firearms, and your best course to preserving your rights is to put on a massive smiley face and grin and bear it. As they say, discretion is the better part of valor.
- Smoke rounds can and do start fires, so use them wisely.
- If your interests get you into legal trouble, (perhaps because you made an "illegal" round), the most likely scenario is that you'll get a DESTRUCTIVE DEVICE charge against you and if you lose, expect your firearms to go bye bye along with the right to ever own one, along with the right to defend yourself properly for LIFE (and the right to vote, though these days that doesn't seem to make any difference). Have sense, use your launcher wisely (and most importantly, legally).
- Know what you are doing. Study the laws regarding flare launchers and know the difference between "legal" flares, smoke, signaling, etc. rounds and "illegal" "destructive device" rounds BEFORE you make or use them.
- Thou shalt never, ever face a law enforcement officer with anything vaguely resembling a firearm in your hands. People have been killed holding lazer tag guns. "Legal" only matters if you live to call your lawyer.
- Most important: It only takes one mistake.
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