Inert ordnance in public

[DEADLINE222]

I have been fervently collecting ordnance for 8 years now. I have found and carried ordnance out of virtually every establishment I frequent; be it gun/military shows, antique malls/shows, flea markets and the occasional road side whatever.


The question I have to ask, is why not once have I ever been questioned or even looked at by the plethora of law enforcement in the immediate area? If I had a dollar for every time I have hauled a bomb casing across a parking lot, or carried an un-touched, fuzed projectile past what seems to be a town's entire police department and not garnering any unwanted attention, I would not have to go to work tomorrow.


I enjoy reading silly news stories where an entire city block is shut down because of a M228 fuze screwed into a Chinese made piece of cast iron, yet in my experience, nary a word is ever said to the folks who have tables full of them at an event.

It is not that I am hoping that "ordnance checks" begin to replace "firearm checks" at gun shows; I simply want to know........... what gives?

 

[highlandotter]

I hope you continue to have good luck. Too many would have a fit and think that the sky was falling in many areas. I would not recommend doing this in urban areas especially in New York or California. I think the general attitude in West, by God, is more freedom giving.

 

[Jolly Green]

Two simple words: West Virginia. :tinysmile_twink_t:

 

[bdgreen]

Count your blessings and don't press your luck! In 1985 my work supervisor (a research scientist with a PhD) asked me for a 20mm dummy round to give to his son. I had some 20 x 102mm TP (inert projectile) rounds without powder and no primer. As a precaution I drilled extra big holes in the case wall and drilled out the primer pocket and wrote INERT on the case. His son immediately took it to school to show his classmates. The teacher saw it and freaked out. The police were called and they called Army EOD from nearby Ft. Riley, Kansas to remove the offending item from the school. The next day I got a call from the boy's irate mother blaming ME for her embarrassment and the situation I put her son in!!!! That was 28 years ago! Brian

 

[HAZORD]

I'm thinking that unquestioned Ordnance packing is probably going away, since pressure cooker packing is now questioned. I've never been questioned either. I took a 90mm tank gun case to Jr. High to give a lecture on it back around 1969. I had 500 Lb. GP bombs stashed in the bushes around the house I was living in in Irvine California back in 1990, and the only question I ever got was from the Mailman who wanted to know if a particular bomb was for sale. The neighborhood knew me as "The Bomb Guy". If you look at a cross section of people, you have the ones that are too stupid to know what it is, the ones that are too scared to say anything, the ones that don't want to get involved, the ones that know what it is but think it is inert (which are the same as those morons packing the 120mm tank rounds the other day), the ones that do know what it is and know it is inert, and the do-gooders that want to make a name for themselves by arresting you to save the world. Luckily, your exposure to the public is minimal, and since the percentage of who you do encounter is so low with the undesirables, nothing has happened so far. Since 911, all bets are off and some have adopted the "shoot first ask questions later" position. Now with the zero tolerance BS in schools, kids can't even point their finger at someone as if it were a gun, without being suspended. I'm really wondering how that fits in with "Freedom of Speech", and I'm wondering when someone will push that zero tolerance crap to the Supreme Court.

 

[Falcon]

The situation is entirely different here in the UK. I would NEVER take any ordnance out in public uncovered.

I even cover artillery cases with a black bin bag or jacket when carrying them from the house to the car. It's best not to attract any unwanted attention.

 

[wichitaslumlord]

My sons school spends two weeks each year covering WW II in detail for the 7th grade class. I was invited to bring a sampling of WW II items to school and tell the class about them. A comprehensive program should include more than helmets, medals, patches, flags, uniforms, etc. so I asked if the school would have a problem with some inert ordnance examples being displayed as well. They felt it would be great for the kids to be able to see and hear about relics of this type as long as they were safe.
I personally spoke to EVERY level of administrator from the Head Master down to the department heads and received their blessing and support. I even contacted the head of our local bomb squad and asked for his thoughts on the display. We spoke for quite some time and he said that it sounded fine to him as long as the school was fully on board and the items were truly inert. He was informed of the date and time (so that if a call did come in he would be aware what was happening) and invited to attend if he wished.

I have presented this program for the last 5 years and it has become one of the most anticipated occurrences in the middle school, drawing all available teachers and staff to sit in. It's quite a task to keep 60+ 7th graders completely attentive for an hour but this presentation does the trick. Even though my son will graduate High School in one year, the school has requested that the presentation continue as long as I am willing to do it.
Over the past 5 years, these interesting and historical items have been shared with more than 300 students, many of whom still talk to me about their experience years later.

Is there still a risk? Yes, but it's very minimal since all possible parties have been informed in advance. It's hard to place a value on the good that is done by educating these students about our history and allowing them to see and touch items that have previously just been pictures in a book or on T.V. Some of the questions asked by these 7th graders are really good. These kids are smart and it makes me feel better about the future.
This school is a private one, so the "zero tolerance" stupidity and "Vogon Mentality" commonly found in government schools simply does not exist here. Common sense rules the day.

I have attached some pictures of the first years presentation. It has nearly doubled in size since then. Pat