R.I.P. Scout26
On Friday, US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services told EastIdahoNews.com this is the first unintentional discharge of an M-44 in Idaho since 2014.
Well, if it was that long ago since the last accident, gee, what's everyone getting worked up about?
Agency records show that more than 3,400 animals have been mistakenly killed by M-44s since 2006, including black bears, bobcats, raccoons, opossums, ravens, ringtails, red fox, gray fox, kit fox, swift fox, turkey vultures and dogs.At least 18 employees and several members of the public have been exposed to cyanide, too, over the past 25 years. None died, but many were treated for nausea, blurred vision and other symptoms.Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/investigations/wildlife-investigation/article2574606.html#storylink=cpy
Why is it even in a residential area first of all?
And we thought it was a bad thing that they had submachine guns...
“I see this little pipe that looked like a sprinkler sticking out of the ground,” Canyon told EastIdahoNews.com. “I go over and touch it. Then it makes a pop sound and it spews orange gas everywhere.”The orange gas was cyanide, and it sprayed into Canyon’s left eye and on his clothing.
From the linked story in the OP:Shouldn't someone be facing TERRORISM charges because they set a dirty bomb / WMD in the USA?This isn't a tongue-in-cheek comment - I'm serious. It EXPLODED and spewed POISON GAS. How the <expletive> can even a .gov worker get away with this crap?
A "pop" doesn't mean an explosion. According the Wiki page ("but that's what they want you to know!") for the M44, it's spring-driven. Also, they apparently aren't designed to kill more than one thing at a time, so they're not exactly a "mass destruction" device.
Well, if it was that long ago since the last accident, gee, what's everyone getting worked up about? I can't believe they didn't put a ridiculous amount of warning signs around the area. Steel signs freakin' cemented into the ground so they can't be easily removed. If a private individual or organization did this, there would already be charges.
So if I do something like adapting a mouse trap to spew cyanide over a limited area in front of my house or a public park and some kid and his dog get sprayed with cyanide . . . they WON'T charge me with a terrorist act and put me in a prison cell so deep I'll need a tunnel to see sunlight?I don't think I'm going to test that premise.
Doesn't everyone need a bouncing betty style cyanide mine? Get fun at parties.
I don't disagree with the terrorism part. I'm just not convinced this thing is a WMD.
In July 2006, the FBI created the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate to build a cohesive and coordinated approach to incidents involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) material—with an overriding focus on prevention. The WMD Directorate proactively seeks out and relies on intelligence to drive preparedness, countermeasures, and investigations designed to keep WMD threats from becoming reality.WMD Basics Definition of WMDTitle 18 U.S.C. §2332a defines weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as:Any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas, including the following: a bomb; grenade; rocket having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than four ounces; missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than one-quarter ounce; mine; or device similar to any of the previously described devices;Any weapons that is designed or intend to cause death or serious bodily injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals, or their precursors;Any weapon involving a disease organism; andAny weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life.