Warren Mayor Jim Fouts doesnât want flamethrowers in his town. (Photo: Brian Louwers/C&G News)
Although not precipitated by an outbreak of flamethrower-related crime, city leaders in Warren are moving to ban the devices for all but law enforcement and other official users.
A proposed ordinance drawn up by the City Attorneyâs office prohibiting the storage, use and possession of flamethrowers inside the city limits, to be updated with input from the fire department, was submitted to the Aug. 11 council meeting for review. The mayor, a Republican, says the new law is needed to avoid future problems.
âIâm very concerned about it. Itâs very dangerous in a lot of situations,â Mayor Jim Fouts told the Detroit Free Press, citing the devices could cause fires, property damage and even death. âThe pain and death it could impose is overwhelming.â
The proposed ordinance, approved by Fouts, City Attorney Mary Michaels, and Fire Commissioner Wilburt McAdams, defines flamethrowers as transportable devices that emit a burning stream of combustible or flammable liquid and aims to restrict them due to a, âsignificant risk of starting fires, damaging property and/or causing injury.â
Those found guilty of possessing or using such a flame weapon would be liable for a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail.
Exempted from the ordinance are open-flame cooking devices, paint torches and outdoor patio heaters as well as any device used by federal, state or local law enforcement or fire department.
Although Warrenâs crime rate and other factors earned it a top 10Â spot in Forbesâs 2012 list of Americaâs Most Miserable Cities, city officials havenât cited any past use of flamethrowers in commission of a crime in the area or complaints as reason to move towards a ban. Nonetheless, the Mayor feels the prohibition is warranted.
âYou know something like this will be used by bad people for bad things,â Fouts said.
However, local flamethrower makers disagree.
âItâs how a product is used that determines punishment for the operator,â said Chris Byars, CEO and project lead at Ion Productions Team, the Detroit company that makes the XM42 flamethrower. âSimply owning a particular product should not be a punishable offense. Itâs a matter of education and respect for safety.â
The XM42 project, which bills itself as the worldâs first commercial flamethrower, earlier this year raised $50,000 overnight through crowd funding to begin production and is among the front runners in a move to make the devices more obtainable.
Though regulation is sparse, most flame devices with the exception of agricultural equipment are extremely expensive collectibles. New devices, which still have legitimate uses for clearing out unwanted brush or inciting controlled burns to keep larger fires from spreading, can run as low as $700.
City Council members brought up exemptions for cigar lighters and hand torches in their meeting this week, and have reportedly put the issue on the back burner for now.