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Elon Musk’s flamethrower was not a flamethrower, but that isn’t stopping police

Elon Musk’s flamethrower was not a flamethrower, but that isn’t stopping police

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Telling the police that it’s not a weapon doesn’t always work

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Photo by random stranger in the crowd

Mark Harris has put together an amazing report for TechCrunch on the legal troubles that have befallen buyers of the Boring Company’s flame-throwing device. Part of what makes it worth a read is that it digs up stories you may have not heard about yet: a police raid in London, an American doing time in an Italian prison, and how they’ve turned up in narcotics hauls alongside real guns and bags of cocaine.

While the Not a Flamethrower name may actually be accurate, the story shows that when police the world over see you with a gun-shaped device, especially one that shoots flames, they may not join you in laughing about Elon’s zany project ideas. They may just end up arresting you.

“It’s a toy they sell to children.”

The biggest “what the heck” moment of the story for me was when a lawyer says of the Not a Flamethrower: “It’s a toy they sell to children.” Please, if you were one of the people who got this device — do not give it to a child.

While the product may be Boring, the article certainly is not, and you should definitely go give it a read. I promise you won’t get burned.