VW sheriff provides explosive target info

VW County Sheriff’s Dept. news

Van Wert County Sheriff Thomas Riggenbach has released information to inform the public of potential violations of law regarding explosive targets.

The sale or possession and use of basic components of most explosive targets is not illegal, and some retail stores carry the basic components for sale. However, under different sections of the Ohio Revised Code, explosive targets can be judged illegal in Ohio, specifically when the raw materials of an explosive target (such as a metal-like aluminum powder and ammonium nitrate) are combined into a single mixture. The combination creates sensitized ammonium nitrate (SAN), which is listed in Ohio law as a dangerous ordnance.

Because of SAN’s listing as a dangerous ordnance, it is a felony of the fifth degree to knowingly possess the substance. It is also a felony of the second degree to manufacture it, which would include the act of combining the raw materials mentioned earlier, unless a person has first been issued a license, certificate of registration or permit from a fire official of a political subdivision in Ohio, or from the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

The detonation of an explosive target with a bullet would constitute, depending on circumstances, an explosive device. Under state law, possession of an explosive device is a fifth-degree felony.

In addition to the potential violations of Ohio law already mentioned, the combination of explosive target raw materials, including SAN, also falls under the Ohio Fire Code, which states that the manufacturing, possession or use of such substances is subject to special fire safety permits and fire code rules. A violation of the Ohio Fire Code is a first-degree misdemeanor.

Anyone who has questions about explosive targets can contact the State Fire Marshal’s Office at 888.252.0803 or 614.752.8200, or the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Department at 419.238.3866.