Flamethrowers have been a part of warfare since the 1st Century, AD – when the Byzantines used a form of incendiary stream called “Greek Fire” to burn enemy ships where they floated. Nearly 2,000 years later, harnessing the destructive power of fire remained integral to military strategies throughout World Wars I and II, where they saw extensive use in the trenches of the European theater.
Now, Elon Musk, the head of revolutionary businesses like SpaceX and Tesla, is selling his own brand of flamethrower online – and if you live just about anywhere in the United States, it’s perfectly legal to buy one.
Technically, Musk selling flamethrowers branded with his tunneling venture “The Boring Company,” shouldn’t come as any surprise: he told us he’d do it in December when the company began selling hats with the company’s brand emblazoned on the front.
“After [we sell] 50k [Boring Company] hats, we will start selling The Boring Company flamethrower.” Musk tweeted at the time.
The hats sold like wildfire, and before the month was up, Musk announced that flamethrowers were coming “soon!” Though, most people would be forgiven for assuming Musk was just kidding. Of course, Musk has made a habit of drawing headlines when it comes to his companies. We are, after all, talking about a man who plans to launch his own prototype Tesla Roadster at Mars in the inaugural launch of the planet’s most powerful active rocket platform, the Falcon Heavy – which by his own admission is really little more than 27 Merlin rocket engines, housed in three Falcon 9 rocket platforms, and then strapped together.
According to Musk, if the Falcon Heavy makes it far enough to not cause any damage to the launch pad when it explodes, he’ll consider it a success.
But if the possibility of the Falcon Heavy bursting into flames isn’t enough to satisfy your appetite for destruction, Musk has you covered. The Boring Company’s website is now accepting pre-orders of the branded flamethrower at $500 a pop. Musk has claimed that they’ll stop selling when they hit 20,000 orders, and as of Monday morning, pre-orders already exceeded 7,000. You can even purchase a branded fire extinguisher (separately) in case you’re worried about what the gas-powered stream of flames might do to your drapes.
The flamethrowers offered up for sale, which you can see in action below, might not do the trick if you’re planning on clearing out enemy foxholes, but according to Musk, they’re capable of doing some damage.
“When the zombie apocalypse happens, you’ll be glad you bought a flamethrower. Works against hordes of the undead or your money back!” Musk said on Twitter. He also advertised that it’s great “for roasting nuts,” before adding, “Obviously, a flamethrower is a super terrible idea. Definitely don’t buy one.”
The website also explains some safety parameters, such as that the flamethrower is not intended for use with “Boring Company decorative lacquered hay bales or Boring Company dockside munitions warehouses.”
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Flamethrowers are completely legal and not even considered a firearm by federal standards. California required a “flamethrower permit” and the use of a flamethrower violates fire code in Maryland – but if you live in the other 48 states, the only thing standing between you and your own Boring Company flamethrower is the $500 price tag.
You can order one here..
Images courtesy of The Boring Company
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