Man charged with having bomb parts

BPFROM843 (anonymous) says...

dam a million dollar bond he would have just been better off makin a bomb and robbing a bank and getting probation for it later

January 9, 2009 at 3:13 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SomeTruthPlease (anonymous) says...

ATF is trying hard to make a name for itself lately. Especially against local gun shop owners. I'm very interested in knowing the details of this "transaction", and how the two ended up in contact to begin with.

January 9, 2009 at 5:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SomeTruthPlease (anonymous) says...

The ATF has been on the warpath against gun shop owners for a while...I am wondering if it's some sort of campaign to put the ATF in a better light. I don't doubt for a second that their vendetta against this man began when he owned a gun store. He no longer owns that store. I am wondering why. I wonder why over HALF of the gun stores in the US are now closed. The remainder have had their stores "invaded" by the Bloomberg weasels. He stepped on the ATF's toes, and now the ATF is in his back pocket. Jesse O'Conner is sitting in the Berkeley County Jail...why? He was going to kill his best friends soon-to-be ex-wife, nearly 8 months pregnant, and her boyfriend, because he was ASKED to do it. His girlfriend? Holly Flom, an 8 year dispatcher for the Summerville police department. The ATF sent these two into the Summerville Pawn Shop to try to "take down" Larry Mickalis, giving them immunity for not one, but two felonies, bailing him out of SCDC early, and nearly getting that family killed in the aftermath of their mission. Read what you will about the man in this article, but don't believe everything the ATF says. If they want you, they will go to great lengths to get you, even if means releasing felons in order to prove that you just HAD to screw up at least once in 30+ years of business. Eventually, the ATF will have to order new business cards, when they are simply the "AT".

January 9, 2009 at 5:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Neponset (anonymous) says...

I don't know about the fuses, but Pyrodex is a substitute for black powder and is manufactured for use in black powder fire arms. In fact, if I was still active in using my replica of a Civil War revolver, I would have a container of it in my home. It is my understanding that this stuff can be legally purchased from a gun dealer, as black powder was, when it was available. IMHO, this stuff is a poor substitute for modern explosives. It will be interesting to see how this case develops.

January 9, 2009 at 5:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Tides (anonymous) says...

One would have to think that there is more of this kind of stuff floating around out there; especially with how easy it was for all these millions of illegal mexicans to basically just 'walk' right in to our country and start taking it over. Then to mention, needless to say, their baby making activities.

Lord, the United States is one big mess because of these twits we have running our government. Yeppers ... politicians with no real brains nor common sense. Oh, they might have a college degree or something. However, they still have no real brains - or are just corrupt as all get out.

January 9, 2009 at 6:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Tides (anonymous) says...

Black powder is common .... very explosive .... and Civil War Reenactors use a lot of it.

January 9, 2009 at 6:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Tides (anonymous) says...

Million dollar bond is awful high. Must be a flight risk or something. Did he kill someone too?

January 9, 2009 at 6:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Grinder (anonymous) says...

Homeland Security... Patriot Act... who'd a-thought all the powers therein would be abused by government agencies and agents? Sheesh.

January 9, 2009 at 6:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

watchdog (anonymous) says...

Grinder, you have one twit to thank for Homeland Security, and the Patriot Act - The Dumb Ass Cowboy - Go W, just go!!!

January 9, 2009 at 6:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Neponset (anonymous) says...

Tides
The last can of black powder I had was made by Dupont and they have stopped making it. It is my understanding that black powder is no longer produced, due to regulations and Pyrodex has taken its place. The reenactors are probably using Pyrodex.
While black powder is explosive, it was long ago replaced with more powerful modern explosives for industrial and fire arm use.

January 9, 2009 at 7:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

NumbersSCcom (anonymous) says...

The BATF always makes a stink about something or goes on a crusade about the time of a new President taking office. It's their way of demanding more money out of the Federal pie. They are the deranged lunatic rednecks of the unconstitutional Federal police forces.

January 9, 2009 at 7:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

NumbersSCcom (anonymous) says...

BTW: Be sure to always refer to them as the "BATF." They've done all they can during the last couple of decades to present themselves as a three-letter organization (akin to "FBI," "CIA," etc.) in an effort to boost morale and professionalism among their mind-numbed mercenaries. Needless to say, they come off looking more like the KGB than anything else.

January 9, 2009 at 7:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

NumbersSCcom (anonymous) says...

From: http://www.globalsecurity.org/militar...

"2) M228 fuze. The M228 fuze (Figure 1-4) is used with the M69 practice grenade to replicate the fuze delay of the M67 fragmentation hand grenade. The time delay element is a powder train with a 4- to 5-second delay burn. In some cases, however, the delay element may vary from less than 4 seconds to more than 5 seconds due to defective fuzes."

The M228 does not SOUND illegal. Does anyone know?

Pyrodex is a propellent rather than an explosive such as black powder. With Pyrodex and an M228, you can make something that will create a giant "WHOOSH!" and that's about it.

January 9, 2009 at 7:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dereksmith (anonymous) says...

You that have been "abused" by the Patriot Act, please raise your hand! I DOUBT ANY OF YOU HAVE! Your life has not changed ANY since it passed. Keep in mind, that it was a Democratic House & Senate that read it (or was supposed to have read it) & passed it. Even the Supreme Court didn't have a problem with it. How soon some of you forget 9/11.

January 9, 2009 at 8:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

abitskeptical (anonymous) says...

Many patriotic & conservative Americans have concerns over some of the details of the Patriot Act.

Clever name that act has...implying that if you have a problem with it you must not be a patriot.

Several congressman expressed dismay that they were being asked to vote on it before being able to read through it fully. Ron Paul, for one, refused to vote on it for that very reason.

January 9, 2009 at 8:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

BigSargeofSC (anonymous) says...

M228 fuze is used by the military for training purposes. The fuze screws into in metal ball shaped like a grenade, plus there is an opening opposite of where the fuze screws in for pressure relief. There is no good reason a civilian should have these fuzes.

January 9, 2009 at 8:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

dawhetsell (anonymous) says...

Better start buying all the guns and ammo you can because the FIRST thing that obama the illeagal alien is going to do January 20th is take away your guns and ammo. Like the Constitition states," a well armed citizenery can keep their freedom." Watch out for the goverment, they are trying to get the gun dealers first on trumped up charges and we will be next.

January 9, 2009 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

choochood (anonymous) says...

You people are really nuts - I hope you keep him as your neighbor - because if that house blows up...I bet you would be the first ones to want to say the authorities knew something was going on and didn't do anything about it. I am sure every law abiding citizen and gun shop owner keeps this same inventory in their house...remember walks like a duck, sounds like a duck...it is a fricking duck.

January 9, 2009 at 8:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...

I am in disbelief at the people defending this guy. I'm betting the reaction would be different if his name was Muhammad Azeem.

January 9, 2009 at 9:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Missing_Home (anonymous) says...

To DerekSmith----"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" --Ben Franklin

I think the Patriot act was a knee jerk reaction to some bad times. Congress realized this when they created it and that is why they gave it a shelf life.

As far as any of you/us being effected by it, we will really never know, Your grandkids might in the year 2050 when your patriot act file gets declassified, but we will be long gone.

January 9, 2009 at 9:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Missing_Home (anonymous) says...

Cool beans -- - I think you are probably right.

Don't take my previous post wrong, I don't condone what the guy has allegedly done.

If he is proven guilty, throw him away.

January 9, 2009 at 9:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Neponset (anonymous) says...

Cool
If you are referring to me, I think you are mistaken, I am only analyzing what is involved (ie some black powder substitute and training fuses) - this is not C4 and the appropriate detonator. Many of us have stuff in our homes that could be used for bomb making, but is there for normal use, but we could be crucified for it under the wrong circumstances. I don't know what is going here, but we will soon find out. Example diesel oil and nitrite fertilizer can be used in making a bomb, but can also be used in my old Mercedes and to make the grass grow faster.

January 9, 2009 at 9:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...

Neponset- I wasn't referring to anyone really. Just making a honest observation. We all like to think we're open minded and not too quick to pass judgement-but we all have some level of bias. I just find it hard to believe that the ATF targeted this man for no reason. I'm sure there's information in this investigation that we aren't privy to.

January 9, 2009 at 9:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Missing_Home (anonymous) says...

Hmmm, Clearly the guy is not in the Navy, I wonder what Element involved bringing in NCIS?

Was the Fed informant NAvy?

January 9, 2009 at 9:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Neponset (anonymous) says...

Cool
The only thing that bothers me about this case is the fuses - where did he get them - I guess from someone in the military. I agree with the poster that said there is no good reason to have these fuses.

January 9, 2009 at 9:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...

Yeah. They probably busted someone in the Navy, who in turn sang like a canary.

January 9, 2009 at 9:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

westashleyboi (anonymous) says...

Just some FYI. He was charged by the Sheriffs office not the feds. Most likely he was charged under South Carolina State Statute 16-23-720(c)

A person who knowingly possesses, manufactures, transports, distributes, or possesses with the intent to distribute a destructive device or any explosive, incendiary device, or over-pressure device or toxic substance or material which has been configured to cause damage, injury, or death, or a person who possesses parts, components, or materials which when assembled constitute a destructive device is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, must be imprisoned for not less than two years nor more than fifteen years.

A "destructive device" is defined and this M288 fuse seems to fit under this.

Even if the fuses are inert, if he represented that they were "live" that is illegal as well.

there are exceptions for fireworks, ammunition, pyrotechnics, and agricultural products.

Now this guy seems more like the Duke Boys with their dynamite bow and arrows than nefarious foreign nationals but we shall see.

January 9, 2009 at 10:10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...

Thing is a lot of these "Duke Boy" style rednecks don't give a crap about who they are selling to.

January 9, 2009 at 10:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

majorjohnson (anonymous) says...

I have 3 pounds of pyrodex in my closet right now for my black powder rifles and pistols. It is not an explosive, and you can buy it through the mail and don't need a license to sell it, which I assume this person would have anyway since I have purchased some through his shop when it was open.

I'm assuming it's the fuses which the BATF are charging him for selling. I haven't a clue whether those are legal to sell, but it looks like not.

If both are legal to sell and he's being charged for selling the legal components which can be used to build a bomb, very few of us are safe as many household items can be used to build an explosive or chemical bomb. A pipe, clock, and some charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter, all of which are perfectly legal and easily purchased at walmart, will make a far nastier bomb than you can possibly build with pyrodex.

January 9, 2009 at 10:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SCdeacinNYC (anonymous) says...

I don't care WHO has unnecessary weapons or explosives, anyone is capable of blowing you up. I'm definitely not at ease hearing that he is "mild-mannered" (so was the unabomber) and a victim of "circumstances." I can't imagine why a civilian would need grenade fusers anyway. Even if is only crime is possession of illegal weapons and bomb parts he should be prosecuted and gets no sympathy from me.

January 9, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Neponset (anonymous) says...

When I was boy, it was not uncommon for young boys to make black powder (ingredients were available in the school chemistry lab or the local drug store) and set it off in the near by woods or fields - sure glad I grew up in another era - paradise lost. The same goes for schools boys with a pocket knife - mine was usually a Barlow.

January 9, 2009 at 10:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yird (anonymous) says...

Posted by coolfreaknbeans on January 9, 2009 at 9:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I am in disbelief at the people defending this guy. I'm betting the reaction would be different if his name was Muhammad Azeem.
===============================================================
Forgive me for being politically incorrect but if his name was in fact Muhammad anything, there would be just reason to be alarmed.

Do you live in a vacuum?

This appears as others have mentioned simply another case of the BATF flexing their muscles as they take on a politically correct victim in their continuous assault on the rights of everyday Americans.

As Major said, the components for making explosive and incendiary devices are readily available and I for one spent a lot of time in my teens doing just that and had a "bang" doing it.

I don't believe this guy is guilty of anything more serious then trying to make a few bucks getting rid of some stuff he had no use for.

After all these are tough economic times, are they not?

January 9, 2009 at 12:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

SomeTruthPlease (anonymous) says...

The Mickalis case is scheduled for the next couple of weeks in the Federal Courthouse downtown. Could it possibly BE that the ATF has to show themselves in a positive light before having to deal with what could possibly be the most embarrassing thing they've had to deal with in years? Their "golden boy", the one they gave immunity to on two felonies, nearly shot dead three people in Berkeley County's "murder for hire" scheme (Jesse O'Conner). When that situation came to light, one of the first on the scene was the ATF agent having to keep that lunatic under his wing. That same ATF agent is now living in Oregon, having all but abandoned his nearly-1/2 million dollar home in Boyle Plantation. That's a lot of house for a fairly low man on the ATF's totem pole. His wife is now having to be a teacher's assistant...(if you doubt any of these things, I'll send you parcel records, real estate info, article on his wife, whatever you need...I've made this MY mission). They told the public that he was "cooperating" with Holly Flom (a dispatcher at Summerville P.D.) Sure they were "cooperating". They have a child together. That wasn't news? How'd the ATF find them? He committed a robbery, and they were caught with a gun. Rather than face the charges, the ATF offered them a deal...take down this last gunshop in Dorchester County, and you're both scot-free. The ATF's mission is bigger than the local gun shops. It is a way to clean up this mess that Mayor Bloomberg created, a couple of ATF agents that have put themselves in the pockets of the wealthiest man we probably have ever heard of. Unless I'm reading things wrong, and I don't believe I am, the home owned by one ATF agent, now for sale in Boyle Plantation, had nothing more than an $89K mortgage. The price of the lot. Last I checked, construction materials were not free. Don't believe everything you read unless offered proof...want proof? Email me.

January 9, 2009 at 1:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

now_here_this (anonymous) says...

Timothy McVeigh's name wasn't Mohammed either. Anybody here wish the ATF had investigated him and his harmless deisel, fertilizer and fuses? This guy may or may not be a domestic terrorist, but I'd feel better knowing whether or not he's running their convenience store.

January 9, 2009 at 1:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Cid95 (anonymous) says...

Pyrodex in a confined area is an explosive (that's how propellants work inside a cartridge). However, it's not illegal.

The M228 training fuzes are I guess the issue, though I don't know if they are "civilian legal" or not. Here's what they look like, though this one is inert:
http://www.inertproducts.com/inc/sdet...

I used them in my military days, they allow you to arm and throw a training hand grenade (simulating the M67 fragmentation grenade) and hear a satisfying "pop". I had one go off on my boot once, they present no danger themselves more than a firecracker.

I suppose one could make an explosive device with pyrodex and these fuses. Or with pyrodex and a box of matches. Or with pyrodec and a bottle rocket fuze.

There is definitely some missing backstory here of how the BATF came to be in contact with this guy to set this up.

January 9, 2009 at 1:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

nappyd (anonymous) says...

If only he could've made it to the tax-free Gun spree around Thanksgiving, he'd have been ok and this wouldn't have happened.

January 9, 2009 at 2:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

coolfreaknbeans (anonymous) says...

yird- My point was that we shouldnt let our guard down because his name isnt Muhammad. No I certanly dont live in a vacuum. You posted "I for one spent a lot of time in my teens doing just that and had a "bang" doing it." So maybe you live in a vacuum if you think everything we did back then is seen as harmless now. We used to feel safe dropping off our young teens at a mall for a couple of hours, we used to be able to leave doors unlocked, we used to be able to carry pocket knives to school.... But unfortunately some "bad apples" have screwed it over for the rest of us. See my point?

January 9, 2009 at 4:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

majorjohnson (anonymous) says...

I'm not saying the guy wasn't selling bomb parts, but I'm saying that those fuses aren't worth much really, and the pyrodex is not classified as an explosive and can be sent through the mail. By the letter of the law Walmart and CVS are both in violation, as they sell all the components needed for a far more destructive bomb than can be built with pyrodex and an M228 fuse.

An M228 isn't built to set off a charge, it's only a dummy kind of thing for pop and I'm not at all sure it would even work as an explosives fuse. This is another example of the P&C tossing out a story without doing any legwork. We get no meat, just a plastic meal that takes up room and looks good, but there's no nutrition in it.

January 9, 2009 at 6:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yird (anonymous) says...

coolfreaknbeans; I do see your point. Mine was specifically that there have been numerous assaults on Americans with names like "Muhammed" compared to those named Pilcher, Smith, or Jones.

Profiling? Yes, yes, yes!

But is not everyone of us who carry a pocket knife into an "unauthorized" area being profiled as the government lumps us all into a category with would be criminals?

I'm well aware as you are, that we live in a highly controlled nanny state. I figured that point was so self evident as to not need any explanation.

We definitely are in agreement as to how turned around our society has become.

I feel it's going to get much worse before it gets better.

January 9, 2009 at 6:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )