Why is it difficult to buy ammonium nitrate fertiliser?
To get your hands on a commercial quantity, you need to be registered and have photo ID handy. There is a good reason for that. Fertiliser based bombs are extremely powerful and can be created by reasonably adept and committed amateurs.
Regulating who can get their hands on fertilisers makes sense. Since the rules don’t affect the majority of people in the normal course of their lives, the imposition is not all that much of a sacrifice.
The sale of fireworks around major public holidays is also heavily regulated but is much more difficult to enforce. That’s because most people don’t see the harm in a playful celebration.
The July 4th fireworks were cancelled in Los Angeles during the pandemic. It turned into the single largest display of public disorder I’ve seen. It seemed like every home had fireworks to set off. That is despite the fact that the sale of the fireworks is illegal in Los Angeles county and in most of Southern California.
Germany has a long tradition of the public releasing fireworks at New Year. The creation of homemade or improvised explosives that are aimed at the emergency services is a new development.
Calls for banning the sale of all fireworks will only increase in response. That is certain to be a contentious debate. It will also further intensify the argument against unchecked immigration since many people will argue this was not a problem in the past.
The planners of the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas yesterday were obviously hoping the fireworks and mortars it was carrying would ignite the lithium ion batteries. That did not happen which is a significant marketing coup for Elon Musk.
There are unlikely to be any calls for tighter regulation of lithium ion batteries as a result. That is despite the fact that they have the clear scope to offer the accelerant in any future terrorist attacks.
The possibility the attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas were coordinated sapped demand for stocks at the beginning of 2025. Later in the day, the possibility was downplayed and stocks steadied.