Purchasing tannerite kits at local gun stores may be legal, but assembling them into exploding targets and setting them off are felonies under the Ohio…
Purchasing tannerite kits at local gun stores may be legal, but assembling them into exploding targets and setting them off are felonies under the Ohio Revised Code, said law enforcement officials.
The hard part is finding the people who set them off. Local officials are asking for neighbors’ help to pinpoint the source of the blasts, which can sound like major gas explosions.
During the last few months, Parkman Township residents have been calling the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office to report loud explosions that rattle their windows, wake their children, and disturb their dogs, horses and livestock.
At the Oct. 14 township trustees meeting, residents complained about the noises and told trustees they seemed to be coming primarily from property on Hobart Road. One resident, who told trustees he was in law enforcement, explained that tannerite is a binary exploding target made of ammonium nitrate and powdered aluminum.
The township road superintendent and several firefighters told trustees law enforcement had received numerous complaints about the explosions coming from Hobart Road resident Mike McGinniss, who later told the Geauga County Maple Leaf he was doing nothing illegal on his 30-acre property.
Last Tuesday night, trustees said they have been working with sheriff’s Lt. Gary Gribbons and the Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office to see what can be done about the explosions.
According to the State Fire Marshall’s website, tannerite is considered a dangerous ordinance and setting it off without a permit is a felony.
“The county prosecutor is working with the state prosecutor, and the question should be resolved in the next week or two,” Trustee Jon Ferguson said. “In the meantime, if anyone hears any more explosions, we’re asking that they contact the sheriff’s office immediately. They don’t need to give their name, but it would help if they could give a location. The sheriff will send someone out immediately to investigate.
“If it’s illegal, they’ll follow up,” the trustee continued.
Fiscal Officer Kathy Clossin said she has heard several complaints about the noise frightening both livestock and wildlife.
Thursday, Gribbons said the prosecutor has determined that, while it is not illegal to purchase the kits, assembling them creates a dangerous ordinance under the Ohio Revised Code.
“Possessing a dangerous ordinance without a permit is a class 5 felony, and mixing them together is a class 2 felony,” Gribbons said.
Gribbons said most of the complaints his department has received about loud explosions come from Parkman, but he also knows of explosions reported in recent months in Hambden and Montville townships as well as the western part of the county.
“Some people may hear it once and they don’t complain,” Gribbons said.
He said the purpose of tannerite is to show whether a long distance shooter has hit a target, but some people enjoy combining the material to create a louder boom.
“Some really enjoy the loud bangs; others, I think, just want to bother their neighbors,” Gribbons said.
He recommended anyone hearing the loud bangs, especially in succession, should call the sheriff’s office immediately.
Deputies don’t need to catch the person in the act, but can gather evidence once they find a location, he said.
“It’s hard to catch them red-handed,” he admitted. “But we’ll certainly respond and investigate every complaint.”
