6 ms·

If he was prepared to set up a turret to prevent his arrest, how did they nab him without incident? Reading more about this, it seems to have come after a seve

If he was prepared to set up a turret to prevent his arrest, how did they nab him without incident? Reading more about this, it seems to have come after a several year investigation. Yet he is out on bail as for some reason the only thing he's being charged with is owning a short barreled rifle. Which seems bizarre. https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-12-31/norfolk-homemade-explosives-brad-kenneth-spafford-bond https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-12-31/norfolk-homemade-explosi...

ty6853 2y ago
Tannerite, black powder and some explosives can be legally bought and owned cash and carry. It's quite likely no law was broken and all they found was a questionable pistol brace on a short lower. Remember FPSRussia went down for paint on a serial number and a few vape pens but the arrest bulletin made him sound like a madman.
- loamaa 2y ago
  I was interested, so went and checked out the filing for this [1], it looks like he only got hit with the possession with intent to distribute, with the other 3 charges (including 'possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number') being dismissed. [1] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8228342/parties/united-states-v-myers/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8228342/parties/united-...
  - throwup238 2y ago
    Marijuana and honey oil. He watched too much Trailer Park Boys and got caught.
    - throwaway173738 2y ago
      He must’ve forgot to mix it with maple syrup.
  - WatchDog 2y ago
    He took a plea deal, might have beaten the charges at trial, but the consequences of losing were way too high for him, can’t really blame him.
  - d883kd8 2y ago
    Are you sure that's the same case? That links says, "Last Updated: Oct. 7, 2022, 6:14 a.m." and the defendant name is different from in the OP. This appears to be the actual case: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69482949/united-states-v-spafford/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69482949/united-states-...
    - aspenmayer 2y ago
      You're both right, but your comment is confusing the issue. You're linking to the relevant case for TFA, whereas parent is linking to the relevant case for this thread regarding FPSRussia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPSRussia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPSRussia
      - d883kd8 2y ago
        my bad I should have read closer
- sgarland 2y ago
  It remains bewildering to me that tannerite is legal to purchase in large quantities without question. I shot 1 lb. of it once with a Mosin-Nagant, and that was enough to rattle the house a few hundred yards away. There are people who have set off charges orders of magnitude more than that, which apparently can be felt MILES away. It’s an explosive, full stop. I have no problem with the premade targets that have a small amount, but honestly, the larger quantities should require at a minimum a background check.
  - bravetraveler 2y ago
    I know little about this... but small amounts could still pose an issue. See: mules, Pseudoephedrine
  - lazide 2y ago
    look up TATP. you aren’t going to be able to ban those ingredients either.
    - mschuster91 2y ago
      Germany manages to do so just fine. It's virtually impossible to obtain hydrogen peroxide in enough high concentration and volume to produce significant amounts of TATP without setting off more than a few alerts. Almost all popular precursor chemicals for drugs and explosives are heavily controlled in Europe.
      - giantg2 2y ago
        What's the concentration cutoff at?
        lazide 2y ago
        Frankly, you can make it with 3%. It just takes longer.
        giantg2 2y ago
jandrewrogers 2y ago
High explosives are basically legal in the US, depending on State law, to a degree that I think would surprise most people. I've been to local retail depots where you could literally buy high-explosives by the ton from a pretty large menu, cash and carry. And explosives are dirt cheap, it is bulk industrial chemistry. The only real requirement was that you have a vehicle with the standard hazard placards and the surface of the storage area in the vehicle is non-sparking material. A short-barreled rifle, on the other hand, it is strictly forbidden without an appropriate Federal tax stamp. One of the reasons that high-explosives are widely legal is that they have several common applications for individual use. Despite the availability and consumption of high-explosives in the US, misuse has been very rare in practice.
- nullc 2y ago
  Anyone who is surprised that high explosives are available has not had to deal with a bunch of large stumps. -- they're a nightmare even with a large excavator, explosives are a life saver.
  - sandworm101 2y ago
    Or a beaver dam. Imagine a bunch of those stumps all concreted together with mud.
    - raddan 2y ago
      Twenty-plus years ago I hiked the Appalachian Trail. Back then, it was common practice to hitch a ride into town for resupply. One time when my partner and I were hiking in Virginia, we got picked up by a state department of conservation employee. During the ride I asked him what he did and he said “I destroy beaver dams.” When I asked him how he did it he said “with dynamite.” I laughed—how ridiculous, right?—and he looked at me very seriously and said “it’s not funny; beaver dams are difficult to remove.” For years I thought that this was some dumb redneck thing until I met another former DCR employee back home who told me the same story.
      - 2y ago
sandworm101 2y ago
>> how did they nab him without incident? Because the vast majority of these guys are all talk. For every Ted Kaczynski there are a thousand Dale Dribbles: backyard tinkerers who give up all notion of resistance when the cops actually show up. The cops cannot tell the difference and so must treat them all as potential Teds. Once safely in custody, the Dales will quietly plead guilty to vastly reduced charges.
- vasco 2y ago
  Kaczynski was arrested peacefully as far as I can find.
  - mathgeek 2y ago
    The difference being the act of using the explosives, not resisting arrest.
  - sandworm101 2y ago
    Yes but Ted clearly demonstrated a willingness to kill. If he had seen them comming, who knows what he might have done.
  - giantg2 2y ago
    That's because they surprised him. I'm pretty sure they had to yank him out of the cabin after he realized what was going on and started to close the door.
- mcnamaratw 2y ago
  Dale Gribble
- potato3732842 2y ago
  Eh, enough of those guys will go down shooting that I wouldn't want to sign up for kicking in the doors. They know it's either jail for life or death. The difference is that the Dale Gribbles don't go out of their way to harm anyone whereas the uncle Teds do.
- cootsnuck 2y ago
jabroni_salad 2y ago
Easiest way to arrest somebody with a built up home is to just wait for them to leave. This guy had a day job.
- giantg2 2y ago
  BAFTE may have finally learned that after their extensive history of ignoring location, such as Ruby Ridge, then Waco, etc...
fullspectrumdev 2y ago
Because the turret thing was probably a drunken shitpost/joke he made to the informant that he thought was his friend much like the “claymore roomba” or “tannerite dog” meme.
- ganoushoreilly 2y ago
  If you look at a lot of their evidence it's a bunch of memes, if it goes to trial it'll be an interesting case to read for sure.
m0llusk 2y ago
Prosecution of cases like this can be extremely complex. Most likely the gun charge was an easy first step to get the process going. Other charges will be waiting on analysis of exactly what was going on and what materials have been found and taken. With this much it takes a while to be fully sure of the inventory.
ufmace 2y ago
It did say he was supposedly "considering" doing that, not that he actually did it.
45645g54g54 2y ago
People like this are a dime a dozen. They are the "If the government tries and comes to takes ma guns 'way im gon...." type. Most of the time they are entirely harmless and it is all action fantasy. FBI keeps track of these types (they are loud) and they keep track of the inventory too. This guy isn't ever going to go on a rampage, and when the FBI knocks he will always roll over and comply. It only turns into a Waco when you accumulate a following of sorts.
- praptak 2y ago
  > It only turns into a Waco when you accumulate a following of sorts. You don't need a Waco for many people to die a violent death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing

ty6853 2y ago

Tannerite, black powder and some explosives can be legally bought and owned cash and carry. It's quite likely no law was broken and all they found was a questionable pistol brace on a short lower. Remember FPSRussia went down for paint on a serial number and a few vape pens but the arrest bulletin made him sound like a madman.

loamaa 2y ago
I was interested, so went and checked out the filing for this [1], it looks like he only got hit with the possession with intent to distribute, with the other 3 charges (including 'possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number') being dismissed. [1] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8228342/parties/united-states-v-myers/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/8228342/parties/united-...
- throwup238 2y ago
  Marijuana and honey oil. He watched too much Trailer Park Boys and got caught.
  - throwaway173738 2y ago
    He must’ve forgot to mix it with maple syrup.
- WatchDog 2y ago
  He took a plea deal, might have beaten the charges at trial, but the consequences of losing were way too high for him, can’t really blame him.
- d883kd8 2y ago
  Are you sure that's the same case? That links says, "Last Updated: Oct. 7, 2022, 6:14 a.m." and the defendant name is different from in the OP. This appears to be the actual case: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69482949/united-states-v-spafford/ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69482949/united-states-...
  - aspenmayer 2y ago
    You're both right, but your comment is confusing the issue. You're linking to the relevant case for TFA, whereas parent is linking to the relevant case for this thread regarding FPSRussia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPSRussia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FPSRussia
    - d883kd8 2y ago
      my bad I should have read closer
sgarland 2y ago
It remains bewildering to me that tannerite is legal to purchase in large quantities without question. I shot 1 lb. of it once with a Mosin-Nagant, and that was enough to rattle the house a few hundred yards away. There are people who have set off charges orders of magnitude more than that, which apparently can be felt MILES away. It’s an explosive, full stop. I have no problem with the premade targets that have a small amount, but honestly, the larger quantities should require at a minimum a background check.
- bravetraveler 2y ago
  I know little about this... but small amounts could still pose an issue. See: mules, Pseudoephedrine
- lazide 2y ago
  look up TATP. you aren’t going to be able to ban those ingredients either.
  - mschuster91 2y ago
    Germany manages to do so just fine. It's virtually impossible to obtain hydrogen peroxide in enough high concentration and volume to produce significant amounts of TATP without setting off more than a few alerts. Almost all popular precursor chemicals for drugs and explosives are heavily controlled in Europe.
    - giantg2 2y ago
      What's the concentration cutoff at?
      - lazide 2y ago
        Frankly, you can make it with 3%. It just takes longer.
        giantg2 2y ago

jandrewrogers 2y ago

High explosives are basically legal in the US, depending on State law, to a degree that I think would surprise most people. I've been to local retail depots where you could literally buy high-explosives by the ton from a pretty large menu, cash and carry. And explosives are dirt cheap, it is bulk industrial chemistry. The only real requirement was that you have a vehicle with the standard hazard placards and the surface of the storage area in the vehicle is non-sparking material. A short-barreled rifle, on the other hand, it is strictly forbidden without an appropriate Federal tax stamp. One of the reasons that high-explosives are widely legal is that they have several common applications for individual use. Despite the availability and consumption of high-explosives in the US, misuse has been very rare in practice.

nullc 2y ago
Anyone who is surprised that high explosives are available has not had to deal with a bunch of large stumps. -- they're a nightmare even with a large excavator, explosives are a life saver.
- sandworm101 2y ago
  Or a beaver dam. Imagine a bunch of those stumps all concreted together with mud.
  - raddan 2y ago
    Twenty-plus years ago I hiked the Appalachian Trail. Back then, it was common practice to hitch a ride into town for resupply. One time when my partner and I were hiking in Virginia, we got picked up by a state department of conservation employee. During the ride I asked him what he did and he said “I destroy beaver dams.” When I asked him how he did it he said “with dynamite.” I laughed—how ridiculous, right?—and he looked at me very seriously and said “it’s not funny; beaver dams are difficult to remove.” For years I thought that this was some dumb redneck thing until I met another former DCR employee back home who told me the same story.
    - 2y ago

sandworm101 2y ago

>> how did they nab him without incident? Because the vast majority of these guys are all talk. For every Ted Kaczynski there are a thousand Dale Dribbles: backyard tinkerers who give up all notion of resistance when the cops actually show up. The cops cannot tell the difference and so must treat them all as potential Teds. Once safely in custody, the Dales will quietly plead guilty to vastly reduced charges.

vasco 2y ago
Kaczynski was arrested peacefully as far as I can find.
- mathgeek 2y ago
  The difference being the act of using the explosives, not resisting arrest.
- sandworm101 2y ago
  Yes but Ted clearly demonstrated a willingness to kill. If he had seen them comming, who knows what he might have done.
- giantg2 2y ago
  That's because they surprised him. I'm pretty sure they had to yank him out of the cabin after he realized what was going on and started to close the door.
mcnamaratw 2y ago
Dale Gribble
potato3732842 2y ago
Eh, enough of those guys will go down shooting that I wouldn't want to sign up for kicking in the doors. They know it's either jail for life or death. The difference is that the Dale Gribbles don't go out of their way to harm anyone whereas the uncle Teds do.
cootsnuck 2y ago

jabroni_salad 2y ago

Easiest way to arrest somebody with a built up home is to just wait for them to leave. This guy had a day job.

giantg2 2y ago
BAFTE may have finally learned that after their extensive history of ignoring location, such as Ruby Ridge, then Waco, etc...

fullspectrumdev 2y ago

Because the turret thing was probably a drunken shitpost/joke he made to the informant that he thought was his friend much like the “claymore roomba” or “tannerite dog” meme.

ganoushoreilly 2y ago
If you look at a lot of their evidence it's a bunch of memes, if it goes to trial it'll be an interesting case to read for sure.

m0llusk 2y ago

Prosecution of cases like this can be extremely complex. Most likely the gun charge was an easy first step to get the process going. Other charges will be waiting on analysis of exactly what was going on and what materials have been found and taken. With this much it takes a while to be fully sure of the inventory.

ufmace 2y ago

It did say he was supposedly "considering" doing that, not that he actually did it.

45645g54g54 2y ago

People like this are a dime a dozen. They are the "If the government tries and comes to takes ma guns 'way im gon...." type. Most of the time they are entirely harmless and it is all action fantasy. FBI keeps track of these types (they are loud) and they keep track of the inventory too. This guy isn't ever going to go on a rampage, and when the FBI knocks he will always roll over and comply. It only turns into a Waco when you accumulate a following of sorts.

praptak 2y ago
> It only turns into a Waco when you accumulate a following of sorts. You don't need a Waco for many people to die a violent death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing