Potato Cannon - UK Legality?

[Imagine]

Sorry to post in this topic, but not too sure else where it would go. Seeing as I vaguely describe HOW a Potato Cannon works, I thought here would be the best topic. ;)

Me and a few friends have recently built a potato cannon (or 'spud gun' or 'spudzooka'). A potato cannon is usually made out of PVC (Drainage) Pipe, a potato is rammed down the long end (the barrel), some hairspry (or deodrant) is sprayed into a large barrel (the combustion chamber) , it's sparked using a sparker of any kind, and the potato goes flying.

How legal is this device? Would it be considered a firearm, as it 'fires' ? Is it no more legal than going to a park and igniting hairspray using matches, even though this all happens in a confined area?
What about just firing in my back garden? Or firing at a huge tree a few gardens down (belonging to no one?).

I know that it's unlikely that anyone knows, but Google showed no relative results on pages from the UK, and from all over the world, lots of information on State (in the US) legality of Potato Cannons.

Lastly, what about selling these? Would that count as selling firearms?

A potato cannon could kill somebody, if you shot straight at them from 10 feet away, no doubt. If it hit a child, even from 400 foot away (which is what ours fires), they would be seriously hurt, if not killed. We have only fired it at a big tree from my back garden so far (and hit it every time, don't worry!) ;)

So all in all, how legal is the Potato Cannon?
Firing it in my back garden, at something in my back garden?
Firing it in my back garden, at something about 200 feet away, owned by no one (well, the government I spose)?
Firing it in an open place, such as a field?
Selling potato cannons? ;)

If anyone even THINKS they know an answer, please let me know!
Thank you!
Dave

[Tim Baxter]

You should check 'gooooogle' for the definition of firearm , it produces a result as follows, Your canon is certainly a firearm, "any lethal, barrelled weapon capable of discharging any shot, bullet or other missile"

It is also illegal to discharge any firearm within a certain (not many feet) distance from the highway.

Your open field and tree belong to someone and probably have public access.  This means that in spite of your best efforts someone will inevitably be injured.  You must be very young or daft not to consider the consequencies of firing your gun in any circumstances as described.  At the very least, one day the tube will weaken, rupture and discharge its contents in your direction.

I can't believe that you in this day and age with all the loonies about you want to put such an item on the market

[slimfandango]

Here he lies,

Beneath 6 feet of mud,

Mowed down by some hairspray,

Some pipe and a spud.

[slimfandango]

can you explain the hairspray chamber bit more clearly please.

[Mortartube]

It is almost certainly a firearm under UK law. It uses expanding hot gas to fire a projectile. But it would seem that if you aren't stupid with it and you only fire it in the middle of nowhere, most people will turn a blind eye to it (not the best phrase to use I know). I used to work in the firework industry where there are lots of laws written down by the Health & Safety Executive, and to be honest nobody still knows for sure what they can and can't do. So getting a definitive answer for something that is in a very grey area will be nearly impossible.

As for the person who wanted the hairspray/chamber bit explained. It's like this. Take some PVC pipe with a screw on cap at one end. The cap has a spark making device in it (spark plug/piezo quartz lighter mechanism etc). Put a tight fitting spud in the open end of the pipe almost all the way down inside . Unscrew the cap and squirt in some highly flammable hairspray/deadorant and close the cap quickly. Create a spark in the chamber and the hairspray and aerosol propellant ignite and the gas expands, shooting the spud out of the barrel. Voila!!! One spud gun.

[Mortartube]

BTW, I take no responsibility for anyone injuring themselves by trying to make a spud gun as I explained it. For academic study only. That hopefully covers my backside. Anything you do is your own problem.

[Imagine]

Thanks for the responses everyone.
Tim, we have only ever fired the Potato Cannon in the back garden. The tree does NOT have public access, it's right in the middle of nowhere.
The main people at risk when firing the cannon was ourselves.
Tim, also, many people sell Potato Cannons at the moment - on their own personal websites, I've seen some on eBay - welcome to modern society.

Mortartube, would firing in the back garden count as 'in the middle of nowhere' ? People have turned a blind eye so far... I think!

Another reason I asked is because I've seen the people who host 'Brainiac' on Sky One fire a potato cannon in a huge field (which was completely empty, though houses WERE indeed nearby).
Do these people get special priveleges?

Once again, thanks for the response all. I suppose selling them and firing them on say, a football field is out of the question all together!

Cheers,
Dave.

[Imagine]

Ah, sorry, I forgot to mention.
Although an American law, I've found this on the internet.

http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~mschaus/potatocannon-legal.htm l
(A letter from the ATC (Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearm) league for the US.

A potato cannon is NOT considered a Firearm in the US, but it IS considered one here?I know, Gun Laws in the US are much, much less strict than they are here in the UK, and fair enough if governments have different considerations - but if a Potato Cannon is NOT considered a Firearm in the US, WHY is it in the UK?

(Thought of that JUST after I hit submit! Darn, this site needs an 'edit' button!)

Cheers,
Dave.

[Mortartube]

I would say, just carry on doing until someone complains. It's bound to be illegal, but then again there aren't many things that are legal and fun at the same time.

[Ouisch]

Whatever you do, you must keep photographic records, and send your story to American humorist Dave Barry (www.davebarry.com).  He thrives on stories that deal with rusted old car catapults, exploding toasters, and potato guns, to name just a few.

[pole-op]

Jeremy Clarkson made one using a spaghetti jar, pototo and hairspray. Fired it in a tv studio in front of an audience on his chat show... so i guess it cant be that dangerous.

[Imagine]

Potatoes Cannons ARE dangerous, no doubt. Ours fires around 450 foot, at an incredible speed - I'd reckon around 40 mph. Fine, not as quick as a train, but if that hit someone, they'd get a nasty bruise. If it hit them from, say, 10 feet away, it would kill them, or seriously injure them, n doubt.

Potato Cannon's are NOT toys - maybe using some drainage pipe, the cannon measure ~5 feet, and using a spaghetti jar, measure what, 30 cm ? makes the cannon slightly more dangerous. ;)

Thanks again,
Dave

[ICEMANSAV]

Say that to the bloke doing life for his marshmellow machine gun.

[Tim Baxter]

Hi Imagine,

Thanks for bringing me into the 21st century.

Notwithstanding all the other contributors, your pipe is a firearm under British law.  It is an offence to discharge it near a highway.  This is not a Health and Safety regulation or a civil law, it is the criminal law.

Because other people do it doesn't make it legal or morally acceptable and there are loonies out there who may just use your idea in a more violent way.

I shouldn't think for one second that SKY got dispensations for their project.  They have highly qualified researchers and lawyers to advise on their projects.  I'll bet it was on private land, with the owner's consent and a million miles from a public highway.

In spite of what you say about your land being in the middle of nowhere, someone will own it and someone will have access rights to it although, I admit, maybe not the public.  Perhaps you can get the landowner's permission to fire your cannon on it.  Even then you have a duty of care to ensure there are no third party injuries or damage.  Someone (and you admit it may be you) will inevitably get hurt.

Good joke Icemansav!

[UmBongo]

A spud cannon and a spud gun are two different things, the gun uses exploding gas such as hair spray to launch the spud and the cannon uses compressed gas, the type that divers use to breath from. The cannon can, depending on the Bar. inside the chamber, be more powerful than the gun. The gun is cheeper and i say more fun. No idea about legality though. Sorry

[Bruce0502]

simple UK gun law Quote" any divice capable of propelling a projectile with a muzzel energy greater than 12 foot pounds is classed as a firearm, if the barrel exeeds 16 inches it is a section 1 firearm..... If the barrel is less than 16 inches then it is a section 5 firearm (thats the same class as MP5 machine guns,Glock 9mm e.t.c.)
so there you go! the propelent is irrelivent ....Air, C02, Hairspray! it's all about power
So of you get yourself a cronograph.... determine the mass of your projectile you can calculate your energy at muzzle tune it till you get around 11.5 Foot Lbs with a barrel lengh over 16 inches then that's just an air rifle,, it you want to go shorter than 16 inch then your muzzel energy must drop to under 6 foot pounds! ok?
Other wise 5 years inside for passesing /Discarging section 1 or 5 firearm Clear?

[Bruce0502]

Don't listen to people just guessing just contact your local police firearms licensing unit and get it from them! They will only tell you what I just said! Why not take up model rocket makeing then you will be granted an explosives licence it's free! but no criminal records though!

[raspro]

I have just built several types of spud cannon, one involving a refueling propane cylinder with auto firing and re-fill. I contacted the MetPolice Firearms Licencing dept.
They said that it the device is NOT considered a firearm nor does it require a licence.

CHeers
Robby

[TheGod]

This man is correct -->Bruce0502

Making several criminal laws simple is beyond the scope of this page, but regarding fire arms law in the UK:

1) any device capable of propelling a projectile with a muzzel energy greater than 12 foot pounds is classed as a firearm ( so most spring air rifles are not a firearm )

2) If the barrel is less than 16 inches then it is NOT a rifle, and is a hand gun, and if the muzzel energy greater than 6 foot pounds it is classed as a section 5 firearm and is illegal for almost everyone.

The law on AIR GUNS has just changed, and there are now age limits. Tresspass with an air gun is criminal tresspass.
So is 'tresspass' of your projectile, and you will be prosecuted under the firearms act.

Essentially, if you are a 18 year old, in a farm with no one around for 280 meters further than your projectile will fire, and you can show that it is NOT CAPABLE under any circumstance of producing more than the specified power and you are more than 50 feet from any roadway a car can travel on, you may win the court case.

Otherwise - if plod want you, you are going down!