Lethal spud cannons – kids think they’re OK

Thanks to Youtube, teenagers are getting interested in making spud cannons that fire potatoes through a length of plastic piping by means of igniting a combustible vapour in an attached combustion chamber.

The word is that these things are ‘cool’ but they can be extremely dangerous – silly though it sounds, the potato can kill at close range and injure even at 100yds. Add to this the high risk of a home-made spud cannon blowing up in the face of it’s operator, these things are lethal.

Yet there are films – from USA, showing how to make spud cannons. However, I have checked on the net and they clearly fall within the definition of a firearm and are definitely illegal to make, own or operate in this country (UK). I would guess that they could even be dealt with under anti-terror legislation.

I think it is urgent that someone somewhere investigates whether there is a dangerous new craze about to emerge, one that would make mini-motos look about as dangerous as a plastic beach ball in comparison.