Las Vegas Shooting

[Sedalia Dave]

Just now, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Non sequitur, of sorts, but... 

 

Fifty lbs of Tannerite in the dude's car?  

 

How large a ka-boom would that have made?  Wonder where he was parked...?  

 

You really don't want to know.

 

He was most likely parked in the Hotel's parking garage.

[Dantankerous]

As far as I know about Tannerite the two components need to be mixed properly and generally the explosion is the result of an impact with a very high velocity centerfire rifle round. I don't think this stuff can be set off by a fuse in other words. In order for him to blow up a car full of the stuff he would have had to detonate the Tannerite with a rifle shot. And I doubt the Tannerite would have been sitting in plain view for an easy shot. He would have had to shoot through the trunk of the car negating some of the bullet speed/impact velocity required to detonate Tannerite thus lessening the likelihood of the Tannerite detonating! This plan also seems unlikely because he would have had to escape the 32nd Floor of the building with a rifle and make it to the parking garage with the rifle in plain view of about half a million people all with their radars up for a man with a rifle, make his way to the parking garage and shoot the car. He'd probably be killing himself in the blast. Doesn't sound like a plan likely to succeed in any measure.

 

Now do we open up the possibility of him having a second car with more weaponry staged somewhere that authorities have not yet located? Or perhaps a secondary plan if he was to escape to detonate the car at an alternate location? Or even use it as a suicide plan and take as many of the authorities as he could with him if pursued/caught? 

[CurlyDrew42]

1 hour ago, Dantankerous said:

As far as I know about Tannerite the two components need to be mixed properly and generally the explosion is the result of an impact with a very high velocity centerfire rifle round.

 

I believe you are right, though a friend who has worked in building demo noted that those items in proximity would a pretty nasty fire hazard.  Could be bad to have a hot chemical fire and have all his spare ammo cook off.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

I've set it off with a 'cherry-bomb'. 

You can also use BP as a 'kicker' charge.

OLG

[Sedalia Dave]

Ammunition that is NOT in the chamber of a firearm is not as dangerous as you imagine.

 

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Looking at the map, I'd say accuracy has nothing to do with it, it's not sniping, He's unloading rounds at a parking lot sized mass of people 400 to 500 meters away, from 100 meters up.