So, you think you want to purchase a hand grenade? Has the thought ever crossed your mind you might want to own a live round? If you’re a civilian and not a member of the military, you might be wondering if this is even possible. Well, here’s the answer:

Civilians are not allowed to own “destructive devices,” such as hand grenades. This is due to the Crime Control Act of 1968. This prevents civilians from owning anything that can cause mass destruction, as stated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

There are laws and regulations around the sale of hand grenades, but what are the specific conditions? Read on to explore the laws around owning grenades, and the other laws surrounding “destructive devices”.

Is It Illegal To Own A Hand Grenade?

The short answer, is yes, it is illegal. The long answer? Well there’s a lot that happens that can’t be regulated as closely as someone who openly purchases a military grenade. It’s hard to regulate closed purchases.

Anything that is built by others, or assembled by parts gathered together, aren’t necessarily regulated by the government because the individual parts are not illegal to buy. If someone is caught by local officials, they can make a case-by-case decision to choose what the punishment is for building or owning a grenade. It will probably depend on why it’s being made and what they were being used for.

A relic is most likely a different story. Something that doesn’t necessarily have the potential of going off doesn’t cause as much of a problem. Historical weapons and explosives can even be purchased off of eBay. As long as it doesn’t cause a problem and won’t hurt others, then they aren’t as harshly regulated.

What Is Considered To Be A”Destructive Device”?

According to the NFA, “destructive devices” are commonly known as:

• A missile having an explosive or incendiary charge of more than 1/4 oz.
   
• Any type of weapon by whatever name known which will, or which may readily be converted to expel a projectile, by the action of an explosive or other propellant, the barrel or barrels of which have a bore greater than one-half inch in diameter.
   
• A combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a device into a destructive device and from which a destructive device can be readily assembled.

Pretty much the only exception for destructive devices that civilians can own are guns. Guns are still regulated by the Attorney General; guns purchased by civilians are only to be used for sporting purposes, such as hunting or target practice. There are usually background checks involved as well, which means those purchasing any guns are in a database.

Who Regulates Hand Grenades/Other “Destructive Devices”?

According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), both fuses (chemical composition used in fireworks) and fuzes (mechanical initiation used for grenades) contain low explosives. Both are heavily regulated by the local municipalities and government to ensure the safety of everyone.

The government is required to regulate and keep records of ammunition and guns that are bought. They have to keep a closer eye on the sale items like smoke bombs and smoke grenades to ensure that they are properly stored.

Manufacturers and distributors can lawfully distribute smoke bombs and smoke grenades only to those who hold a federal explosives license or permit. Civilians are not allowed to purchase and possess grenades.

Different Types Of Grenades

Surprisingly enough, there are quite a variety of grenades designed for the military, as well as for the use of local officials who are in charge of protecting civilians.

There are incendiary grenades for destroying equipment, gas grenades for crowd control, smoke grenades, stun grenades, anti-tank grenades, and even illumination grenades to cast a bit of light on the subject.

Again, these grenades are not available for the general public. The use of these grenades are strictly regulated by the ATFE. You will certainly never find these at a Military Surplus store.

The Latest Explosives Available to the Military

Of course, every few years, the latest and greatest tech is designed and provided to the U.S. military. According to the military’s latest reports, the newest hand grenade to have been designed in forty years was just streamlined for military use in 2016. It’s known as the Enhanced Tactical Multi-Purpose (ET-MP) hand grenade. It will allow soldiers to choose between concussive or fragmentation blasts with the flip of a lever.

Who Mass-Produces Hand Grenades?

One of the largest mass-producing companies for explosives today is Day and Zimmerman. They were established in the 1930’s and modernized military weapons. They were able to mass produce them in American factories, and they are still one of the leading manufacturers for military weapons to this day.

Today, they provide a variety of weapons, government positions, and so much more. As of now, they have produced over 43 million M67 hand grenades for the US Government since 1961. They are still the largest producers for the military in regards to hand-held explosives.

The History of Grenades

Crazy as it may sound, the word grenade mostly likely derived from the French, as they originally looked incredibly similar to a pomegranate at their time of conception in the fifteenth century. Soldiers found that they were extremely effective in eliminating enemy soldiers in large numbers.

Because of how effective they were, during the seventeenth century, some soldiers in the European armies were specially trained to throw grenades. These soldiers were known as grenadiers.

During the 1750’s, grenades weren’t as widely used because guns had become far more accurate. Soldiers were able to fight from afar and avoid close combat. It wouldn’t be until the early 1900’s, during the Russo-Japanese War, that grenades would be back in style.

During World War 1, grenades were important in throwing over trenches to prevent the onslaught of enemy attacks and have to battle within the trenches themselves. In WWII alone, there were millions of hand grenades made and distributed amongst the U.S. military, which were later found scattered around the European regions. Ever since, hand grenades have been an important aspect of military gear and will most likely continue to be.