Is there an actual law that says a private citizen cannot own a nuke?

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There are Supreme Court rulings effectively asserting that the 2nd Amendment doesn't grant a right to keep and bear nukes.
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Which ones? I'm not aware of any such discussion.

There are federal laws giving the Dept. of Energy jurisdiction over the regulation of who can have nuclear energy devices. You can ask them, but my bet is they will say "no." :D Owning or even trying to build a nuclear bomb is a serious federal crime, obviously.

A far more interest issue comes up with the scattering of little research facilities that have had their own nuclear power plants for decades. I remember some discussion about how security would need to be beefed up around these after 9/11, but don't know what came of it.

Heck yeah--here's the reactor at ultra-left-wing Reed College in Portland

The Reed College Reactor Facility was established in 1968 and is the only reactor operated primarily by undergraduates
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. Oh, THAT makes me feel warm and fuzzy!

http://reactor.reed.edu/
 
I personally don't have a problem with a private individual owning a nuke. It's like they always say; "It's better to have a thermonuclear device and not need it than to not have a thermonuclear device and need one". I can see CCW being a problem though...
 
Is there an actual law that says a private citizen cannot own a nuke?
I don't think there is. I simply think that if the sole legal owner (the US .gov) sold it to you, there would be technically no law broken provided you paid the tax.
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Yes.

42 USC 2122:
TITLE 42 > CHAPTER 23 > Division A > SUBCHAPTER VIII > § 2122

§ 2122. Prohibitions governing atomic weapons

(a) It shall be unlawful, except as provided in section 2121 of this title, for any person, inside or outside of the United States, to knowingly participate in the development of, manufacture, produce, transfer, acquire, receive, possess, import, export, or use, or possess and threaten to use, any atomic weapon. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to modify the provisions of section 2051 (a) or 2131 of this title.
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And don't think they're kidding:
TITLE 42 > CHAPTER 23 > Division A > SUBCHAPTER XVII > § 2272

§ 2272. Violation of specific sections

(a) Whoever willfully violates, attempts to violate, or conspires to violate, any provision of sections [1] 2077 or 2131 of this title, or whoever unlawfully interferes, attempts to interfere, or conspires to interfere with any recapture or entry under section 2138 of this title, shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 or by imprisonment for not more than ten years, or both, except that whoever commits such an offense with intent to injure the United States or with intent to secure an advantage to any foreign nation shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment for life, or by imprisonment for any term of years or a fine of not more than $20,000 or both.
(b) Any person who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, section 2122 of this title shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and sentenced to a term of imprisonment not less than 25 years or to imprisonment for life. Any person who, in the course of a violation of section 2122 of this title, uses, attempts or conspires to use, or possesses and threatens to use, any atomic weapon shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and imprisoned for not less than 30 years or imprisoned for life. If the death of another results from a person’s violation of section 2122 of this title, the person shall be fined not more than $2,000,000 and punished by imprisonment for life.
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I can't belive I really read this this whole thread...I'll be back later.

P.S. What is the excemption in sec 2121?
....It shall be unlawful, except as provided in section 2121 of this title.....
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Among other things they are patented and you would be in violation.
No, you can"t see the patent. It, among others. are classified.

The explosives are both specialized and regulated (it takes more than one kind).

The possession of radioactive material is also tightly restricted.
Outside of various government actors, no one has the ability to purify the stuff (Uranium) or extract it (Plutonium from a reactor).

My suggestion would be to get a life.
 
I can think of at least two laws that discourage it.

Murphy's Law
Darwin's Law.

:D

Does Blade Tech make a lead holster? A really freakin' big one? :rolleyes:
 
Can you say knockdown power? :eek: Some know-it-alls on here claim there is no such thing as "stopping power" but in this case...
 
While there are no laws spefically outlawing the possesion of nulcear bombs, there are a host of EPA laws and regs (amongst a few other catagories) you would violate by possesing nuclear materiel.
 
Oh dear lord don't tell me were having the "civilians should be allowed to own nuclear weapons" discussion again :uhoh: . FWIW there is no law regulating civilians possesing uranium. They use to sell it as a topical acne treatment back in the 50's :eek: . Oh and before anybody calls me out, no I don't think civilians should posses nukes. I mean for god sakes there really is no responsible use for them at all.
 
While it may have been an ingredient in 1950's topical cream, possesing enough enriched plutonium to create a nuclear bomb would certainly violate a whole bunch or laws. Unless you are Montgomery Burns and then its a different story.
 
Abosultely right

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Is there an actual law that says a private citizen cannot own a nuke?

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I don't think there is. I simply think that if the sole legal owner (the US .gov) sold it to you, there would be technically no law broken provided you paid the tax.
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Absolutely right :rolleyes: but there are laws that pertain to buying, use of, TNT, Nitroglycerin, C-4 plastic explosives, certain amounts of Fertilizers, etc., and needing, and getting, a permit to use any or all, at any locations (as if that is gonna stop someone) and, for storing, in any quantity, and the use of, storing, etc., of X-amount that can, and will, cause an explosion of greater than X-factor Z is against the law. And you must have a licence, along with proof of passing State and Federal exams for the "privilege and right" to exercise this use of such controlled force/s.

But, to own and possess an Atomic Bomb.. you're good to go I would think.. :cool:


LS :neener:


DATE: Hollywood. Not only does the Farmer have the right to build and launch himself into orbit in his own rocket ship, but he also owns and possess an atomic bomb for self protection against those that would try and steel it.

Starts a 9pm, popcorn extra..
 
The Government does have notices out, requesting that we grass on anyone we know who has in their possesion various materials. Fissionable materials being among them. It may not be a law, but Uncle Sam can do whatever he wants,The fastest way to leave this earth would be to attempt to smuggle a nuclear device into this country. As screwed up as the government is, the military isn't. There will in no probability be a no-knock raid, they will probably not negotiate with you. You will be terminated by the largest, most efficient weapon available. Even though plutonium is only an alpha emiter I'm sure there are detectors on place. The last time I priced plutonium it was $5,000/oz. And I think you needed more then a note from home to get it. Although I'm sure there is some Soviet stuff for sale.
 
For starters, his home-owner's insurance company would drop him like a hot rock. Everyone on the street will shun him. Business owners in town will refuse to do business with him--which includes utilities, roads, groceries and doctors. In the end he'll either get rid of it or move somewhere else.
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LOL

Imagine someone like the Earth Liberation Front, or Al Qaeda, with nuclear weapons. I don't think the potential shunning of their neighbors is going to discourage them.

If the type of person that would commit a mass shooting, or that would fire bomb a factory, or that would fly airplanes into buildings, had ready access to atomic weapons, our civilization would collapse in short order.
 
Cosmoline:

Which ones?
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It's inferential, but US v Miller reads in part:

In the absence of any evidence tending to show that possession or use of a [sawed-off shotgun] at this time has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia, we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument. Certainly it is not within judicial notice that this weapon is any part of the ordinary military equipment or that its use could contribute to the common defense.
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This is generally understood to set a standard that weapons protected by the Second Amendment are "military equipment" suitable for "the common defense." This would seem to include any arms that can and might reasonably be carried by a soldier, but to exclude heavy artillery, missiles, and nuclear explosives.


--Len.
 
Imagine someone like the Earth Liberation Front, or Al Qaeda, with nuclear weapons. I don't think the potential shunning of their neighbors is going to discourage them.
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When you say "imagine them with a nuke," you're WAY jumping the gun. How exactly did they get it? Answer: they basically can't. It's a sophisticated piece of technology--any raving nut-job in a turban can't make one in his basement. And it's hideously expensive, because it's so sophisticated. And the folks who make centrifuges, or mine uranium, or fabricate machinery to the necessary tolerances, will be strangely reluctant to sell to just any hairy, smelly guy with a knife between his teeth who screams, "Give me your catalog NOW, infidel dog!"

Although I mentioned home-owner's insurance, it actually stands proxy for the insurances procured by the uranium mines, centrifuge makers, and others in the chain of production, and includes liability insurance. The incentive for those producers to be bloody careful about their clientele, besides simple self-preservation, is that they don't want to lose gigabux in a lawsuit after one of their products is detonated in the middle of NYC. (Unlike the government, you can sue them and have a hope in h--l of winning.)

In short, without government regulation, there would be private regulation--which would be a lot like the government kind, except that it would be cheaper, more efficient, and more effective.

And as a fringe benefit, R&D wouldn't be illegal, and neither would consumer marketing of the resulting products. By now we'd probably already have affordable, safe nuclear power cells in every home. No more overhead cables, and electricity would cost about a penny a gigawatt-hour. No more fossil fuels for heat, CO2 emissions below the levels of 1918--basically, Al Gore's wet dream.

We now return you to your rolling brownouts already in progress. :evil:

--Len.



Note: If a nuke ever DOES go off inside the US in the next 20 years, you can be certain that it was provided by Russian or Ukrainian government officials. Remind me why government control of nukes makes you feel so safe again?
 
I agree .. but

Quote:
When you say "imagine them with a nuke," you're WAY jumping the gun. How exactly did they get it? Answer: they basically can't. It's a sophisticated piece of technology--any raving nut-job in a turban can't make one in his basement. And it's hideously expensive, because it's so sophisticated. And the folks who make centrifuges, or mine uranium, or fabricate machinery to the necessary tolerances, will be strangely reluctant to sell to just any hairy, smelly guy with a knife between his teeth who screams, "Give me your catalog NOW, infidel dog!"
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But with the rich Arab (Saudi Arabia) Oil Kings, paying them ALOT of money to stay out of their backyard, it is just a matter of time when they WILL be able to buy some.

Then after it's over in Iraq, between Syria, Iran, and others, taking that country over, and getting the oil, then it's gonna be like the French Revolution in Saudi Arabia's back yard, as their "here, stay out of our backyard money" is gonna turn and bite them in the A s!!!

As they eat their own kind, has been, will always be, until the one Religious Cult has a full house.

I'm a betting man, come-on!


LS
 
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