Office of Information and Public Affairs  Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 20, 2007
Release #07-249  CPSC Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Scott Wolfson, (301) 504-7051

New Mexico Company Fined, Ordered To Stop Selling Illegal Fireworks Components

WASHINGTON, D.C. -In the aftermath of the Fourth of July holiday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing another success in its fireworks enforcement program aimed at reducing deaths and injuries to consumers from illegal fireworks.

At sentencing today, United Nuclear Scientific Supplies LLC, of Edgewood, N.M., founded and operated by Robert Lazar, was fined $7,500 and received three years probation. The firm violated federal law which prohibits the sale of chemicals and components used to make illegal fireworks.

"This court ruling is a victory for consumer safety," said CPSC's Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "By shutting down the illegal operations of United Nuclear and securing a major court victory against Firefox Enterprises and its owners in May, CPSC is demonstrating our commitment to keeping illegal fireworks out of the marketplace and preventing serious injuries to consumers."

U.S. Chief Magistrate Lorenzo F. Garcia of the District of New Mexico handed down the sentence after United Nuclear pled guilty to three criminal counts of introducing into interstate commerce and aiding and abetting the introduction into interstate commerce of banned hazardous substances. The firm sold the chemicals and components used to make illegal fireworks, such as M-80's and quarter sticks, which are banned under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act and CPSC regulations.

United Nuclear, its principal, Robert Lazar, and accountant Joy White, also entered into a consent decree that permanently limits the amount of future sales of fireworks-related chemicals and prohibits the sale of any fuses, tubes and end caps. The decree also required destruction of the firm's remaining inventory of components and specified chemicals.

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To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

SOURCE: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

This article has more info on another topic that is related to this. The CPSC is trying to make it safer for the public while making it hard for certain companies to operate because of the chance of these materials getting into the wrong hands.

I would think that Bob can look into getting licensed to sell those chemicals and components to make this stuff. I should have stopped by his place when I was in the area this past week.

http://www.rocketryplanet.com/content/view/1124/28/

In the pursuit of 'safety' for the public the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is taking away any access to certain chemicals from the public... because we MIGHT make fireworks or worse.

I had an incident in Las Vegas... the police were looking for a gang member with a gun in our neighborhood, many cars and a helicopter. Our dogs barked at a noise in the garage and my wife looked to see... (yeah it ws kinda dumb). When she opened the door a cop shone a flashlight in her face (garage was dark) and said "Police, get back in the house"  He had a dog with him.

He was in the garage because I had left the side door unlocked, but he had no business doing that. Right then was not the time to address that as they were all running around in the dark with guns out looking for the perp.  They found him eventually next door under a tarp.  The next morning I found a Beretta under a bush and turned it in.  Okay that is the background.

A few days later two detectives showed up at my door and asked me about an alledged meth lab in the garage. What had happened was the cop, snooping illegally in my garage (this was before 9/11) saw my mineral assay lab and just assumed it was a meth lab.  To make it short it was straightened out, I got written apologies (they were crawling all over themselves for me not to sue) and they owed me a favor. The cop was fired.

The point is in some states it is ow ILLEGAL to own chemistry equipment. Chemistry sets in science shops now have kitchen chemicals and many chemicals are now illegal to possess in some states.. sulfur is one.  Sulfur is a coomon regent for most school chemistry class projects.  I had a teacher ask at the hardware store my wife worked at if they had sulfur. They didn't but I had a good supply from an old mine site so I hooked him up and donated a lot of my uneeded equipment to him... see he had taken it on himself to teach his classes proper chemistry.  Now it is not yet illegal in Nevada but still difficult to get the supplies

The government is taking away our ability to experiment. Where will the future scientists come from? This should be of concern to all of us

POCATELLO, Idaho USA — First it was the ride to the launch site that became illegal for experimental (or research) motors.  Now it is the availability of chemicals in which to transport.  A decision handed down in the civil lawsuit against Firefox Enterprises, Inc., brought by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), will have serious effect on amateur and experimental rocketeers nationwide.

On December 6, 2006, U.S. District Court Chief Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a ruling that directed Firefox and CPSC to negotiate a mutually acceptable plan for the enforcement of regulations and applicable law which CPSC has the authority to enforce.  The precedent set in this case will affect similar suppliers of the chemicals used in the manufacture of amateur rocket motors.

Firefox has been a source of pyrotechnic chemicals for amateur rocketeers for years, supplying the various oxidizers and fuels necessary to combine in the appropriate percentages in which to create various rocket fuels.  Whereas hobby rocketry enthusiasts are more commonly affected by the governmental oversight of ATF due to the use of commercially manufactured propellant, CPSC's case against Firefox is unique in that none of the chemicals it sells is considered an explosive. 

Therein lies the twist: there is a difference between the ATF and the CPSC.  Firefox is not regulated by the ATF.  ATF regulations and the federal Explosives Control Act only apply to the commerce and storage of explosives, of which the ATF publishes a list annually.  Nothing that Firefox sells is found on the List of Explosives. 

And, nothing Firefox sells meets the definition of an explosive.  The company merely sells individual chemicals that can be combined to make a chemical composition that meets the definition of an explosive.  Therefore, because Firefox is not in the business of distributing explosives or explosive materials, the ATF does not regulate Firefox.  As such, Firefox does not need an ATF dealer's permit to operate its business.

On the other hand, the CPSC was created by Congress to reduce or eliminate injuries to consumers caused by dangerous and/or hazardous products.  The regulations that CPSC is applying in the Firefox case are defined in three sources:  1) Federal Hazardous Substance Act (FHSA) at 15 U.S.C. 1261 et seq., 2) the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPS Act) at 15 U.S.C. 2051 et seq., and 3) the regulations of the CPSC at 16 C.F.R.  1500 and 1507. 

The judge has set a deadline of January 15, 2007 for CPSC and Firefox to reach an agreement on which chemicals and supplies are to be limited in sales to individuals who do not possess an ATF Explosives Manufacturer's Permit.  While it is possible that this deadline could be extended an additional 30 to 90 days, the judge has stated that if the government and Firefox fail to reach an agreement, he will make the decision for them.

The government's case is asking that the following items be restricted in sales:

“Not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any chlorate compound, magnesium metal, permanganate compound, peroxide compound, zirconium metal, or any chemical listed at 16 C.F.R. § 1507.2 to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF;"

Not sell, give away or otherwise distribute any of the following chemicals for which the particle size is finer than 100 mesh (or particles less than 150 microns in size) to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF: aluminum and aluminum alloys, magnalium metal, magnesium/aluminum alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, or zinc metal;

Not sell, give away or otherwise distribute any of the following chemicals in an amount greater than one pound per year per recipient to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF:  antimony and antimony compounds, benzoate compounds, nitrate compounds, perchlorate compounds, salicylate compounds or sulfur;

Not sell, give away or otherwise distribute any fuse in an amount greater than 25 feet per year per recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF.”

In addition, the CPSC called for extensive record keeping (photocopies of drivers licenses and, if applicable, ATF licenses for all recipients, as well as detailed invoices maintained for at least seven years) and requires Firefox’s agreement to provide those records to CPSC at any time on demand. 

"Oxidizers" as defined includes: ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium nitrate, sodium chlorate, sodium perchlorate, sodium nitrate, barium nitrate, strontium nitrate, potassium permanganate.

"Fuels" as defined includes: aluminum, aluminum alloys, magnesium, magnesium-aluminum alloys, antimony sulfide or trisulfide, potassium benzoate, sodium benzoate, sodium salicylate, sulfur, titanium, zinc, zirconium, or zirconium hydride.

The impact of this decision will weigh heavily in the fireworks community, where the vast majority of participants are not holders of federal ATF explosives permits.  Firefox and similar competitors are suppliers of hobby-oriented quantities to hobby-oriented users.  The stifling restrictions being forced upon the fireworks community will mean that companies like Firefox will simply go out of business.

In the rocketry community, it is now obvious why the ATF's position with regard to amateur rocket motor making has appeared at odds with logic: it is perfectly legal for you to mix and cast your own motors as long as they are for your own use and not for resale without an explosives permit.  It is also perfectly legal for you to fire the same motor on your property without an explosives permit.  But it is not legal for you to transport your creation to an approved launch site without an explosives permit.

SOURCE: Rocketryplanet.com

Original Source: Skylighter.com

Reader comments:

1. What kind of... So, does this represent a Liberal Activist Court or a Conservative Activist Court? In all seriousness, this will impact the teaching of chemistry from middle school up, at a time when we are making all sorts of noise about needing better science education and getting more students interested in science careers! I guess we don't need to worry about chemistry teachers getting what they need. Firefox first, Fisher Scientific next. Could this also impact the experimentatino with and production of nanomaterials? We really do need some congressional oversight on this whole issue of what is or is not an explosive. Clearly, the one branch of government has a very narrow view of what explosives are (see also the article on the KNO3-sugar rockets), and another branch is looking for definitions. Write your new representatives! posted by Aphyle on 12-22-2006 09:57 AM
2. CPSC ruling. Now the question is "Will we be required to get a manufacturers permit to make our EX motors?" ATF does not require it but it looks like the CPSC will. - Ken posted by ken487 on 12-22-2006 10:27 AM
3. After reading the court opinion, I must say that Firefox shot themselves in the foot and deserved to lose this case. The remedy sought by the CPSC is excessive but Firefox has little choice now. - posted by UhClem on 12-22-2006 12:26 PM

Quote: Now the question is "Will we be required to get a manufacturers permit to make our EX motors?" ATf does not require it but it looks like the CPSC will." Not to "make" the motors, but apparently you will need a manufacturer's permit to purchase the materials to "make" them. I mean, how many EX motors can you make with the permit-free 16oz of oxidizer? The result for ATF is that there is nothing to regulate if you can't purchase the materials to make them. In the fireworks enforcement, CPSC is also looking to regulate purchases of tube longer than 10". What would happen if that were applied to the rocketry community?

Associated Press
Monday, July 23, 2007

When Bob Lazar decided his scientific supply company should offer fuses, tubes and other "things of a fireworks nature,'' he checked first with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI, the fire department and building and zoning.

They said everything was fine, so Sandia Park-based United Nuclear Scientific Equipment and Supplies — which consists of Lazar and his wife, Joy White — began selling the items.

They had no idea, Lazar said Monday, about a U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission rule that prohibits selling items to make fireworks along with information on how to make them. Since United Nuclear's Web site contains information on "how you safely make fireworks,'' that constituted a kit under commission rules, Lazar said.

Lazar said he routinely works with federal agencies because of the nature of the scientific supply business, but he said he never heard from the commission.

The first inkling the couple had of a problem came in 2003 when Lazar and White ended up handcuffed on their front lawn after an early morning raid by a SWAT team, he said.

"Obviously, these guys thought something else was going on,'' he said.

Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the Consumer Products Safety Commission in Washington, said the commission investigated, but the raid was conducted by federal law enforcement agents.

While he said he could not address the specific incident, "we know the formula that is used to make highly illegal, highly dangerous fireworks. ... We have had the experience where part of a town has had to be evacuated because of individuals stockpiling chemicals and components used to make illegal fireworks.''

In the case of United Nuclear, nothing further happened until a court hearing last Friday.

U.S. Magistrate Lorenzo Garcia fined the firm $7,500 and placed it on probation for three years. A consent decree limits the amount of fireworks-related chemicals the company can sell; prohibits sales of fuses, tubes and end caps; and requires United Nuclear to destroy remaining components and specified chemicals.

The commission's acting chairwoman, Nancy Nord, last week called the case a victory for consumer safety.

Despite that, Lazar sees the magistrate's decision as a victory for his company because the commission sought $30,000 — a $10,000 fine for each of three times the agency bought the questioned items.

"Our attorney said, 'Get real, these people have never done anything,''' Lazar said.

"I remain amazed to this day that that's how this went down,'' he said.

Copyright ©2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. 
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Case: CLOSED 12/07

Most recent update 7/24/07 (See end of document)

United States v. Robert Lazar, Joy White, and United Nuclear Scientific Supplies, LLC, Civil No. 06-0866 LCS RLP (D. New Mexico)

United States v. United Nuclear Scientific Supplies, LLC, Criminal No. 06-2008 JP (D. New Mexico)

   9/14/06:

    9/18/06 Update

    9/25/06 Update:

    10/2/06 Update:

    On October 2, 2006, the United States filed a plea agreement in federal court in the District of New Mexico resolving the criminal charges against United Nuclear Scientific Supplies, LLC. Click on the hyperlink to view the Plea Agreement. The sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

    7/6/07 Update:

    Sentencing is set for Friday, July 20, 2007, at 10:00 am, before Magistrate Judge Lorenzo F. Garcia (Pecos Courtroom) in the Pete V. Domenici U.S. Courthouse, 333 Lomas Blvd. N.W., Albuquerque, NM 87102.

    Update 7/24/07:

    On July 20, 2007, United Nuclear was sentenced to pay a fine of $7,500, and to serve three years of probation. See Consumer Product Safety Commission Press Release (7/20/07).

"All clear and ready." Bob Lazar's voice echoes through several hand-held radios.

"She's goin'!" Jim Tagliani bellows.

"Awe-some!"

"Holy shit!"

Seconds later, a deafening explosion cracks the silence of the desert at dusk. Tiny plumes mushroom into a massive furling cloud of black smoke. Red hot flames seethe at the cloud's core. From the outer edges, minute, strobe-like particles fly out and die down on the parched mud floor.

Thummmmbpff! From a launching tube on another part of the lake crater, a shell soars high up into the air and bursts into an array of magenta and glitter that sparkles up the sky. "Whoooo-hoooo!" Laura Godel is exuberant. "That's beautiful," chimes in Linda Wilson.

Meanwhile, Jim Tagliani has strapped a moaning, flame-throwing static Ramjet to his back and is zipping by the crowd on roller skates. In another part of this parched mud arena, Lew Godel takes his position, belly down, face to the dirt, and hits a launch button. A stealth-black rocket emblazoned with the letters D-E-S-E-R-T B-L-A-S-T lifts off and soars up to Mach 1. It may be soaring still.

There's a time and place for everything in this petrochemical world in which we live. There's a time to reap and a time to sow. A time to take massive amounts of bullshit, and a time to vent it all and party down in a gaseous, dynamite celebration of independence. On this particular evening in May, it's time to vent.

Every year since 1987, on a secret date and at a secret location, a group of pyrotechnics wizards stage an annual outlaw gathering out in the desert outback of Nevada. In 1991, patriotically inspired by Desert Storm, the organizers dubbed the event Desert Blast. The group's unwritten code: Bigger and Better Fun through Chemistry and Physics.

"Desert Blast is a celebration of the things an American should be able to do," explains one veteran, who requested anonymity. "And it's about forgetting and having fun, kind of like, Let's go be a kid again."

"Yeah," echoes another attendee, "and not have anyone tell you to shut up!"

Humbly billed as "the largest outlaw fireworks show in the West," Desert Blast is probably the largest outlaw fireworks show in the world. The actual detonation date changes from year to year, as does the location. It's an exclusive affair. As the video invites proclaim: "If you don't know where it is, you're not invited." But for those who are honored with an invitation or those who know somebody who knows somebody who has directions, Desert Blast - or DB, as regulars call it - is the party to end all parties, a party that gives you a place to rant and something to really rave about. In essence it's a night of contained anarchy. The Woodstock of Pyrotechnics.

Desert Blast is the brainchild of Bob Lazar - by day a freelance scientist and businessman - and Jim Tagliani, who pays the bills by installing and programming computers for Indian bingo parlors. As one DB adage goes: Bob builds it; Jim tries it out.

For Lazar, the flame for fireworks was kindled during his youth on Long Island, New York. He spent his summers hanging around several local families who made professional fireworks. "Because I was young, they wouldn't let me touch anything flammable," he remembers. "But I would help tie strings and stuff." Years later, Lazar decided to figure it out for himself.

Lazar's affinity for things pyro slept, latent for nearly two decades of school and work, but in the early '80s, he hooked up with Tagliani, a natural-born daredevil and neighbor in Woodland Hills, California. It was an instant affinity: both were blinded by science. Lazar was working at Fairchild Xincom, he says, a now-defunct electronics firm, when he recommended Tagliani for a technician position there, and the friendship grew. Later, driving through LA one day, the two passed an acquaintance waving a pyrotechnics device. The guy invited them to a gathering of motorcycle freaks being held in a dry lake bed out near El Mirage, California. There, says Lazar, biker pyrotechnicians hosted an explosive fire fest, until their fun was eventually quashed by Bureau of Land Management officers.

According to Lazar's account, he later moved on to Los Alamos National Laboratories in New Mexico, but like many a bomb-crazed scientist, he felt stifled there. So in 1985, he headed for Las Vegas, Nevada. Not long after, Tagliani joined him in the City of Sin. The fireworks flame re-ignited in Lazar and Tagliani, and so they decided to uncover the secrets of pyrotechnics, and put one of Nevada's numerous dry lake beds to use. Their first two desert shows were small, drawing 50 to 75 friends. Lazar personally manufactured all of the fireworks.

But as the two attempted to outdo their work each successive year, planning and executing their private parties became a time-consuming task. In 1988, Lazar enlisted a troop of capable friends. United by chemistry, physics, and electronics, they came from all walks of life and all kinds of day jobs. NASA controllers and electronics specialists. Computer programmers and technicians. Propulsion systems experts and car mechanics. Even real estate appraisers and contractors. Together, they formed the core creation team of Desert Blast.

It takes at least three months and close to US$6,000 to manufacture all of the festive accouterments for the one-night show. "It really is a team effort," says Lazar. "And now there are pyrotechnics conventions that we attend." During the year, the pyro-cohorts meet in their off-hours in a nondescript, concrete reinforced building on private land well outside the city limits of Las Vegas. There, they mix chemicals, roll stars, build rockets, design Sky Cams, and do whatever else seems appropriate and necessary.

As the time nears each year, Linda (aka Crouton) Wilson, Lazar's girlfriend of four years, serves as Desert Blast's assistant coordinator. Laura Godel helps Lazar finesse the electronic devices, while her husband, Lew Godel joins Lazar in the creation and supervision of all rocketry. Dan Stegemann serves as general device assembler, while Shelly Ball, Tagliani's girlfriend, manufactures Teddy, the sacrificial bear whose destruction marks the event's climax.

Word about Desert Blast spread quickly. By 1990, Lazar and Tagliani had learned one thing: if you launch it, fire it, or blow it up, they will come. Hundreds of uninvited spectators appeared from far and wide to witness the show. In 1992, the assemblage swelled to more than 450 people. "And sometimes they'd review the show; give us shit if something wasn't exactly perfect," recalls Gene Huff, who appraises real estate when he's not mixing chemicals and rolling stars.

"It was starting to get out of hand," Lazar sighs.

Lazar's notoriety in the UFO underground no doubt had a lot to do with that. In March 1989, Lazar, fearing for his life, publicly claimed, on KLAS-TV, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate, that he had just been released from a top-secret program, Project Galileo, in which he helped back-engineer the propulsion system of one of nine extraterrestrial craft being stored on the Nellis Gunnery and Bombing Range in Nevada. Overwhelmed with requests for interviews, which he "loathes," plagued with "tons of mail," and adamant about not joining the "crazies" on the UFO or talk-show circuit, Lazar quelled the deluge by producing, with Huff, a videotape about his alleged experience, something that has made him a veritable icon in the UFO haunts of cyberspace.

But that is another story. Commandment Number One at Desert Blast: Thou shalt not talk of UFOs. Nevertheless, "Excerpts From The Government Bible" (otherwise known as the Lazar Tape) has made Lazar a popular guy and someone a whole lot of people want to hang with.

For the last two years, Lazar has diligently faxed out wrong directions and dates to lose a few of the uninvited guests and general pains in the ass, not to mention unwanted law-enforcement types. Desert Blast does not exactly conform to federal regulations.

"Actually, while we were out testing some shells one day, a cop did show up," says Lazar. "He saw what we were doing and just said, 'Cool. Mind if I watch?'"

On Saturday, May 21, the Desert Blast countdown digital clock ticks down to 0:00 at the secret rendezvous location, and final loading begins. Everything has already been packed for transport: More than 400 shells; a single display cart of 100 2 1/2-inch star shells and reports; the giant, double-pinwheel display; bunches of small black-powder rockets with titanium and reports; strobe rockets; various sizes of salutes (including several M-800s); six stealth-black rockets, complete with nose cones and tails; four large barrels of magnesium; 20 gallons of fuel for the gas bombs; propane torches; launching tubes; boxes of extra fuse and wiring; five weather balloons; hardware; a viewing tower made from steel scaffolding; a sound system; boxes of Day-Glo Cyalume sticks and rope; coolers packed with food and water; cameras; and various other items. At around 2:30 p.m., a caravan of some 20 cars, trucks, trailers, and recreational vehicles leaves the highway and begins winding its way through desert terrain down an unmarked dirt road and onto this year's chosen dry lake bed. There, they stagger into a parking line that stretches out along one side, and everyone begins to set up camp.

At center stage, on the lake crater, the first mortar is launched. It soars more than 800 feet into the sky. As it bursts, an American flag on a tiny parachute patriotically unfurls and flaps across the desert on the air currents. DB VIII has begun.

At around 4:30 p.m., Lazar fuels up the Jetcar, dons his fire-retardant jacket and crash helmet, and climbs in. The Jetcar, like your basic dragsters, is comprised of a chromoly steel frame. It's about 32-feet long and its jet engine - originally designed for the Navy's first supersonic fighter - makes the car look not so much futuristic as absurd. A 30-foot flame shoots out the back and the shrill, decibel-defying noise makes you feel as if you've been stranded out on an Air Force tarmac facing the wrong direction. As he rolls in for a pit stop, the afterburner flame swells and shoots out. "Hey! He's on fire!" shouts an uninitiated spectator.

Not to worry. Onto bigger things. It's SuperBomb time. Materials are placed, and the announcement is made. Within seconds, another deafening explosion shatters the earth, this one erupting into an ominous, deep-black, almost-mushroom cloud, and has the crowd on its feet, cheering maniacally. Over on the highway, several miles away, traffic has stopped, and spectators watch in a state of awe or disbelief. Maybe they think they're watching some sort of weird military experiment. But the Desert Blast participants aren't self-conscious. "There is just nothing more exciting than totally blowing something up - and then feeling the shock wave go through you," says Farhat. "You can just stand and watch ... and you feel like you've screamed. It's weird. Really weird. But it feels so good."

Out on the rocket pad, Lazar and Lew (aka The Viking) Godel are preparing the test launch. Godel is the sort who enjoys living wildly. "This is a unique guy," Lazar explains, as Godel hunkers down on the ground near the 5-foot-tall stealth-black rocket that stands majestically against the backdrop of the desert. "He killed a deer once, and then spread the blood all over himself, or whatever it is the Vikings do. Then he took the heart out and ate it."

As night falls, an intermittent stream of cars makes its way down the unmarked road to witness the show, and soon onlookers drape themselves in Day-Glo. It's time for the day's peak, the ultimate fireworks display.

Out at the launching area, youthful newcomer, Jeff Carbary, assumes the task of overseeing the mortars and the main fireworks begin. Before launch, Carbary details the make of each shell for the benefit of the pyro connoisseurs, the gathered crowd of Those Fascinated by Fire. One after another, the fireworks burst in full radiance against the sky, and the audience murmurs its appreciation in hushed and almost reverent ooohhhs and aaahhhs.

Finally, it's time to blow up Teddy, a tradition at Desert Blast. Teddy originally came from Tagliani's home Halloween yard art. He and Ball initially decided to take Teddy to DB as a sort of mascot. "At first, we used to let him just hang around," recalls Shelly Ball. "But, we needed a goal - something to destroy, and we realized, 'Hey, we can shoot Teddy.'" So, Teddy quickly became a target, replacing the Saddam Hussein paper targets on the shooting range. "We'd put beer bottles or Coke cans in his pockets; then we graduated to M-80s, then M-800s," says Ball. "It was a challenge to see who could shoot his pockets first. Ultimately, we'd blow his arms off, then maybe a leg or two. But Teddy was still left, more or less."

The next year, they decided instead to just put Teddy on a Coors Party Ball gas bomb and blow him to bits. That approach, or a similar concept, has stuck.

As the sun rises over the mountains, it's cleanup time for Lazar and Tagliani and the rest of the core DB team. They rise, scouring the desert for any remaining debris, bagging it for disposal. All the escaped dirt is shoveled back into the holes, and the dry lake bed is restored to its original condition. By 10 a.m., all tents have been dismantled and all waste discreetly stored in the back of trucks or car trunks. There are virtually no signs that anything unusual took place here - no signs that just hours before, nearly 200 people had gathered for a night of living dangerously. As the sun begins to bake the valley, the DB caravan heads out, back to civilization for another year.

Copyright © 1993-2004 The Condé Nast Publications Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 1994-2003 Wired Digital, Inc. All rights reserved. 

SOURCE: Wired Magazine

Bob grew up in New York and studied the art of making fireworks under one of the fireworks families there, I forget which one. Bob was a master and ran the largest outlaw fireworks display west of the Mississippi every year for 13 years. I was privileged to be part of most of them. 

It was always a three day affair, always held illegaly on BLM land and usually had from 200 to 1000 participants. Anything in the way of explosives and guns were permissable. We usually had 4 or 5 airplanes (including a B-26 one year) making mock strafing runs on cars which were purchased from junk yards and/or donated which were wired with explosives. The airplanes would also put on a mock dogfight.

We also had private helicopter gunships with live fire excercises. We usually had 2 or 3 thousand pounds of ammonium nitrate to explode. Bob would make a couple of passes in his 300 mph jetcar. We had a machine gun contest for largest machine gun, I believe one year someone brought a quad 50. There were also several canons. The preparations took about 3 months and everybody had to take a turn at Bob's house rolling stars. Bob had 8 or 10 highly qualified assistants to help prepare and set all of the explosives and fireworks. It was one of the biggest open secret events in Las Vegas. It was attended by FBI, ATF, BLM and other agencies who just came to have fun and look the other way. Nothing was ever mentioned by any agency about lack of permits or authoization for any reason after the event. There was a 2 story platform which was set up from which the event was narrated and music played and skits offered. There were usually about 60 motor homes lined up along the dry lake bed each with their own fake lawns, tiki torches, ATV's and beautiful women on lounge chairs.

I was in charge of clean-up every year. I would hire day laborers and we would work about 10 to 12 hours a day for several days. We would shovel and sweep up all debris, load in 55 gallon 3 mil bags and haul to Apex, which is the local dump. When we were done, the dry lake on which we held the event was spotless. There was no trace of fireworks or that anybody had ever been there. A BLM ranger would usually visit at my house a few days after and tell me, "John I couldn't even find a cigarette butt."

For pictures and info on the event you can goggle "Desert Blast". In 13 years of "Desert Blasts" not one single accident occured nor was anybody ever injured due to a fireworks mishap. A few people fell over drunk and hit their heads though.

When Bob moved to Sandia Park in 2001 he offered firework supplies and equipment along with his scientific equipment.  The company no longer offers the firework supplies. You can check what he has today at unitednuclear.com

This is the 3000 pouinds of ammonium nitrate going up :

This was one of the most famous pictures of the 13 years of Desert Blast. That is my daughter Alli on the left and Bob's girlfriend Linda on the right. Aquafina bottled water was the preferred drink at Desert Blast.

Lazar in jet car (72K) Lazar, it turns out, is alive and well and living in Las Vegas (far from any buffet, however, which seems to defeat the purpose). Every year, Lazar and his friends put on a top secret, invitation-only fireworks show in the desert. ("If you don't know where it is, you're not invited.") Whatever bad you can say about Lazar, he does make good fire. He and his crew have been blowing things up since long before his "S-4" claims. This year, for some unfathomable reason, Psychospy got an invitation. We were sworn to secrecy about time, place and explosive yields and ordered not to discuss UFOs at the event. This was a serious endeavor to make things go "Boom," and we had to obey the rules. We were allowed one guest, so naturally we invited Jarod.

A previous Desert Blast was reported in the Dec. 1994 issue of Wired Magazine [article with photos]. This year was a more subdued event, however, with everyone on edge since McVeigh and company in Oklahoma City gave homemade explosives a bad name. This year, there was no "Big Bomb," which we understand is usually the equivalent of a Ryder truck packed with fertilizer. There were only lessor bombs, fireworks and displays of various jet-propelled contraptions. Lazar cranked up his jet car and took it for a spin on the lake bed. A potentially faster rocket car was fired up in a static display; this missile-shaped vehicle has no wheels, only runners, because the owners hope to break the land speed record--on ice. There were many miscellaneous explosions all through the night and into the morning. The fireworks were top-rate, and Psychospy helped release a glowing, helium-filled "UFO" into the sky, which we sincerely hope caused a rash of sightings downwind.

Desert Blast gave us an opportunity to introduce Jarod to Lazar for the first time (or so they claim). Nothing of consequence was discussed, but the meeting still struck us as ironic, especially if you think Lazar has lied. It is like a story from The Twilight Zone: A writer invents a fictional character and writes a novel about him, which, to sell it to a publisher, he passes off as a real account. Then one day the doorbell rings, and that character, in the flesh, walks in the door.

SOURCE: The Groom Lake Desert Rat