Long title | An Act to prohibit the manufacture, distribution, storage, use, and possession in time of war of explosives, providing regulations for the safe manufacture, distribution, storage, use, and possession of the same, and for other purposes. |
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Nicknames | Explosives Act of 1917 |
Enacted by | the 65th United States Congress |
Effective | November 14, 1917 |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub. L. 65–68 |
Statutes at Large | 40 Stat. 385 |
Codification | |
Titles amended | 50 U.S.C.: War and National Defense |
U.S.C. sections created | 50 U.S.C. ch. 8 § 121 et seq. |
Legislative history | |
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Federal Explosives Act of 1917 is a United States federal statutory law citing an incriminating act for the distribution, manufacture, possession, storage, and use of explosive material during the time of war. The Act of Congress authorizes the federal regulation of the distribution, manufacture, possession, storage, and use of incendiary material during wartime.[1]
The Act was passed by the 65th United States Congress and enacted into law by President Woodrow Wilson on October 6, 1917.
Provisions of 1917 Act
The United States Bureau of Mines governs the federal regulations for restrictive protocols with regards to explosive materials.
- Combustible ingredients are held or purchased in minimal quantities
- Data and formulation processes prohibited from disclosure
- Explosive inspectors authorized by U.S. Bureau of Mines
- Explosive possession is prohibited for unlicensed entities
- Federal licensing applies for blasting agents at mines and quarries
- Federal licensing is subject to discretionary refusal
- Revocation is authorized for a federal explosive license
Federal Explosive License Classifications
- Exporter license
- Foreman license
- Importer license
- Manufacturer license
- Purchaser license
- Technical license (Analyst, Educator, Inventor, Investigator)
- Vendor license
Presidential Proclamation of 1917
In accordance with the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, President Woodrow Wilson issued Presidential Proclamation 1364 on April 6, 1917.[2] The presidential statement proclaimed national security protections regarding domestic alien enemies petitioning for aggressive terrorist tactics against the United States.[3]
Precious Metal Regulation of 1918
The Sundry Civil Expenses Appropriations Act of 1918 applied the unlicensed enforcement prohibitions of the federal explosive act for iridium, palladium, platinum, and precious metal compounds.[4]
Amendment and Cancellation of 1917 Act
The Federal Explosives Act Amendment of 1941 appended the 1917 public law revitalizing the federal scope for the perils of World War II.[5] On July 25, 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed a Senate Joint Resolution ceasing provisions of the Federal Explosives Act with the cessation of the European theatre of World War II and Pacific War.[6][7][8]
Repeal of 1917 Act
The 1917 Act was repealed by the enactment of Organized Crime Control Act on October 15, 1970.[9][10]
B.S.A. Blasting Caps Awareness Program
In 1947, the Boy Scouts of America and Institute of Makers of Explosives established a safety awareness program for the disposal and identification of electric and non-electric blasting caps.[11]
- "I'm A Blasting Cap". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. May 1951. p. 30.
- "Don't Touch Blasting Caps". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. May 1953. p. 54.
- "Blasting Caps Are Dangerous! - Leave Them Alone!". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. July 1958. p. 35-C6.
- "Blasting Cap Safety Bookmark". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. February 1969. p. 54.
- "Blasting Cap Safety Bookmark". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. June 1969. p. 64.
- "Blasting Cap Safety Bookmark". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. September 1969. p. 65.
- "Blasting Cap Safety Bookmark". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. October 1969. p. 68.
- "Scouts in Action - Dynamite Blasting Caps". Boys' Life. Boy Scouts of America. February 1975. pp. 46–47.
See also
Industrial Explosions of 1917
Ashton-under-Lyne munitions explosion | Gillespie Company Shell Loading Explosion |
Black Tom explosion | Halifax Explosion |
Eddystone explosion | Silvertown explosion |
Propellant Powder Mills of 18th & 19th Century America
19th Century Scientists of Combustible Chemistry & Materials
Frederick Abel | Joseph LeConte |
William Bickford | Alfred Nobel |
James Dewar | Christian Friedrich Schönbein |
Lammot du Pont I | Ascanio Sobrero |
Edward Charles Howard | Julius Wilbrand |
Anti-Radicalism Reforms of 19th & 20th Century America
Immigration Act of 1882 | Immigration Act of 1917 |
Immigration Act of 1891 | Immigration Act of 1918 |
Immigration Act of 1903 | Immigration Act of 1921 |
Immigration Act of 1907 | Immigration Act of 1924 |
Film Depictions of Anarchists' Movements in United States
J. Edgar (2011) |
No God, No Master (2012) |
Patriots Day (2016) |
Richard Jewell (2019) |
Manhunt: Unabomber (2017) & Deadly Games (2020) |
References
- ↑ "Regulation of Explosives in the United States: With Especial Reference to the Administration of the Explosives Act of October 6, 1917, by the Bureau of Mines". 1921.
- ↑ "Official Bulletin No. 227" [PERSONS INTERNED FOR PERIOD OF THE WAR INCLUDED WITHIN MEANING OF WORD "ENEMY"]. Internet Archive. Committee on Public Information. February 6, 1918.
- ↑ Peters,Gerhard; Woolley, John T. "Woodrow Wilson: "Proclamation 1364 — Declaring That a State of War Exists Between the United States and Germany," April 6, 1917". The American Presidency Project. University of California - Santa Barbara.
- ↑ "Sundry Civil Expenses Appropriations Act of 1918 ~ P.L. 65-181" (PDF). 40 Stat. 634 ~ House Bill 12441. USLaw.Link. July 1, 1918.
- ↑ "Federal Explosive Act Amendment of 1941 ~ P.L. 77-381" (PDF). 55 Stat. 863 ~ House Bill 3019. USLaw.Link. December 26, 1941.
- ↑ "Emergency and War Powers Cessation Act of 1947 ~ P.L. 80-239" (PDF). 61 Stat. 449 ~ Senate Joint Resolution 123. USLaw.Link. July 25, 1947.
- ↑ Truman, Harry S. (July 25, 1947). "Statement by the President Upon Signing Resolution Terminating Additional Emergency Powers - ]uly 25, 1947". Internet Archive. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service. pp. 357–358.
- ↑ Truman, Harry S. (July 25, 1947). "Statement by the President on the Dangers of Explosive-Type War Souvenirs - ]uly 25, 1947". Internet Archive. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service. p. 358.
- ↑ "Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 ~ P.L. 91-452" (PDF). 84 Stat. 922 ~ Senate Bill 30. U.S. Government Printing Office. October 15, 1970.
- ↑ Nixon, Richard M. (October 15, 1970). "Remarks on Signing the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 - October 15, 1970". Internet Archive. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Service. pp. 846–847.
- ↑ "Blasting Cap Safety Education Program". Safety Education. Institute of Makers of Explosives.
Historical Video Archives
- "How Jimmy Won The Game". Internet Archive. Bureau of Mines. 1928.
- "Blasting Cap - Danger!". Internet Archive. Institute of Makers of Explosives. 1957.
- "Don't Touch". Internet Archive. Institute of Makers of Explosives. 1970.
- "Explosives - Tool for Progress". Internet Archive. Institute of Makers of Explosives. 1970.
Reading Bibliography
- Van Gelder, Arthur Pine; Schlatter, Hugo (1927). History of the Explosives Industry in America. New York: Columbia University Press. LCCN 72005051. OCLC 1688246.
- Wilkinson, Norman B. (1984). Lammot du Pont and the American Explosives Industry, 1850-1884. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0813910123. OCLC 933801959.
- Hopler, Robert B. (2001). Explosives 100 Years Ago, More or Less: The Book. Cleveland, OH: International Society for Explosive Engineers. ISBN 978-1892396129. OCLC 47227715.
- Kelly, Jack (2004). Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World. New York, N.Y.: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0786739004. OCLC 53796866.
- Cressy, David (2013). Saltpeter: The Mother of Gunpowder. England, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199695751. OCLC 909362252.
External links
- Sikes, James; Avery, John; Bowdoin, James (March 12, 1777). "Three Documents Regarding the Manufacturing of Saltpeter". Internet Archive. Massachusetts Bay Colony: Springfield, Massachusetts.
- "GUNPOWDER AND ITS MANUFACTURE.; Where and How it is Made The Materials Where Found A New Discovery in Cannon Powder". The New York Times. New York, N.Y. August 10, 1861.
- Leconte, Joseph (1862). "Saltpeter Instructions for the Manufacture of Saltpetre". Internet Archive. Columbia, S.C.: Charles P. Pelham, State Printer. OCLC 14698867.
- Guttmann, Oscar (1895). The Manufacture of Explosives: A Theoretical and Practical Treatise on the History, the Physical and Chemical Properties, and the Manufacture of Explosives. Vol. 1. Whittaker and Co. – via Internet Archive.
- Guttmann, Oscar (1895). The Manufacture of Explosives: A Theoretical and Practical Treatise on the History, the Physical and Chemical Properties, and the Manufacture of Explosives. Vol. 2. Whittaker and Co. – via Internet Archive.
- "Farming with Dynamite: An Improvement in Farming That Is Proving Greater Than Irrigation". Internet Archive. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. 1911.
- "The Use of Explosives for Agricultural and Other Purposes". Internet Archive. Institute of Makers of Explosives. 1917.
- "DuPont Blasters' Handbook". Internet Archive. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. 1918.
- "General Information and Rulings for the Enforcement of the Law Regulating Explosives and Their Ingredients". Internet Archive. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1918.
- Williams, William B. (1919). "History of the Manufacture of Explosives for the Great War, 1917-1918". Internet Archive. United States Army Ordnance Department.
- "DuPont Blasters' Handbook". Internet Archive. E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. 1922.
- "Safety in the Handling and Use of Explosives". Internet Archive. Institute of Makers of Explosives. 1940.
- "National Park Service Handbook for the Transportation, and Use of Explosives". NPS Park History. National Park Service. 1999.
- "Blasting Caps in the Parks" (PDF). Curatorial Safety. National Park Service. July 2003.
- "The Institute of Makers of Explosives". IME-Institute of Makers of Explosives.