Tons of fun

Something I learned from this WSJ article:  there's such a thing as a federal Destructive Device permit, and it costs $200 (or $3,000 if you want to be a Destructive Devices dealer).

Port Lavaca is a small town about an hour up the coast from here.  A 70-year-old resident runs the local bank and likes to drive a Chaffee tank around his parking lot.

Earlier this month, Mr. Bauer, the Texas banker, took his Chaffee out for a spin in his warehouse parking lot.  He had rigged the .50-caliber machine gun on the turret with a propane system that generates the noise and muzzle flash of gunfire, without the bullets.  He fired off several bursts. 

Minutes later, two Port Lavaca police cruisers pulled up.  The first officer rolled down the window and asked dryly:  "You know why we're here, right?" 

Mr. Bauer assured him that no actual rounds had been fired.  Still, the officer said, "we had multiple calls—people get scared." 

The second policeman, Jeremy Marshall, got out of his car and eyeballed Mr. Bauer's tank.  "Awesome," he said.