From the self immolation videos I've seen online the victims begin screaming when the flames start but then subside to a tranquil state probably because all nerve endings have been fried. Still an awful way to go though because fire is hot.

even the Nazis lodged official complaints about the inhumanity of using flamethrowers (even though they used them too), and captured units were almost always summarily executed

On one hand, you have a lever to propel fuel 40 yards away.

On the other hand, you have a trigger to ignite that fuel.

I believe the tranquil state you are seeing may actually be death, I hear its pretty chill

I saw this video a while back and I didn't rewatch it, so maybe he says this in the video:

I thought the main mechanism for killing with a flamethrower was by using up all the oxygen in a confined space like a bunker or trench tunnel. If you can actually spray someone in the face with one of these they've already fucked up 7 different ways.

different video, this one just covers the technical stuff. But yeah, in underground bunkers, oxygen loss, smoke inhalation and boxes of ammunition cooking off killed more people than those directly hit.

It's possible that it was some kind of very old industrial insecticide sprayer or something and I couldn't tell the difference as a kid, but that's not much better really.

It looked a whole lot like this.

they were sold surplus after being de-militarized I believe.

turning one into a working one without a bunch of licenses to do so will get you a lot of jail time. (afaik)

Damn, so no SPACEBALLS: the Flamethrower! without the ATF wanting to have a word with me eh?

Federally and in most states, they don't fall under any kind of established firearms or weapons category. I might be wrong, but I don't think there's even a registration requirement to sell them commercially most places in the US like there is with firearms.

Military-grade flamethrowers are legal in 40 states. Flamethrowers with slightly less range (being manufactured new right now) are legal in 48 states.

Basically the only state with an iron-clad "fuck flamethrowers" law is california.

There was a reason the Arsonist in LA Noire had the civilian job he did.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Dragon-BP-2512-SVC/dp/B000NI7PQG/ref=sr _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487375062&sr=8-1&keywords=flamethrower

yeah, you can just buy them. They aren't regulated federally like firearms.

They're not really that dangerous. Of the people who kill someone with a firearm in the US, about 2/3rds killed themselves. Flamethrower suicide is probably not people's first choice as long as there's guns, pills, tall things and/or rope. 1/3rd killed someone else, and they overwhelmingly used handguns. A flamethrower is only really a problem in the hands of a total fuck-up (and as long as cars exist, they'll find a way to kill themselves and others), or someone who wants to cause a few seconds of sheer hell for a mass of random strangers and is not worried at all about the near certainty of their subsequent death. People in the very latter category are a) very rare, and b) have access to better options than flamethrowers.