Tannerite has become a popular product in the world of firearms. It has been commonly used to create “exploding targets.” However, just like anything else, some people do not exercise caution and proper safety, and as a result, they end up causing damage to themselves. Take, for instance, this brilliant guy from Georgia.

David Pressley, 32, of Walton County Georgia decided he would blow up an old riding lawn mower using Tannerite and his AR-15. It didn’t turn out to well for Pressley.

CAUTION: Live Graphic footage

His friend was videoing as David apparently missed hitting the Tannerite on several occasions and began to move in towards the lawnmower. In fact, he was about 43 feet away when he ignited the Tannerite with a round fired from his rifle.

The explosion blew the lawn mower apart, send a piece of metal threw the air hitting him, and instantly severing his leg near his knee.

As blood splatters and Pressley falls to the ground, you can hear him yelling, “I blew my leg off!”

Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman, a pro-Second Amendment sheriff, warned people using Tannerite, “Be careful, it’s very dangerous. It’s not a toy. It’s much more than a firecracker.”

In using Tannerite Sheriff Chapman believes that those with large acres of property are well within their rights to use the product to keep from harming anyone around them. He also said that as a rule of thumb, for every pound of Tannerite you use, you need to be 100 yards away.

Pressley was attempting to blow up his lawn mower with three pounds of Tannerite!

11 Alive reported, “Two of Pressley’s friends fashioned a tourniquet around his leg, helped him to the front seat of a vehicle, and drove him to a nearby road. That’s where EMS met the group and started working on Pressley. EMS advised David was missing his left leg below the knee”He was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He is now recovering from the incident.”

When asked questions about the use of Tannerite being legal in Georgia, the Walton County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook:

Yes, it is legal and no, we can’t make people stop doing it. But why, folks, just why? The dangers of tannerite were more than words Saturday afternoon for a 32 year old resident of eastern Walton County. He was dangerously close to the object containing the tannerite when the final gun shot round caused it to explode sending a piece of shrapnel through his leg severing it below the knee. Yes, completely taking his leg. Please adhere to the warnings and use this dangerous material with caution or maybe consider other less dangerous hobbies. It’s just not worth it for a loud boom!

Tannerite is the brand name of a binary explosive marketed primarily for making exploding targets for firearms practice. It is a patented combination of ammonium nitrate (an oxidizer) and aluminum powder (a fuel) that is supplied as two separate powders that are mixed and shaken to produce an explosive. The combination is relatively stable when subjected to forces less severe than a high-velocity bullet impact, such as a hammer blow, being dropped, or impact from a low-velocity bullet or shotgun blast. It is also not flammable – an explosion cannot be created by a burning fuse or electricity. Because it is sold as two separate powders, it can be transported and sold in many places without the legal restrictions that would otherwise apply to explosives.

For what it looks like to use Tannerite safely, I highly recommend some of the videos from FPSRussia.