Is using a flamethrower a war crime?

Though flamethrowers aren't entirely banned, you can't use them to fry your enemies, according to Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. This clause prohibits the use of incendiary weapons on people. You can, however, use them to clear foliage.
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Is it legal to use flamethrowers in war?

In the United States, private ownership of a flamethrower is not restricted by federal law, because a flamethrower is a tool, not a firearm. Flamethrowers are legal in 48 states and restricted in California and Maryland.
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What weapons are considered war crimes?

The Lieber Code was the foundation text for the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.
...
These 9 weapons are banned from modern warfare
  • Poisonous Gases. ...
  • Non-Detectable Fragments. ...
  • Land Mines. ...
  • Incendiary Weapons. ...
  • Blinding Laser Weapons. ...
  • “Expanding” Ordnance. ...
  • Poisoned Bullets.
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Are Molotovs legal in war?

Clearly then, use of a Molotov cocktail to attack a civilian not taking direct part in hostilities or a civilian object would be unlawful. Similarly, use of a Molotov cocktail in circumstances where its effects cannot be directed at a military objective or cannot be limited would be unlawful.
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Are fire weapons allowed in war?

Customary international humanitarian law

the anti-personnel use of incendiary weapons (i.e. against combatants) is prohibited, unless it is not feasible to use a less harmful weapon to render a person hors de combat.
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M2 flamethrower banned from warfare forever



What are the 5 laws of war?

Principles of the laws of war

Military necessity, along with distinction, proportionality, humanity (sometimes called unnecessary suffering), and honor (sometimes called chivalry) are the five most commonly cited principles of international humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict.
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What counts as a war crime?

Examples of war crimes include intentionally targeting civilian populations, torture, taking hostages, rape and other sexual violence, enlisting or conscripting children, and intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, education, art and other cultural aspects of society.
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Is it illegal to use shotguns in war?

Shotguns. Yeah, it may sound crazy, but Germany tried to argue in World War I that shotguns were an illegal weapon. Don't worry; you're not a war criminal.
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What is banned in war?

Specific types of weapons are banned entirely, such as anti-personnel landmines, and biological and chemical weapons. Other weapons are subject to limits – such as the restrictions on the use of booby-traps. Weapons are constantly being developed and the law evolves accordingly.
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Is Napalm a war crime?

Napalm is legal to use on the battlefield under international law. Its use against "concentrations of civilians" is a war crime.
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Are hollow points illegal in war?

While hollow points are commonly used by police and civilians, they are banned in international warfare under the 1899 Hague Convention's early laws of war that the United States has followed even though the U.S. government never ratified the agreement.
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Is mustard gas a war crime?

In 1925, the Geneva Protocol prohibited the “Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare.” The agreement was signed most prominently by those who had used gas in the Great War — Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Russia (the U.S. signed the protocol, but the Senate ...
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Can civilians use weapons in war?

Distinction – Civilians must not be the object of attack. You must therefore never use any weapon or weapons system which does not enable you to distinguish between combatants and civilians and between military objectives and civilian objects.
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Is incendiary ammo a war crime?

Incendiaries, to include napalm, flame-throwers, tracer rounds, and white phosphorous, are not illegal per se or illegal by treaty. The only US policy guidance is found in paragraph 36 of FM 27-10 which warns that they should "not be used in such a way as to cause unnecessary suffering."
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Is a flamethrower a firearm?

Ironically, flamethrowers don't qualify as “firearms.” The National Firearms Act defines a firearm as a weapon that expels a projectile by the action of an explosive, which a flamethrower does not.
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Where can I use a flamethrower?

Here are five good uses for a flamethrower:
  • War. World War I marked the debut of the modern flamethrower when soldiers used them in trench warfare. ...
  • Firefighting. It might seem strange, fighting wildfires with fire, but that's exactly how they do it. ...
  • Land management. ...
  • Fun. ...
  • Zombie apocalypse.
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Are Lasers illegal in war?

Law of War. No specific rule prohibits laser weapons. In fact, antipersonnel weapons are designed specifically to kill or disable enemy combatants and are not unlawful because they cause death, disability, pain or suffering.
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Is nerve gas a war crime?

Geneva Gas Protocol, in full Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, in international law, treaty signed in 1925 by most of the world's countries banning the use of chemical and biological weapons in warfare.
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Can civilians be killed in war?

The U.S. post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Pakistan have taken a tremendous human toll on those countries. As of September 2021, an estimated 387,072 civilians in these countries have died violent deaths as a result of the wars.
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Are trench guns illegal in war?

In September 1918, the German government issued a diplomatic protest, complaining that the Model 97 Trench Gun was illegal because “it is especially forbidden to employ arms, projections, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering” as defined in the 1907 Hague Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of ...
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Is thermite allowed in war?

Military uses

For example, thermite can be used for the emergency destruction of cryptographic equipment when there is a danger that it might be captured by enemy troops.
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What weapons are illegal in the USA?

Illegal Weapons to Possess
  • Firearms illegal to all civilians.
  • Machine guns.
  • Sawed-off shot guns.
  • Explosives and bombs.
  • Stilettos.
  • Switchblades.
  • Other illegal knives.
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What is not a war crime?

Attacking enemy troops while they are being deployed by way of a parachute is not a war crime.
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Was Pearl Harbor a war crime?

Japan and the United States were not then at war, although their conflicting interests were threatening to turn violent. The attack turned a dispute into a war; --Pearl Harbor was a crime because the Japanese struck first. Sixty years later, the administration of President George W.
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What are the worst war crimes?

Genocide is considered one of the most severe crimes against humanity. It means the deliberate attempt to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group.
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