I wonder if the gun-grabbers will start using the "dangerous if a fire breaks out" excuse to start hauling away more guns, limiting ownership, and legislating storage insode of fire-proof, air-tight steel safes 7" thick, with 14 combination locks, as well as 3 keyed locks... for our safety, of course.
Actually, having just purchased a fire resistant safe they recommend NOT storing your ammo inside it. In case of a fire, it *does* get hot in there, and would turn the thing into a giant bomb.
If they try that, show 'em this:
SAAMI = Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturer's Institute
SLARAC = SAAMI Logistic & Regulatory Affairs Committee
One important product of the SLARAC Committee is a video, Sporting Ammunition and the Firefighter, which was produced by the Committee many years ago. The video analyzes the characteristics associated with the small arms ammunition when it is subjected to severe impact and fire. When a primer ignites, it causes the propellant to burn which creates gases which, when under pressure in a firearm, send the bullet down the barrel. Pressure created by the propellant being burned is what discharges a bullet. As such, loose ammunition in a fire does not result in bullets being discharged because the propellant is not burning under pressure.
The video, which has been widely circulated to fire departments, concludes that while ammunition produces a popping sound when it burns, there is no mass detonation of the ammunition, any projectiles are of low velocity, and there is no threat to firefighters in their standard turn-out gear.