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A Market Common man in the Myrtle Beach area called police over the weekend after he came into possession of an unexploded military ordnance from a Realtor friend, a Myrtle Beach Police report said.
It turns out the bomb was a 4.2 inch mortar round that the man was using as a door stop, Horry County Spokesperson Mikayla Moskov confirmed.
While South Carolina law does not state if it’s illegal to own a military bomb or ordnance to use as a doorstop, it’s specifically illegal to have a weapon of mass destruction for terrorism purposes .
However, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives does have laws against owning such items. The department website states people must have a federal explosives license or permit in order to possess an unexploded military ordnance.
If police had not collected the bomb, it’s unclear how much damage it could have caused.
“The item, as with any military munition, had the potential to contain explosive hazards, which if not handled safely, could cause grave injury to personnel or damage to nearby property,” said Capt. Madeline Krpan, the 20th Fighter Wing chief of public affairs at Shaw Air Force Base.
Military personnel from the base helped Horry County police dispose of the shell Sunday morning near International Drive and S.C. 90. People on social media said that they felt and heard the boom from miles away.
How do you know if it’s an explosive device?
Signs that the military item you own is potentially an explosive device typically comes from the outer shell, according to the ATF Bureau. This includes the shell being made out of a coin-like metal, a cardboard shell, if the shell color is red, brown or silver and if the item is up to 6 inches long with a 1-inch diameter.
When purchasing old military equipment, don’t buy it from a non-commercial location, like a garage sale, the ATF Bureau recommends. Also, make sure the person can prove what it is and where they purchased it.
Unless someone has an explosives license, they are not legally allowed to manufacture, store, transport or distribute explosive materials.
If someone suspects they may have an old military bomb, they should call the local police for help.
What kind of military ordnance was in Market Common?
Ammunition for a 4.2-inch mortar round was found in Market Common.
A 4.2 inch mortar acted as a small cannon and was used during various wars in the 20th century, including World War II, according to the 1975 book “Mortars and Rockets” by Peter Chamberlain.
Ammunition for 4.2 inch mortar rounds was first created for chemical warfare with the bullets being used for “saturating enemy positions with gas.” Later on, an explosive was created and became much more popular.
It’s unclear whether explosive or chemical ammunition was bought by the Market Common man.
The 4.2 inch mortar round ammunition could weigh anywhere from 20 to 35 pounds, Chamberlain said in his book.
Myrtle Beach Police said the man got the ammunition to use as a door stop from a Realtor friend who was cleaning out a house. The person was trying to get rid of everything, which apparently included an unexploded ordnance.
Military ordnances aren’t a new find in Horry County
Having to dispose of a military munition isn’t a new task for Horry County Police, according to reporting by The Sun News. The Carolina Forest area used to be a practice bombing range in the 1940s.
Military members would drop bombs or practice shooting on the area of land. Not all of the bombs dropped went off and have sat there for the past 70 years.
Now that the area is being heavily developed, many of these unexploded munitions are being found and destroyed, The Sun News wrote in December.
A 2018 a headline warns: “More explosions likely in Carolina Forest” after over a dozen pieces of ordnance were found as land was being cleared for The Park at Carolina Forest subdivision. Another story from the following week describes how an old mortar shell was discovered as a patio was being built for a home off Waterway Drive in North Myrtle Beach.
Those stories represent only a small sample of the thousands of munitions and remnants of WWII era munitions found in the former bombing range.
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