M-100's are a class of powerful firecrackers commonly called salutes.
Description
M-100's generally consist of a cardboard tube 2-1/8" x 3/4". Colors may vary. They contain 10 to 15 grams of flash powder that is ignited via a visco fuse positioned in the center or side of the tube.[1]
In the United States, M-100s are illegal to manufacture, possess, and sell without a proper license, and are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).[1] M-100s were first banned by the Child Protection Act of 1966.[2]
Accidents
In 1983, an explosion at a secret unlicensed fireworks factory manufacturing M-80 and M-100 fireworks near Benton, Tennessee, killed eleven, injured one, and inflicted damage within a radius of several miles.[3] The operation was by far the largest-known illegal fireworks operation in US history, and the initial blast was heard as far away as 20 miles (32 km) from the site.[3]