Elpie:mattwnz: The fact that anyone can buy them, and you don't need any certification or handling course to handle the explosive just shows why so many people are hurt and fires are started every year.
Ironically, people have to jump through hoops and have a license if they want to buy gunpowder. Yet, any bozo can buy gunpowder wrapped up with bangy things [...].
Only the stupid ones would be deterred by those hoops if they wanted gunpowder for fireworks or other uses. If you have a bit of patience, and can follow simple instructions, it's ridiculously easy to make from commonly available ingredients. The hardest bit to get is saltpetre, but you can make that the Elizabethan way from the scrapings of a farmyard if you really want to. The reality is that anyone with basic highschool chemistry is able to make substantial quantities of black powder if they really want it.
(Yes, I still remember how to do it, I was a teenager once)
EDIT: Typo