Though it was supported by cops and firefighters, Santiago immediately faced opposition from gun rights advocates. The Firearms Policy Coalition criticized lawmakers for trying to regulate the devices and wrote that AB 1949 criminalized nonviolent behavior.

“This bill,” the group wrote, “should be torched.”

Via KQED:

California lawmakers added fuel to Elon Musk’s entrepreneurial fire last week when they cleared the way for sales of the investor’s newest -- and probably hottest -- product: personal flamethrowers.

In the coming weeks, some 20,000 people could be walking around with the devices, which resemble toy guns but are capable of emitting flames at least 2 feet long. In California, there will be little to regulate them because lawmakers quietly quashed a bill to rein in recreational fire-spitting.