By Heather Michon
Correspondent
The cause of the loud boom that rattled windows and jangled some nerves across a wide swath of Fluvanna and Albemarle counties at around 5 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 12) is still unconfirmed, but the most likely explanation seems to be the detonation of a Tannerite target near the county line.
Tannerite is the brand name of an explosive charge used by target shooters. When a high velocity bullet strikes the target, it explodes.
Capt. Aaron Hurd of the Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office said the department had received calls about the boom.
“Deputies were responding to check out the western area of the county but were informed that Albemarle County believed they had located the source and that it wasn’t in Fluvanna,” he said.
Logan Bogert, a spokesperson with the Albemarle County Police Department said their department had received a 911 call at 5:07 p.m. from a resident in the 3200 block of Martin Kings Road who alleged “a neighbor was shooting at Tannerite. However, we are unable to confirm the source of the reported noise at this time.”
Tannerite is technically legal to use in Virginia. The targets are made up of aluminum powder and oxidizers which are mixed by the user. Because the kit is sold as separate components which are not themselves explosive, it is not regulated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
