Just in case you don't know IED stands for improvised explosive device: Basically it is a bomb.
Christopher Arthur was arrested after a sting was coordinated by the FBI and ATF when his company of sorts which is called Tackleberry Solutions was caught selling and distributing documentation about how to create IED's out of things that can commonly be found in hardware and grocery stores.
src
These "solutions" that Arthur demonstrates also show methods of creating something called a "Fatal Funnel" on your property which is meant to be a trap set for would be attackers on your property. I actually think this really interesting information and is something that I would probably like to read. Not because I am going to make bombs or anything because the thing with making bathtub bombs is that just like making bathtub gin or bathtub meth, there are a lot of things that can go wrong and the person you are likely going to blow up is you.
src
It's just an interesting concept to me
I believe that a person should be able to defend their property by any means that they deem necessary, including bombs and "fatal funnels" if need be. Personally I think this is overkill but just because I think that, doesn't mean in my mind that other people shouldn't be allowed to do it.
For example: I have over a thousand rounds of various types of ammunition on my property and nearly a dozen firearms. There are people out there that would say that this is "overkill." Should they be allowed to decide for me what is "enough?"
The part where Christopher Arthur fucked up was that when he was approached, IE "set up" by Federal agents, they lured him into a conversation about how his tactics could be used to injure, evade, and even kill law-enforcement officers. This was done through a paid, custom PDF that was REQUESTED by an undercover law-enforcement agent. To me this seems like entrapment since the person who requested the PDF was the person who mentioned law-enforcement in the first place.
Obviously, any bomb's intention is to cause great harm to whoever it strikes, this is the very nature of all bombs but it was the officers who made the conversation about killing law-enforcement, not Christopher Arthur.
src
It's not like this guy was hiding. He had a website that was promoting training in wartime tactics that anyone could visit. It wasn't some dark-web something or other that was impossible to access without a Tor browser. He had a registered URL for Pete's sake.
To me, I think that it is not a good idea to discuss tactics about specifically targeting law enforcement and I don't know the full details of this case because they aren't going to tell us, I believe, because they know that this is a case of entrapment. It's kind of like if you knew how to get cocaine and occasionally used but were not a dealer, but then some new "friend" who turns out is an agent asks you get get him some so you do so to help him out then they raid you and you get charged with distribution. The discussion about killing law-enforcement might not have ever occurred had it not been initiated by the undercover agent.
When they raided his house the found a bunch of stuff that can be used to make bombs and of course a bunch of weapons. They mention that they found a "stockpile of gunpowder" which is not illegal and the word "stockpile" is subjective. If you consider 1000 rounds of ammunition to be a stockpile then I am guilty as well.
I believe that if you want to learn how to make IED's that you should be able to learn that information. There is a stark difference between someone that knows how to make explosives and someone that is going to actually use this information nefariously. I feel as though Christopher Arthur shouldn't even be charged but he did fuck up when he started talking about information specifically directed at killing law-enforcement but then again, he was lead into this conversation and all he was doing was providing a service that he was being paid to do.
The thing is, he didn't actually hurt anyone. This is some sort of Minority Report situation where he is guilty because of potential, not because of action and this is a dangerous road to go down if you ask me. With my weapons that I currently own I could potentially cause a lot of deaths... Should I go to jail because of this capability or should they maybe wait until I actually do something illegal first?
I hope that he does no time because the guy didn't actually do anything wrong in my book. The only thing he did that could be considered illegal are "conspiracy" charges surrounding a conversation that was initiated by law-enforcement. If our justice system has any justice in it, this should be an open and shut acquittal.