Neighbors Upset by Discarded Rocket Launcher

Well I guess.  What would you think if you saw a shoulder mounted military rocket launcher in your neighbor's trash?  I think I would call the police, and that's exactly what happened in Kingwood, just north of Houston.

People in Kingwood got a scare Thursday morning when they found a military rocket launcher lying on top of some boxes one of their neighbors had put out for trash pickup.

Agents with the Houston division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms came out and confirmed that it was indeed a military guided missile device.  Agents also say the weapon was useless because all its working parts had been stripped out and all that remained was the hull.

The owner, who was not at home when ATF agents arrived to examine and subsequently confiscate the item, is a sergeant with the Houston Police Department.  His neighbors say he of all people should know better than to throw a rocket launcher out with the household trash.

Here's a link to some photos of what the neighbors found:

via Rocket launcher discovered amid household trash alarms neighbors - Your Houston News: News.

This old weapon was probably a bazooka used as an anti-tank gun. It has (had) tremendous destructive power at ranges out to about 500 yards, and it could also bring down a low flying airplane or helicopter.

The ATF agents say they won't take any action against the owner who tossed it, except perhaps to tell him "hey don't put stuff like that out with the trash like that anymore. It scares your neighbors."