I am, structuring a new routine; Where, the classic 'exploding pen' prank is a prequel to a mentalist, book test.

Obviously, this is a harmless prank.

As, street magic... As, a 'psychic clown' is it illegal to scare strangers, within this scenario?

More, importantly; Will, I harm people with health problems? Nerves, heart, etc... ?

Thank you, for your time.

If someone has health problems, anything could potentially exasserbate it. In and of itsef, it's not illegal, but if someone becomes injured, or has an episode, as a result of the exploding pen then you could find yourself in a lot of trouble.

If you HAVE to do it, I recommend that...

You should be holding it when it explodes, less risk to anyone else.

For a street performance anything involving a loud bang could bring unwanted attention from the authorities. Not saying it will, particularly since it's no louder than a cap gun if it's what I'm thinking of, just something to think about.

I do not think, this can injure anyone. But, to be safe, I have decided, to use it on myself. All, I should loose is audience interaction.

I will, also tone down the sudden surprise by presenting another, harmless gag, before - With, the same concept, of classic misdirection.

So, theoretically, my presentation should be, no more surprising or threatening, than a classic 'Looney Toons' cartoon.

Thank, you.

It is, star caps, for toy guns; And, the area is loud to begin with. Hopefully, laughter, drowns any idea something, evil is going on...

Sounds good! Hope you make lots of money.

I sold about a billion of them in my store. It's a great joke, but it's a VERY disturbing joke and honestly may not be the best way to build report, etc. I would expect that affect of the loud bang to last longer than you think it might, thus making it difficult to get folks back on your side.

It's one thing if it's tossed in as part of a comedy routine for instance...buy, mentalism.... I wouldn't. Best,

Hasn't mentalism been trivialized enough already?

Art, can be immature and sophisticated...

Picasso, any one?

No, I am not, saying; I, have his talent.

The, performance aspects, can be judged, when you see the show. I, was just interested in the ethical and legal aspects...

I, would never, intentionally; Trivialize, an art form.

A psychic clown doing booktests? Come on! What is this, Candid Camera? Really!

We used to sell a ton of these at the magic shop where I worked. People would say "Man you're a jerk!" Then they'd say "Um..so how much is that thing?"

When I was behind the counter of a magic shop I attatched the exploding pen to a clipboard that said "FREE FREE - Sign here if you love Practical Jokes - FREE FREE".

Is it illegal to scare people? No way!

Is it illegal to scream fire in a movie theater? Nope!........ But if that theater is full of people, you can be charged with anything from disturbing the peace to manslaughter and also be sued in civil court.

You need to think less about whether it is illegal, and think about if it is appropriate. I used to sell the exploding pens at my shop and it was a big seller. One day, a kid picked it up and opened it right above the counter. The thing is, he was little and his face was right at the level of the counter. It scared him pretty good and the debris or plastic cap hit him in the face. He was fine, but we made it a policy after that to only make the pen available to people under employee supervision. I would put it away if I couldn't watch it. It was hard, but we managed to leave the pen out and sort of control who opened it without spoiling the joke. Long story short, you need to choose carefully who you give the pen to. As long as you pay attention to the volunteer and those nearby, you will be safe. You can always be sued if you hurt someone, but that doesn't mean you cant use things like an exploding pen. You just need to be careful.

The idea of putting it on a clipboard is a good one. If you fix the cap to the clipboard, it will prevent anyone form opening it close to their face and it will also deflect any debris from going into your audience.