As I mentioned elsewhere, back in the distant days of my youth, you could buy such items as sulfur, potassium nitrate, powdered charcoal, powdered zinc, ammonium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, etc, off the shelf. Even as a minor.

And my best friend had custody of the family .38 Smith and Wesson at grade-school age. With his father absent, he was the man of the house.