[@December], Artificial bending would likely be a pipe dream. While the lightning gloves and the mechasuit's electrified bolas may hint towards an increased use of electric weaponry, a flamethrower would be nowhere near as versatile as true firebending, and practically useless against any firebender. Electrical weapons, after all, are difficult to handle. We've seen them fail to subdue people once, maybe twice, and Mako had Plot Armour. Any technology that would have to rely on "giant tanks" to replicate bending would be more of a liability than an asset. So I'd put my money on electricity or chi-blocking being the nonbender's weapon of choice against benders.

We already have tasers, so I'd say that either an equivalent or Asami's joybuzzer would be freely available to civilians as self-defense weapons. Ranged lightning, seen in LoK season 4, is a definite possibility, but on military mechasuits, which is incidentally the only place where I'd say a flamethrower would be at all practical in that world; after all, the tank would be protected and the pilot hopefully less likely to be killed by shrapnel. Explosives, sure, but industrial and military. [sub]Were there fireworks in LoK?[/sub]

In conclusion, I'd call it a possibility, but impractical. Unless it's electrical gloves or "bolt slingers". 

Though, I'm not the GM. [@candlelitcraft], what do you think?