A cache of Los Angeles Police Department submachine guns and handguns was stolen last week from a secured building used by the department's SWAT unit, raising fears that the weapons, which police had altered to fire only blanks, could be converted back to lethal use, police officials confirmed.
The weapons, which include 21 MP-5 submachine guns and 12 large caliber handguns, were moved Wednesday night to a multistory building at 14th and San Pedro streets downtown and stored in a locked box on the building's first floor, said LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing. Members of the SWAT unit, which specializes in hostage rescues and other high-risk situations, were scheduled to train at the facility... Gun experts and online tutorials suggest, however, that the process is relatively simple and requires only a few parts. The company that manufactures the conversion kits used by the LAPD has an instructional video on its website that walks a viewer through the steps of returning an MP-5 to its original form in about five minutes. The parts required to change the MP-5 back to live firing were for sale on a gun supply website. It was unclear, however, what documentation or background checks would be required to purchase them. The idea that nearly three dozen high-powered submachine guns and .45-caliber handguns could make their way onto the black market or be put to use by criminals worried LAPD officials enough that they notified law enforcement agencies in the region...
----
Full article at LA Times...
----
LAPD can't catch a break. Trying to crush crime in a town that does not support them, under fire from Cop haters on both sides of the law, this latest gaffe does not help matters, to say the least. The MP-5's are more valuable as collectors items rather than being converted to crime guns (this batch of guns forever tainted by serial numbers, will always be listed as stolen goods), something the thieves likely do not know...(S9)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.