KTLA: SWAT Weapons Stolen, Including Submachine Guns

[friendly_iconoclast]

http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-swat-machine-guns-stolen,0,4131540.story?track=rss

(Note: emphasis added)

SWAT Weapons Stolen, Including Submachine Guns

KTLA News

9:38 a.m. PDT, October 17, 2011
LOS ANGELES (KTLA ) -- A cache of weapons was stolen from a building used by the Los Angeles Police Department's SWAT unit, including submachine guns and handguns...

...Members of the SWAT team were scheduled to train at the facility on Thursday morning when they were discovered missing. Thieves cut through bolt locks on an outside door and two internal doors, and forced their way through a metal roll gate, Downing said.

The facility was not equipped with surveillance cameras and did not have a security guard, but was considered safe, according to Downing.

The guns included 21 MP-5 submachine guns and 12 large caliber handguns which had been altered to fire only blanks. However, police say it would be relatively easy to convert them back to lethal use...

10:1 says it's an inside job.

[TheWraith]

1. Agreed there.

Unless they publicize the location of their unsecured armory, chances are it was someone associated with the department.

[blm]

2. Be ALERT: They're probably trying to plant them on Occupy LA.

Sorry, but, that's how they roll.

[Hoopla Phil]

4. Who is "they"?

[slackmaster]

10. I'd wager that "they" will sell the weapons for premium prices to criminal gang members

Why give away something that has a high monetary value on the black market?

[flamingdem]

13. hmm. sounds possible nt

[Hoopla Phil]

3. I have read it somewhere that if the weapons were stolen then they were not properly

secured. Are charges pending for failure to properly story the firearms?

[safeinOhio]

5. Some idiot here will say you are blaming the

the crime victim here by stating the obvious about lack of security. However, I agree, no alarms and no cameras?

[Hoopla Phil]

8. Yes, the police need to be charged for improperly securing those firearms.

And since they have demonstrated their inability to exercise proper care with firearms they should be barred from every having them again.

[slackmaster]

12. They're exempt from any law that could potentially be applied to non-police

They're exempt from pretty much all gun laws.

[kestrel91316]

6. No surveillance camera? No security staff?? WTF????

[ileus]

7. guns and ammo in the hands of government agencies makes me sad.

guns stolen from government agencies makes me mad.

[rl6214]

9. Were they properly stored?

Stored in Gun safes and trigger locks on them? You never know who could just pick them up. Were background checks done when they were purchased or did they go though an illegal gun dealer at a gun show. Those cops must have been some of the hidden gun criminals here in the US. They are probably part of the 50% of US gun owners that shouldn't be allowed to own guns.

[slackmaster]

11. The facility was "considered" safe

Until it was considered unsafe.

Stored in Gun safes and trigger locks on them?

Neither are required for storing firearms in California, and police are exempt from our outcome-dependent safe storage law anyway. (If a regular person has a gun stolen and it ends up being used to injure or kill someone under 16, the owner of the gun may be subject to a criminal charge.)

[Remmah2]

14. Where's the nearest BATF office? nt

nt