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Another huge gun collection seized in California

William Parcher

Show me the monkey!
William Parcher
Joined
Jul 26, 2005
Messages
27,657
We had another one of these incidents last year.

More Than 1,000 Guns Found in Bel-Air, California Home During Investigation Into Selling, Manufacturing of Weapons

KTLA 5 News said:
One person was detained at the home in the 100 block of N. Beverly Glen and is cooperating with authorities, police said. Police only described that person as a "he."

Los Angeles Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives officials were conducting a joint investigation when a search warrant was served about 4 a.m.

Aerial video from Sky5 showed federal agents and police examining thousands of guns laid out in a courtyard area of the home. The property is in an upscale area of multimillion-dollar homes...

Public property records for the address being searched indicate it's a five-bedroom, 8,200-square-foot home that last sold in 2001. Its value is estimated at more than $7 million, according to real estate website Redfin dot com. It is unclear who owns the home, or if the homeowner is the person in custody...
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https://ktla.com/2019/05/08/hundred...arch-warrant-served-in-bel-air-area-home-lapd
 

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I do not know enough about guns. Can anyone who does look at the photographs and recognize any pieces that appear to be obviously modified or nonstandard?
 
I see a lot of Mini-14s, but those are legal non-assault rifles.

But if he was making 80%ers for others, without a gun-makers license, he's toast.
 
Checkmite said:
Explain please?
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I think this is it:

WHAT IS A 80% LOWER RECEIVER?

The US Gun Control Act of 1968 allows for the assembly of parts leading to the construction of an unregistered weapon. ATF guidelines state that as long as gun parts are not more than 80 percent completed into a working firearm, then they are not legally considered a gun. That allows for retailers to sell nearly complete parts, with easy-to-follow instructions to finish the remaining 20 percent needed to bring the gun parts into a firing condition
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https://wjla.com/features/7-on-your-side/ghost-guns
 
Thanks....that's very interesting. What a strangely worded guideline. My first (inexpert) impression is that it sounds like it was specifically written to enable this particular subversion of itself.
 
I'm amazed at the location. Not something I would associate with Beverly Glen Boulevard. This is a neighborhood of extreme wealth. If you told me that somebody there has a huge gun collection I would expect English shotguns or antique Colts.

Instead it's a huge pile of everyday shooter stuff. Like quantity over quality, though everything appears to be new condition.
 
Maybe I'm seeing things wrong. Maybe there are valuable collector handguns mixed in there.
 
William Parcher said:
Very large high definition photo. This is an eclectic grouping including some older collectibles.

https://cbsla.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/gunslapd12.jpg
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It is an odd mix for an illegal cache. It looks like someone had cleaned out half a dozen gun shops in the late '80s. A few light sporting rifles, some hunting rifles, common semi-auto pistols, a lot of modern medium caliber revolvers, western style single action revolvers, and surprisingly several top break Webley and Enfield revolvers.
 
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William Parcher said:
Long guns include Thompsons or their reproductions. Do I see an Uzi with a silencer?

https://media.foxla.com/media.foxla...sive_collection_0_7239011_ver1.0_1280_720.jpg

https://media.nbcbayarea.com/images/1200*1600/weapons-seized-holmby-hills-may2019-3.PNG.jpg
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The Thompsons I can see have the longer barrel of the legal semi-auto carbine, so, unless modified, are legal (in most states) pistol caliber carbines. The Uzi appears to have a suppressor, but could also be a cosmetic barrel shroud over the carbine length barrel. You'd have to get hands-on to determine it's legal status.

ETA: I notice that both the Thompsons still have their makers hang tags on them. Weird.
 
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Pope130 said:
The Thompsons I can see have the longer barrel of the legal semi-auto carbine, so, unless modified, are legal (in most states) pistol caliber carbines. The Uzi appears to have a suppressor, but could also be a cosmetic barrel shroud over the carbine length barrel. You'd have to get hands-on to determine it's legal status.
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I thought the Thompsons looked too long/clean to be originals.

Crazy theory: Retired theatrical armourer?
 
There's nothing obvious in the picture jumping out at me as being illegal. Other than the sheer number of guns, nothing seems extraordinary. Guy really seems to like revolvers and mini-14's. Some of the guns pictured (like the single shot pistol and several single action revolvers) are poorly suited for crime and almost certainly personal recreational guns or collectibles. This might just be a case of a guy with a huge legal gun collection that was also engaged in illegal activities.


The article mentions he was charged for "suspicion of distributing, transporting, importing, selling, or lending an assault weapon", which is a CA state law. The involvement of ATF means it is likely that he is accused of breaking federal gun laws as well, not just CA specific gun laws, and there is no assault weapons law on the federal level anymore. I'm guessing that federal charges are yet to be leveled, but will be coming.

Casebro's guess of making and selling 80% lowers is very plausible and I feel the most likely. Making an 80% is not against the law for personal use (at the federal level), but selling it requires a manufacturers license. California does have strict assault weapons laws, so someone doing this improperly could easily find themselves in hot water with both state and federal law enforcement. I'm not well versed in the CA AWB, but building up an 80% AR and selling it would almost certainly be a violation of both CA and federal law, which could explain the coordinated raid.

I wonder what would happen to the guns if he is convicted. It is easily a collection worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Would the feds be able to seize all guns, even those that haven't been involved in illegal activity? He may be ineligible for possessing firearms if he is convicted, but I imagine he would still have a strong interest in maintaining some ownership, even if it is just long enough to arrange to sell off this substantial amount of valuable property.
 
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I don't see how an underground business of that minimal sort could support living at this location. Possibly most of those guns aren't even of the type for illegal modification and sale.

This seems like a super wealthy weirdo who does occasional illegal gun work as a little hobby. The guns have got to be a hobby and not a true supporting business. Maybe we will learn more.

I can't get my mind past the location. His neighbors are all of the Kardashians. Broken down junk vehicles in the driveway. Billionaires all around him. WTF?!
 
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