Assault rifles from Iraq used in Washington robberies

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A Washington-area gang behind a string of bank robberies reportedly used AK-47 assault rifles that a former US soldier had smuggled from Iraq, investigators said.

The Washington Post said that an FBI spokesman at the Baltimore field office confirmed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was on the case.

"We were asked to look into it even though there is no formal investigation," he told AFP.

The string of hold-ups in 2004 was notable for the overwhelming firepower used by the gangsters, eight of whom were later questioned, including two who became government witnesses, the Post reported Sunday.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060717/ts_alt_afp/usiraqcrimeweapons

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. Iraq's WMD's found in Washington... finally. n/t

[chill_wind]

5. Which is where they''ve always been. On the Hill and in the WH

and in the Pentagon. Stealing America blind.

[Rose Siding]

2. "No formal investigation"?

Well, that makes sense :eyes:

[iamahaingttta]

4. "No formal investigation" means...

...they know who did the smuggling and someone high up the food chain would be embarassed if it came out.

[54anickel]

7. Sounds like they know who the seller is - just not going after him/her

snip>

According to the Post, the rifles were "part of a small cache" purchased for 5,000 dollars from a gang member's friend who had served in Iraq with a military police battalion based at Fort Meade, Maryland, near Washington. The alleged seller has not been arrested.

Edit to add:

I wondered if this hasn't happened more often and sure nuff....

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0716robbery-iraqguns0716.html

snip>

Law enforcement officials expressed concern that more high-powered battle weapons could end up being used in crimes against U.S. citizens and police. They cited the number, availability and low cost of weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan - and the profits to be made here at home.

In March 2004, two soldiers from Fort Campbell, Ky., smuggled 18 machine guns from Iraq and tried to sell them on the street for $1,000 each. They hid the weapons by sawing off the bottoms of oxygen tanks and putting the guns inside, prosecutors said. They then welded back the bottoms and put the tanks in a shipping case that was headed to the U.S. They were caught when the "buyer" turned out to be an undercover federal agent. The soldiers later pleaded guilty to federal charges and were sentenced to prison terms.

[slackmaster]

3. WTF is this? Automatic rifles smuggled IN to the USA?

I thought bank robbers just went to gun shows to buy things like that from "unlicensed dealers".

:sarcasm:

...When her patrol car took 47 shots from the gang's machine guns, "I felt my car shake," she told the Post.

47 shots from an AK-47? Reminds me of a tombstone I saw in Tombstone.

Here lies Lester More
4 shots from a .44
No Les, no more

[DELUSIONAL]

6. Washington DC -- damned it -- DC DC DC

[acmejack]

8. What is this the fourth or fifth time this has been LBN?

It should win the LBN longevity award! Judging by the number of incredulous responses it is still LBN to a sizable number of people...

[stepnw1f]

9. Great!...the chickens have come home to roost... indeed

:sarcasm:

[TheCowsCameHome]

10. But, but, but they were just souvenirs from my trip...........

What a load of crap.

[951-Riverside]

11. ....Geee I wonder what else they smuggle into the country.

[sendero]

12. Smuggled?

Who cares? Anyone can buy an AK-47 any time. They are legal, available and plentiful.

http://www.gunsamerica.com

[951-Riverside]

13. I thought fully auto AK-47's are banned

...anyway the fact they are able to smuggle arms into this country should atleast worry you.

[sendero]

14. Fully auto..

... yes, those are not legal. However, it is my understanding that converting a semi-auto AK to full auto is not at all difficult to do.

This country is awash in guns. The handful that a soldier can smuggle in is not even on my radar screen :)

[slackmaster]

15. Not illegal but highly regulated

The number of transferrable (i.e. a civilian with lots of money can buy one legally) automatic weapons is fixed at something less than 200,000. The National Firearms Act registry was closed to new ones in 1986.

... it is my understanding that converting a semi-auto AK to full auto is not at all difficult to do.

Nor is it all that easy depending on your expertise in metalworking and access to tools. IMO your average Joe Sixpack would be more likely to do irreversible damage than to achieve a reliable, controllable, safe selective-fire weapon.

This country is awash in guns. The handful that a soldier can smuggle in is not even on my radar screen...

I agree. Here in California several years ago the feds busted an entire cargo container full of automatic rifles being imported illegally from China. Real gun-running is done wholesale.

[sendero]

16. Thanks for the..

..... corrections and clarifications.

Yes, owning a fully-auto weapon is as easy as paying $500 for a Federal license, and I don't think the requirements are very high - i.e. no felons, etc.

When I said "easily converted" I meant by a gunsmith. The country is awash in gunsmiths also :) I agree, a tyro with a Dremel is not going to get the job done.

[slackmaster]

18. The federal transfer tax is $200

But the market price of most transferrable automatics is beyond the discretionary spending limit of most family budgets.

Other than that, anyone who meets the legal qualifications to buy a handgun can pass the federal background check for buying a machinegun.

When I said "easily converted" I meant by a gunsmith.

True enough, if you can find one willing to risk committing a crime that could send him to prison for five years, ruin him financially, and permanently put him out of business.

[benEzra]

19. The $200 fee isn't the problem...it's the $15,000 for the rifle...

I own a civilian AK lookalike (Romanian SAR-1), which I paid $379 for in 2003 (it's a 2002 model). Works like any other U.S. civilian rifle, though; it's not a real AK-47.

I saw a Title 2/Class III AK-47 a while back on Guns America for $15K, and that one wasn't even a Russian; it was Chinese.

I don't think the requirements are very high - i.e. no felons, etc.

That would be correct for a civilian (NFA Title 1) non-automatic firearm, NOT for an actual AK-47. The background check and whatnot to get a BATFE Form 4 is more extensive than your regular NCIS check, if I am not mistaken.

[sendero]

21. Good thing..

... I have no interest in an automatic rifle :)

[krispos42]

22. They can't be easy to convert

Pretty sure the BATFE would throw a hissy fit if they were easy to convert. If Average Joe tried it, most likely would break the mechanism. That is a bad thing when dealing with exploding gunpower. Who wants the firing pin to trip when the bolt is still sliding forward?!?! How about a gun that won't stop shooting when you release the trigger? Not to mention compromising the reliability of the gun itself.

You can find instructions on the internet on how to convert several popular semi-automatic rifles into full-auto, if you want to take the chance on their trial-and-error results. I believe the Rugar 10/22 is a popular topic. I would not recommend it. Plus, if you are an otherwise-honest citizen who uses such a weapon to repel an attack on his home, that otherwise-honest person would swiftly be in jail alongside any survivors of the attack, and most likey get a longer prison sentence to boot.

Of course an reasonably-skilled metalworker can make a fully-automatic weapon. Submachine guns like the M3 Grease Gun, Sten, and Uzi were designed to be a very cheap and easy path to close-range firepower in the '40s. The open bolt design used in these guns is very simple and reliable and does not require much in the way of machining. A lot of stamped, punched, and welded parts, but not much machining.

[cantstandbush]

17. Just remember: Warriors do return home...as they did from Viet Nam

and they bring with them a new set of hostilities, weapons, and health problems. And the old men sit behind desks calling their brokers and arranging for golf.

[tabasco]

20. Rummies new and improved military !

We are seeing the results of allowing criminals in the armed forces.