Blackwater armory raided in firearms inquiry

[IDemo]

Source: Associated Press

Company financed automatic weapons for sheriff, then held onto them

updated 6:08 p.m. MT, Thurs., June. 26, 2008

RALEIGH, N.C. - Federal agents raided Blackwater Worldwide this week as part of an investigation into whether the private security company sidestepped federal laws prohibiting the private purchase of automatic assault rifles, the company said Thursday.

Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell said investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched Blackwater's armory at its corporate headquarters in Moyock on Tuesday as part of the investigation. Court documents show that agents seized 22 guns as evidence from a vault reserved for county authorities.

The company signed agreements in 2005 in which Blackwater financed the purchase of 34 automatic weapons for the Camden County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Tony Perry became the official owner of the weapons, but Blackwater was allowed to keep most of the guns at its armory.

Federal laws prohibit private parties from buying fully automatic weapons, unless they were manufactured and registered before May 1986, but allows law enforcement agencies to have them.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25394941/

[pfitz59]

1. collect all the Blackwater mercenaries...

ship them to Gitmo and let their surviving victims do the interogations! No Warlords in Amerika!

[Earth_First]

2. In all fairness to Human Rights...

the naval base at Guantanamo needs to be decommissioned and the commanders in charge of it's operation need to be released of their responsibilities under a fair and partial system of the law.

To further the atrocities that have occurred at Guantanamo Bay by sending our private military contractors to be subjected to the same Human Rights violations only perpetuates the problem.

Guantanamo Bay will go on record as a fuzzy black spot in the history of Human Rights.

SHUT IT DOWN!

[Blue_Tires]

3. if only someone would look into their financial dealings as well

[Vidar]

4. It's a start I guess.

[fascisthunter]

5. Shut Blackwater Down! No Mercenaries for the Rich

fuck that shit!

[windoe]

6. Good news, wish Blackwater would get shut down entirely

any 'private security company' operating in total secrecy and without oversight is working without the consent of the American people. Yet we pay for it.

[derby378]

7. I figured that Blackwater had what's known as an SOT license - apparently not

SOT is short for "Special Occupation Taxpayer," and is the only civilian way around FOPA. However, SOT was designed only for gunsmiths and gun dealers to manufacture and sell automatic weapons for military, LE, and Federal agency customers. Even with the blessings of the sheriff and half a dozen judges, no civilian - not even an employee of Blackwater, apparently - can legally possess any automatic weapon made since May 1986 on US soil. Not unless they enlist or get badged by Justice or Homeland Security.