Mankato bail bondsman admits having 3 machine guns

[onehandle]

Ronald W. Strand pleaded guilty in federal court in St. Paul to possessing a .223-caliber machine gun on May 14, 2009. Strand also admitted having two other machine guns on that same day -- another .223-caliber machine gun and a 9-millimeter sub-machine gun.

Strand was arrested on May 13, 2009, in an unrelated state matter, and police discovered the weapons while the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at his home connected to the state case.

Strand faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Sentencing has yet to be scheduled.

snip...

During the search of his home, authorities say they found other weapons, a gasoline launcher and bomb-making materials.

http://www.startribune.com/local/90344789.html

Guns and bombs. Two great tastes that go together.

[cowman]

1. Meanwhile back

on the ranch where Molly was up to her old tricks again

[Travis Coates]

2. What constitutes bomb making materials?

Reloading supplies?

[Mother Smuckers]

3. Only if he also possessed some plumbing pipe.

But the scary part is the "gasoline launcher".


(no, I have absolutely no idea...)
wtf?

[X_Digger]

5. Flamethrowers aren't even NFA items..

They're agricultural.

Hey, maybe he had a couple of mason jars, or a sprayer filled with round-up.. 'Constructive Intent' is a bitch.

[SteveM]

11. "Gasoline launcher?" Well, I had the flu last week...

and there was a time during my fevered labors when I thought I was launching myself.

[MineralMan]

4. Probably not. I remember this arrest. Not a very nice person.

Please don't make assumptions.

[onehandle]

8. Dunno. Jim Robinson's dirty underwear?

Ask a freeper or a teabagger.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

6. The fear of machine guns is overblown, IMO.

They're neat and quite a novelty, but a semiauto is still probably best for actually getting anything accomplished.
For the amount of attention MGs get ("OH NOES... MACHINE GUNZ!!1) you'd think they were vastly superior.
I'd pick a regular AR15 over an UZI, TEC9, MAC, or Ruger AC any day.

The "ban" on them is pretty stupid. Also, if you're rich enough you can legally buy and own them too.
So the ban doesn't affect the rich and or the criminals. Big surprise.

[friendly_iconoclast]

7. This proves that the plural form of 'anecdote' is 'data' n/t

[aikoaiko]

9. The Hughes Amendment to FOPA is unjust.

Nevertheless, the unjust law is clear and ones breaks it at one's own risk.

[proteus_lives]

10. Ban bondsmen.

[benEzra]

12. And given that even the NRA supports the existing restrictions on machineguns and bombs

what, exactly, does this arrest have to do with the gun-control debate?

The gun-control debate, pro or anti, is about either preserving or circumscribing the existing right of mentally competent adults with clean records to own and lawfully use non-automatic, non-sound-suppressed NFA Title 1 civilian firearms under .51 caliber, plus shotguns. You know that as well as I do.

Nobody is seriously trying to repeal the National Firearms Act, and it was upheld by D.C. v Heller. So your point is...what?

[derby378]

13. 10 years' MAXIMUM?

Each unregistered machine gun draws a maximum penalty of 10 years by itself. I'm assuming that a deal has already been reached that, if Strand is convicted, he'll serve the sentences concurrently.