Cops losing guns is hardly a new problem

[Dave Workman]

New report on old problem: Cops losing guns



A report in Tuesday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the number of guns lost by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives gained traction when Fox News picked it up yesterday, and it is reminiscent of an embarrassing incident involving former Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske…

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[tac]

Not just a problem in the USA, either. A few years back I arrived on our outdoor range, having passed the local SWAT team minibus on the road heading home from a morning shooting session - they share our range and pay some of the rent.

I got there, started the ball rolling by putting up flags after opening up the office and signing in the register of RCO attendance, and walked around to the 25m range - location of the electric turning targets - with a view to checking them out after the police had been using them.

There, in the corner bench was a large cardboard box, outer packaging for a load of commercial Pampers. Walking over to it and peering inside, I saw nine Glock 17 pistols, around 27 magazines, and at least ten unopened boxes of 9mm Para ammunition.

Laffing gently to myself, I speed-dole the desk at the county police HQ, and left a message for the police armourer sergeant, to the effect that if he wanted to avoid becoming a beat-pounder in deepest Gleepville-on-Sea, he would be well-advised to return to the range and collect a few things that he might just have left there.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the minibus came through the gates like something from a Mack Sennett movie, the gentleman leapt out and ran past me to collect his 'few items' - he never looked at me once, and it was never mentioned again [except by me, to everybody I could find to tell].

A week later, as they left the range, in full view of a bunch of us arriving early, they drove off with five HK MP5s on the trunk lid of their car..............having just left another six boxes of 9mm Para ammunition and half a dozen magazines on the firing line.

You couldn't make it up.

tac

 

[GrpCapMandrake]

Professionalism in action.

 

[Both Eyes Open]

sounds like you have a steady supply of 9mm ammo.

 

[tac]

sounds like you have a steady supply of 9mm ammo.

Sadly with only one of the 300+ club members who has anything like a 9mm Para firearm to shoot it in, not likely. See Youtube tac's guns semi-auto manual to see what I mean.

You must be one of the few Americans I've ever encountered who doesn't know about, and have a good laff about, the general ban on cartridge-firing handguns here on mainland UK...all we are allowed, in general, is the so-called long-barrelled revolver or pistol [centre-fire single-shot and rimfire as many as you like] abortions that the gubmint here permits its trusted citizens. Of course, the NON-trusted citizesn, ie. criminals, can have anything they can lay their hands on...

Of course, we can have any kind of front-stuffer, because, as is well-known, they can't be used to hurt anybody, being old technology, right?



tac

 

[trainsktg]

Would a black powder cap and ball revolver be considered a 'front stuffer' over there?

Keith

 

[tac]

Yessir - I have two of 'em - a Ruger Old Army .44 and a Second Series Colt Walker# 1816...almost half our club members- that's around 100 or so, have at least one such device. I won't post pics, since you all know what they look like.

The UK is also home to the Muzzleloading Association of GB - Muzzle Loaders Association of Great Britain - with around 5000 or more members and their own dedicated BP only range at Wedgenock. The UK has produced many fine BP shooters over the last 150 years - shooting at 1200 yards with our Whitworths and so on is great fun.

All I have left of my long are muzzle loaders is my .58cal Musketoon - one club member has around forty or so BP rifles and carbines as well as collecting pre-WW1 Winchesters in odd calibres.

I'll be getting a high-wall in one of the more accessible calibres this summer - 38-55 or 45-70 - not a muzzle-loader, but great fun.

tac

 

[RVTECH]

they drove off with five HK MP5s on the trunk lid of their car

SO what happened next? Did the MP5's go sailing off onto the dirt or did they notice them before this happened?

 

[tac]

Well, as they turned out of the gate those that hadn't already fallen off slid off onto the road.

Of course, the laws hereabouts in yUK being what they are, us folks aren't actually allowed to even touch them. Same as I didn't touch the ones that I found.

So we stood there and watched them pick them up.

'Why didn't you %$&£$%*&% say something?' - one of them asked. 'Not our place to advise the law on gun-handling', was the reply. Them being public servants, they shouldn't have spoken to the boys ike that, now should they?

We took pity on them about the ammunition, though, seeing as it hadn't actually been opened yet, it was 'safe' for us to touch it without committing an offence...

tac

 

[RVTECH]

There, in the corner bench was a large cardboard box, outer packaging for a load of commercial Pampers. Walking over to it and peering inside, I saw nine Glock 17 pistols, around 27 magazines, and at least ten unopened boxes of 9mm Para ammunition.

This ones the 'kicker' - couldn't you have simply picked this up and put it in your trunk and drove off?

 

[NoOne]

I was at a rifle range in Sherwood, Oregon while there was a police department training on a different range on the same gun club's property. The guy came to clean out the chemical toilet that was next to the range I was using. He came up to me and asked me what he should do with the pistol. I asked him what he was talking about, and he said he would show me. I accompanied him to the chemical toilet, and next to the seat was a Glock 17 pistol, fully loaded.

I suspected it belonged to one of the officers using the other nearby range, so I cleared the pistol, and walked it over to the officer who was doing paperwork while the other range officer was running the firing line. All I said was "Here, I presume this belongs to one of your people...the Shultzy fellow found it in the chemical toilet and told me about it. I presume you would like to have it back so you can have a talk with it's owner." He was very gracious, and obviously both pissed at whoever left it, and grateful to have it back with out much fanfare.

If you are around guns long enough, odds are going to increase that you will forget or loose something, have a negligent discharge, or otherwise have something untoward happen. I like the idea of helping those people out, so if it ever happens to me, I will receive the same courtesy.