View Full Version : CA: Officials Seize AK-47s At SoCal Pawn Shop
HerrGlock
03-08-2008, 16:10
http://www.knbc.com/news/15539100/detail.html
Officials Seize AK-47s At SoCal Pawn Shop
Merchant Cites 'Gray Area' To Legality Of Weapons
POSTED: 11:06 am PST March 8, 2008
UPDATED: 11:06 am PST March 8, 2008
GLEN AVON, Calif. -- Local and federal law enforcement officers seized 10 AK-47-type assault rifles at a Glen Avon pawn shop and said the weapons were illegally imported into California, authorities said Saturday.
No arrests were made Friday at Bright Spot Pawn in Glen Avon, but authorities said they would seek charges against the owner of the weapons.
A man who identified himself this morning as the owner of Bright Spot Pawn said the weapons seizure was based on misguided legal assumptions.
Click here to find out more!
Deputies had received information that illegal AK-47s were being sold at the shop, sheriff's Sgt. Steve Brown said in a release. Deputies and officers with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms executed a search warrant Friday morning at the pawnshop, in the 9000 block of Mission Boulevard in Glen Avon.
AK-47 knockoffs are popular in the assault rifle market, in part for claims that gas-operated original models are capable of firing up to 600 rounds a minute on full automatic. But such weapons are not legal for most Americans, say gun control proponents who feel there is no reason for hobbyists to own such potentially-destructive guns.
AK-47 enthusiasts say the weapon and its knockoffs make excellent hunting rifles.
The case will be forwarded to the Riverside County District Attorney, seeking charges against the owner of the weapons for 10 counts of possession of an assault weapons, and 10 counts of importing or offering assault weapons for sale, sheriff's officials said.
The ATF is continuing an investigation of the assault weapons, authorities said.
In spite of the weapons seizure, Bright Spot Pawn owner Jeff Russo said he thinks the weapons will be returned.
"There's a very gray area in the law as to whether they are legal," Russo said of the weapons. "I think there were assumptions being made and they were being overzealous. In this country, it's supposed to be we're innocent until proven guilty."
Russo said Bright Spot Pawn has operated at the same location in Glen Avon for nearly 20 years.
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Sam Spade
03-08-2008, 16:15
Crappy article.
There's a dispute--we get it. What would that dispute be? What assumptions, what gray area, what call for federal involvement?
Someone needs to go back to high school writing classes.
Thunderhawk88
03-08-2008, 16:17
Playing in "grey areas" can be a gamble.
GLOCK_27
03-08-2008, 16:21
whats an ak 47 knock off?
ostrobothnian
03-08-2008, 16:27
AK-47 enthusiasts say the weapon and its knockoffs make excellent hunting rifles.
MMK. Yeah. Great. :upeyes::rofl:
Crappy article.
There's a dispute--we get it. What would that dispute be? What assumptions, what gray area, what call for federal involvement?
Someone needs to go back to high school writing classes.
Exactly... it's affecting all of society these days
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY, WHERE, AND HOW
Don't write it if it doesn't contain those 6 elements
HerrGlock
03-08-2008, 16:35
Tell 'em!
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Muielatoti
03-08-2008, 17:11
Well I know of one Sheriff who is in for a surprise when he finds out about this little court case called Harrott v. Kings County !!!
Looks like Riverside County will be OLL friendly very soon and will also have a brand new, much more gun-friendly Sheriff.
For those of you who don't know what OLL is: Off List Lower. In other words, rifles built on lower receivers not banned by manufacturer's name in the 2000 California AWB and who are built with either no "evil pistol grip" and a detachable 10 round magazine, or with a pistol grip but with a fixed top loading10 round magazine.
Such rifles patterned after AK47, FAL or AR-15 and built in California by companies like Entreprise Arms or at home by hundreds of thousands of Californian gun enthusiasts are 100% legal.
His Majesty the Riverside County Sheriff is gonna have the book thrown at him. And it's gonna hurt a lot.
ChuteTheMall
03-08-2008, 17:23
We still don't know what specific features made these specific AK's illegal in Kommiefornia.
They have work-arounds such as modifying the magazine release to require a tool for mag changes (legally making it a "fixed-mag" rifle) and also a modified pistol grip which adds a web to the lower side of the stock, kind of like a thumbhole stock without a hole.
We should realize that the democrats might impose equally absurd laws on the rest of us, possibly without any grandfather clause.
Keep us posted if any specifics are revealed.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/999/aksmiley1gv6.gif
Tareeka Babooga
03-08-2008, 17:36
We should realize that the democrats might impose equally absurd laws on the rest of us, possibly without any grandfather clause.
They already did that. Guns are now illegal to own. Remember how the gun boards were alive with the fear tactic that if the democrats won control of congress, they would ban guns? Well, the dems won congress, so guns must be illegal.
Muielatoti
03-08-2008, 17:50
We still don't know what specific features made these specific AK's illegal in Kommiefornia.
I can tell you what made those rifles "illegal": the fact that the Riverside County Sheriff is a clueless idiot. This isn't the first time the LEOs are abusing their power confiscating legal firearms only to have their butts spanked in court.
Bright Spot Pawn already has the telephone of Trutanich & Michel, NRA's attorney firm in Commifornia.
All the "AK-47s" were in legal configuration.
Hopefully when all is said and done Bright Spot Pawn will be moving into a nice shiny bigger building courtesy of the sheriff's checkbook.
I've been to brightspot. Most likely these were bare AK receivers. Just a piece of stamped sheetmetal with rivets. This will be dropped and settled out of court. They just wanted something to make the papers with.
Cali-Glock
03-08-2008, 23:22
Went to my first California gun show in AGES a couple of weekends ago. OLL AR-15 were in abundance and there were at least three dealers with OLL Kalashnikov clones. One of those dealers is an AW dealer which carries a large selection of "Govt" only "Assault Weapons" - so I can only assume plenty of law enforcement have seen his many OLL ARs and AKs, as he has been selling all three (AKs, ARs, and "Govt Only" AWs) since the 2000 ban.
I am with the rest of the crowd. Riverside will go down hard on this one and the dealer will prevail.
armorplated
03-08-2008, 23:32
Playing in "grey areas" can be a gamble.
I knew a firearms dealer in Modesto who had a store full of ARs when kalifornistan passed the law. He took a hacksaw and cut off the pistol grips and flash suppressor of each gun. I saw him trying to sell them in that condition at the gun shows.
The kal DOJ raided his store, confiscated his stock, and completely shut him down.
You can only moon the law so many times before they pounce.
Kalifornia used to be a cool place to live. I'm glad I moved.
Guns & Cockpits
03-09-2008, 00:40
Well I know of one Sheriff who is in for a surprise when he finds out about this little court case called Harrott v. Kings County !!!
Looks like Riverside County will be OLL friendly very soon and will also have a brand new, much more gun-friendly Sheriff.
For those of you who don't know what OLL is: Off List Lower. In other words, rifles built on lower receivers not banned by manufacturer's name in the 2000 California AWB and who are built with either no "evil pistol grip" and a detachable 10 round magazine, or with a pistol grip but with a fixed top loading10 round magazine.
Such rifles patterned after AK47, FAL or AR-15 and built in California by companies like Entreprise Arms or at home by hundreds of thousands of Californian gun enthusiasts are 100% legal.
His Majesty the Riverside County Sheriff is gonna have the book thrown at him. And it's gonna hurt a lot.
Good info except for one thing. These guns are not considered "CA legal", they are considered "CA compliant" by the CA DOJ. The DOJ refuses to call them "legal". Stupid semantics, I know, but it's how it was explained to me by the good folks at Ammo Bros who are selling me my "CA compliant" AR.
AK-47 enthusiasts say the weapon and its knockoffs make excellent hunting rifles.
Well...that's nice to know...but I don't give a damn. The 2nd amendment has nothing to do with hunting.
Remarks like that make gun owners look like fools because it plays right into the anti's idea of a "sporting purposes" requirement.
Yes a 7.62x39 rifle, be it an AK, SKS, or CZ bolt carbine, does make a good substitute for a .30-30 for hunting, but don't try to make it seem like you need to use the "hunting" excuse in order to be "allowed" to own one.
PDogSniper
03-09-2008, 07:21
Well...that's nice to know...but I don't give a damn. The 2nd amendment has nothing to do with hunting.
Remarks like that make gun owners look like fools because it plays right into the anti's idea of a "sporting purposes" requirement.
Yes a 7.62x39 rifle, be it an AK, SKS, or CZ bolt carbine, does make a good substitute for a .30-30 for hunting, but don't try to make it seem like you need to use the "hunting" excuse in order to be "allowed" to own one.
Good point but it does help to have multible reasons if only for the sake of a argument...
Too many times I've heard the argument that "What reason is there to have these? You can't hunt with them...!" When in fact I've hunted with my AR many times and they do make good hunting guns....
Muielatoti
03-09-2008, 16:00
From Calguns.net:
BSP is involved in this fiasco because someone bought one of these "AK-47" looking semi auto's and modified it somehow turing it into an assault weapon. (How, I do not know). I'm guessing this person was young because his parents called BSP to get info for his case. The young man has 2 counts against him.
In the process of finding where he got the rifle, the RSD (Riverside Sheriff Dept) went to BSP.
They only took info for the owners of the sold rifles. (people who were waiting their 10 days)
Why the ATF was there is still a mystery though it would appear to be standard procedure as they are the 'experts' when it comes to FFL compliance.
An update (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=98204) to this incident was released by the attorney representing Bright Spot Pawn.
After further investigations, all charges were dropped and the 10 AK rifles were returned
:banana:
They already did that. Guns are now illegal to own. Remember how the gun boards were alive with the fear tactic that if the democrats won control of congress, they would ban guns? Well, the dems won congress, so guns must be illegal.
I gotta say.
This forum is going to be practically unusable for quite some time if/when the democrats win.
jakemccoy
04-25-2008, 21:09
An update (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=98204) to this incident was released by the attorney representing Bright Spot Pawn.
After further investigations, all charges were dropped and the 10 AK rifles were returned
:banana:
That's really cool.
However, it doesn't really matter what you and the article say. Urban legend already has it that the BATFE raided the pawn shop for illegal AK-47 fully automatic cop killer armor piercing assault rifles. So, that's what happened, end of story. :upeyes:
chowchow
04-25-2008, 21:57
Quote
AK-47 knockoffs are popular in the assault rifle market, in part for claims that gas-operated original models are capable of firing up to 600 rounds a minute on full automatic. But such weapons are not legal for most Americans, say gun control proponents who feel there is no reason for hobbyists to own such potentially-destructive guns.
AK-47 enthusiasts say the weapon and its knockoffs make excellent hunting rifles.
>>>>>>>>>>>
Its almost the equal of a .30 30. Yes it is a great hunting rifle when you know where to maximize its potential such as this close range shot.
http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l210/nathan_068/HPIM1236.jpg
HerrGlock
04-26-2008, 01:39
An update (http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=98204) to this incident was released by the attorney representing Bright Spot Pawn.
After further investigations, all charges were dropped and the 10 AK rifles were returned
:banana:
I'm holding my breath to see this bit of news in the same papers, on the same pages, in the same sized columns as the original articles. :upeyes: (not you, the papers)
NYC Drew
04-26-2008, 05:06
I'm holding my breath to see this bit of news in the same papers, on the same pages, in the same sized columns as the original articles. :upeyes: (not you, the papers)
Write them! :whistling::supergrin:
HerrGlock
04-26-2008, 05:36
Write them! :whistling::supergrin:
I have :tongueout:
Write them! :whistling::supergrin:
"them!"
What do I win?
NYC Drew
04-26-2008, 07:08
"them!"
What do I win?
The grand prize!!!!
-$1200 casino dollars!!!!!! :cool:
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