Nearly 400 Illegal Weapons Seized From One Home

[mrtonguetwista]

LOS ANGELES -- Police arrested a 56-year-old Simi Valley man and seized nearly 400 illegal weapons from the suspect's home -- more than were recovered in all of Los Angeles in 2003, Chief William Bratton said Friday.

Thursday's arrest of Wayne Wright, 56, was made in Porter Ranch after he completed what authorities called "an unlawful firearm transaction with an undercover Los Angeles Police Department Gun Unit officer." Police, who booked Wright at the LAPD's Devonshire Area station, found 11 more rifles and shotguns in his car, Bratton said.

In addition to the weapons in Porter Ranch, detectives obtained a search warrant for Wright's home in Simi Valley and found another 376 weapons, including rifles, shotguns, handguns and four assault weapons.

"The seizure in this case of 388 total firearms nearly equals that of the first eight months of 2004," Bratton said, "and exceeds the total seizure (348) for 2003."

Police also recovered a silencer and thousands of rounds of ammunition, including military combat-style tracer and armor-piercing rounds, all of which are illegal to possess in California and constitute a felony crime, Bratton said.

Authorities said many of these guns are the types routinely used in crimes in Los Angeles.

Bratton and Mayor Jim Hahn last week urged President George W. Bush to lobby Congress to extend the assault weapons ban authored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. In an election year, and with a National Rifle Association presidential endorsement at stake, the 10-year law was allowed to expire. California has its own permanent assault weapons ban on the books.

Bratton and Hahn pledged to keep working with U.S. authorities "to bring more federal resources to the city that will enhance law enforcement activities targeting gun violence and illegal gun trafficking."

Prior to Thursday's arrest, the LAPD had seized 411 guns this year. Bratton called the arsenal "a phenomenal number of guns that will not be on the streets killing people."

[Sikotic™]

DAMN! The fuckin' Tony Montana of Southern California.

[davida.b.]

Now thats what I call a collector.