I caught just a blub today on this. Supposedly it was the Chief of Police and 2 Procecutors who illegally bought F/A weapons and silencers for their own use using a LEO letterhead. They used their own money to purchase them but I did not get any more info. This happened in Northern MI and they have been charged with illegal MGs and failure to pay the tax among other things.

Me search fu is weak and non existant, anyone have any other info on this?

Quoted: Forging letterheads is a BIG no-no, although I can't figure out how a Chief forges a letterhead that he would have legal ability to sign in any case.  However, it's perfectly okay to use their own funds.  Many officers do for weapons they use for themselves.

+1, I know my uncle obtained the Mp5 he had this way. He purchased it for his swat weapon and then sold it to another deputy when he left the unit.

Quoted: Forging letterheads is a BIG no-no, although I can't figure out how a Chief forges a letterhead that he would have legal ability to sign in any case.  However, it's perfectly okay to use their own funds.  Many officers do for weapons they use for themselves.

Yes but officers cannot buy post-86 MGs to use themselves, even if they use them for duty.

The MGs can only be the property of the Dept, not the individual.

I believe the problem was that they bought the weapons and supressors with their own funds [out of pocket] and they seem to have been for personal use. I think the ATF was who busted them, I'm trying to find out more info but I believe it was in the Detroit news today.

surpressors are illegal [] in MI for personnal use and I think these were Post 86 MGs.

I know they are being charged with tax evasion for not paying the $200 tax but I'm trying to find out if it's BS or something they really did wrong.

My prediction: Nothing happens to the chief, the lawyers make a deal.

I think that there is a way for an individual LEO to purchase NFA items including select fire weapons with letterhead using personal funds.  The gun has to stay with the Dept when he quits.  

I knew some DOE guys that purchased select fire bushmasters during the AWB.  They had agency letterhead and used the weapons on the job...but they paid for them with personal money.  Some kept them when they moved to another LE job by having the agency hold the weapon until the individual Ofc was in another sworn position...


Not sure how that works but they did it and it was legal according to the BATFE guy that was standing there at the time.  

Quoted: I think that there is a way for an individual LEO to purchase NFA items including select fire weapons with letterhead using personal funds.  The gun has to stay with the Dept when he quits.   I knew some DOE guys that purchased select fire bushmasters during the AWB.  They had agency letterhead and used the weapons on the job...but they paid for them with personal money.  Some kept them when they moved to another LE job by having the agency hold the weapon until the individual Ofc was in another sworn position... Not sure how that works but they did it and it was legal according to the BATFE guy that was standing there at the time.

Yes, they can.

Quoted: Quoted: How do they prove that? Their own use on the job? I'm guessing that a prosecutor using an MG on the job might get him in trouble. Just a guess, though.

Would be very effective though!  certainly less appeals would be filed.

Hmmm could it possibly be that the prosecutors funded the money for the buy.  The DA's office here can buy stuff with seizure moneys for law enforcement.  Not sure if this applies or the story is twisted version of what I'm talking about.  We get stuff like night vision, VCR cameras and such once in a while.

Quoted: Quoted: I think that there is a way for an individual LEO to purchase NFA items including select fire weapons with letterhead using personal funds.  The gun has to stay with the Dept when he quits.   I knew some DOE guys that purchased select fire bushmasters during the AWB.  They had agency letterhead and used the weapons on the job...but they paid for them with personal money.  Some kept them when they moved to another LE job by having the agency hold the weapon until the individual Ofc was in another sworn position... Not sure how that works but they did it and it was legal according to the BATFE guy that was standing there at the time.   Yes, they can.

Yep.  Some are created more equal.....

Sure sounds like the deal with 2 MI LEO's and a doctor that got busted early this year by BATFE. The CLEO's of several cities and counties wrote letters to have the 2 officers exonerated.