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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Question for Cops (Page 1 of 2)

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3/4/2016 8:31:22 PM EDT
So I was working on a Discovery channel show this past week about the Fox Lake IL cop who faked his murder and it turned out to be a suicide. We were interviewing cops and other people.

We were with one police chief  and out of curriosity I asked if they confiscated many automatic weapons. He said "oh yea all of the time" I asked where they came from and he said people smuggle them in from mexico.

So do you cops/law enforcement guys see many illegal full auto guns on the job? I never thought of illegal full auto guns as a problem in the US.




edit: this is not a question as to whether or not the cop was full of bs or not. Just curious if you guys had any experience with this. The cop was also most likely talking to me as a civilian who doesn't know better. Thanks for the responses so far.
3/4/2016 8:33:06 PM EDT
[#1]
Did the chief you spoke with  actually KNOW what  "Automatic weapons " are ??
 



 You said "Chief" so there is a wide possibility he  would identify anything  other  than a revolver or break-action shotgun as an " AUTOMATIC "
3/4/2016 8:33:07 PM EDT
[#2]
Not in my experience.  The occasional sawed off .22 or shotgun, junk mainly.
3/4/2016 8:35:38 PM EDT
[#3]
Okay, I am calling outright  BULLSHIT.



 They do NOT sell  machine guns over the counter at Mexican hardware stores.
3/4/2016 8:35:48 PM EDT
[#4]
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Quoted:
Did the chief you spoke with  actually KNOW what  "Automatic weapons " are ??
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Yea, once he found out I'm into shooting sports he took me into their armory or whatever you want to call it. They had a bunch of rifles with the auto sear.
Including a really cool vietnam era m16.

3/4/2016 8:36:40 PM EDT
[#5]
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Okay, I am calling outright  BULLSHIT.
 They do NOT sell  machine guns over the counter at Mexican hardware stores.

View Quote


Obviously I have no knowledge about buying full autos from mexico. But he did not say they were sold over the counter, just that they were smuggled from mexico.
3/4/2016 8:37:39 PM EDT
[#6]
Some. On rare occasion, grenades. Yeah, Mexico is where they come across the border a fair bit. Sometimes you run across the homegrown stuff, but AKs and M16s are usually from central and south america.

Most of the C3 stuff I've seen personally are sawn-off shotguns and rifles. I don't do the drug enforcement or gang stuff, so....
3/4/2016 8:38:30 PM EDT
[#7]
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Some. On rare occasion, grenades. Yeah, Mexico is where they come across the border a fair bit. Sometimes you run across the homegrown stuff, but AKs and M16s are usually from central and south america.

Most of the C3 stuff I've seen personally are sawn-off shotguns and rifles. I don't do the drug enforcement or gang stuff, so....
View Quote


Thanks for the info.

The area we were in had A LOT of gang activity.
3/4/2016 8:39:03 PM EDT
[#8]
Only once in my 30 years. A certain OMG had full auto Uzis, HK91s and something else I don't recall at the moment and there were guns strategically located everywhere, plus they had hand grenades and claymores.  Their "compound" also had remote video surveillance and seismic sensors devices. It was an adrenaline fueled night for sure. Funny thing, all of the folks we hooked that night ended up dead under suspicious circumstances within a year.
3/4/2016 8:39:51 PM EDT
[#9]
In my 16 years in LE, I never encountered a full auto in the wild.
3/4/2016 8:41:23 PM EDT
[#10]
He's full of shit guns don't get confiscated "all the time" that's why it's usually a press release and a big to-do when they make an interesting gun seizure.



The last gun I seized was a POS .25 that had the slide rusted shut and nothing in the chamber and that's pretty consistent with the guns carried around by street criminals.
3/4/2016 8:42:29 PM EDT
[#11]
Not very often.
3/4/2016 8:43:15 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote History
Quoted:
He's full of shit guns don't get confiscated "all the time" that's why it's usually a press release and a big to-do when they make an interesting gun seizure.

The last gun I seized was a POS .25 that had the slide rusted shut and nothing in the chamber and that's pretty consistent with the guns carried around by street criminals.
View Quote


This was in a pretty big gang area, not sure if that makes a difference. Either way, thanks for the info.
3/4/2016 8:44:01 PM EDT
[#13]
I think the ratio is 0.5 full auto for every 1000 Hi-Points.





3/4/2016 8:44:42 PM EDT
[#14]
Ran into a few full autos. Either 88s trying to sell them to us or hispanic gang members that did an at home conversion (only about 6 of these and all AKs).
3/4/2016 8:44:53 PM EDT
[#15]
I worked in Orange County, CA just south of Los Angeles County, one county north of Mexico and two counties west of Arizona. We had Vietnamese scumbags, Mexican scumbags, Chicano scumbags, cracker ass cracker scumbags, hell we even permitted Samoan scumbags, black scumbags and Armenian scumbags to come in just for the sake of diversity. The only automatic weapons I ever encountered were used by our SWAT team or were the old Tommy Gun that somehow came to live in my department's armory.  

I think folks you are talking to don't know what your definition of automatic is.

Precision of language can be important you know.
3/4/2016 8:45:58 PM EDT
[#16]
The only full autos I have seen in 38 years on the job were on a Form 4/5 except one.  A guy brought me a MP-40 he found in his deceased grandfathers home wrapped in oily rags.   It wasn't declared during the amnesty.  He wanted to know what to do with it.   I told him to take it somewhere else and do something with it.
3/4/2016 8:47:15 PM EDT
[#17]
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Quoted:
He's full of shit guns don't get confiscated "all the time" that's why it's usually a press release and a big to-do when they make an interesting gun seizure.

The last gun I seized was a POS .25 that had the slide rusted shut and nothing in the chamber and that's pretty consistent with the guns carried around by street criminals.
View Quote


This, and when you do find something nice, it is of course stolen.  A gangbanger with a Dan Wesson .45.  Yea he had no idea what he had.
3/4/2016 8:47:58 PM EDT
[#18]
After 24 years of LE in various capacities, I only recall recovering one full auto weapon, and it was stolen from a legal owner.  Most C3 weapons seized were home made cut down shotguns.  The majority of weapons seized by LE are POS pistols like Lorcin, RG, Davis, etc., that were bought, "off the skreet from some dude for $200". (Yes, I know street is misspelled, but that is how it is said)

I say that the Chief in question is full of it, or is just stupid.
3/4/2016 8:50:06 PM EDT
[#19]
Fox Lake is a BIG gang area now?  Compared to what?

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Quoted:


This was in a pretty big gang area, not sure if that makes a difference. Either way, thanks for the info.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
He's full of shit guns don't get confiscated "all the time" that's why it's usually a press release and a big to-do when they make an interesting gun seizure.

The last gun I seized was a POS .25 that had the slide rusted shut and nothing in the chamber and that's pretty consistent with the guns carried around by street criminals.


This was in a pretty big gang area, not sure if that makes a difference. Either way, thanks for the info.

3/4/2016 8:53:33 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
After 24 years of LE in various capacities, I only recall recovering one full auto weapon, and it was stolen from a legal owner.  Most C3 weapons seized were home made cut down shotguns.  The majority of weapons seized by LE are POS pistols like Lorcin, RG, Davis, etc., that were bought, "off the skreet from some dude for $200". (Yes, I know street is misspelled, but that is how it is said)

I say that the Chief in question is full of it, or is just stupid.
View Quote

ETA: I found the above post after I posted, and it mirrors my experience, except bs295 has found one more MG than I have.

19 years in one of America's 25 largest cities, all of it in the smallest, most gang infested precinct or in a plain clothes covert unit.  I can't recall recovering one myself, but I have heard of a few (low single digit number)  being recovered.  

You have to remember, gang members generally aren't skilled or intelligent enough to be gunsmiths, and the only way these guys will get a full auto weapon is to steal one (very rare, since machine guns themselves are so rare) or convert one.
3/4/2016 8:54:59 PM EDT
[#21]
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Fox Lake is a BIG gang area now?  Compared to what?


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Quoted:
Fox Lake is a BIG gang area now?  Compared to what?

Quoted:
Quoted:
He's full of shit guns don't get confiscated "all the time" that's why it's usually a press release and a big to-do when they make an interesting gun seizure.

The last gun I seized was a POS .25 that had the slide rusted shut and nothing in the chamber and that's pretty consistent with the guns carried around by street criminals.


This was in a pretty big gang area, not sure if that makes a difference. Either way, thanks for the info.



This was in a town near by, not fox lake.
3/4/2016 8:56:54 PM EDT
[#22]
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In my 16 years in LE, I never encountered a full auto in the wild.
View Quote

Me either.
3/4/2016 8:57:32 PM EDT
[#23]
I'm calling BS also. 12 years with Border Patrol and 9 years with ICE, I have never run into a legit FA.  Saw a mak90 that the dumbass dopers had tried to convert, but I could tell by looking at it it that the best they would get was a hammer follow with a dented primer on the second round. I tried to get it to run FA with Remington UMC and no dice. Ran into a few mini 14's, cheap AR's etc...but no real FA's, and no grenades, ever.  Every firearm I encountered came back from ATF as a US purchase.

Groupo beta, judiciales, municipales, and the federales....now they had some odd FA's.  That was in Mexico though....
3/4/2016 9:00:42 PM EDT
[#24]
Only once, and it had been stolen from an off-duty swat officer's truck.  It was only "in the wild" for about a week before we got it back.
3/4/2016 9:03:49 PM EDT
[#25]
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Me either.
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Quoted:
In my 16 years in LE, I never encountered a full auto in the wild.

Me either.



What would you have done if you did?
3/4/2016 9:11:11 PM EDT
[#26]
Actual full auto?   No.  In 22 yrs of doing this I have personally never seen anything FA with my own eyes nor have I heard others report it happening.  I am sure there are some instances of homemade conversions sometimes but I have never seen one.  Most of the illiterate masses hear "automatic pistol" and think FA. Unfortunately upper management is often completely illiterate to the vocabulary of firearms.  The "all the time" comment was bullshit
3/4/2016 9:12:49 PM EDT
[#27]
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I'm calling BS also. 12 years with Border Patrol and 9 years with ICE, I have never run into a legit FA.  Saw a mak90 that the dumbass dopers had tried to convert, but I could tell by looking at it it that the best they would get was a hammer follow with a dented primer on the second round. I tried to get it to run FA with Remington UMC and no dice. Ran into a few mini 14's, cheap AR's etc...but no real FA's, and no grenades, ever.  Every firearm I encountered came back from ATF as a US purchase.

Groupo beta, judiciales, municipales, and the federales....now they had some odd FA's.  That was in Mexico though....
View Quote


Thanks for the response. He could have just been saying "yea all of the time" to me since I'm a civilian who doesnt know better. He did say they mainly take piece of shit guns too.
3/4/2016 9:14:16 PM EDT
[#28]
Gurnee or Waukegan ? I grew up in McHenry so I can say some of the areas around Fox Lake are shitty.
3/4/2016 9:17:36 PM EDT
[#29]
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Gurnee or Waukegan ? I grew up in McHenry so I can say some of the areas around Fox Lake are shitty.
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We were in a lake county town. I don't want to say the town name because it would be easy to figure out the chiefs name. In the area of fox lake and mchenry though.
3/4/2016 9:22:22 PM EDT
[#30]
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We were in a lake county town. I don't want to say the town name because it would be easy to figure out the chiefs name. In the area of fox lake and mchenry though.
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Gurnee or Waukegan ? I grew up in McHenry so I can say some of the areas around Fox Lake are shitty.


We were in a lake county town. I don't want to say the town name because it would be easy to figure out the chiefs name. In the area of fox lake and mchenry though.

Cool I understand, like I said old stomping grounds.
3/4/2016 9:27:52 PM EDT
[#31]
Probably depends on where you're from.  I've encountered one.  Now sawed-offs...
3/4/2016 9:51:34 PM EDT
[#32]
I've seized several weapons during my career. In 16 years I've never seized a full auto. Perhaps it does happen elsewhere but haven't heard of any around here.
3/4/2016 9:57:22 PM EDT
[#33]
The only full autos we have confiscated were from a guy who was illegaly building his own. Some sterling smg's and a browning 1919. Good quality too. But those are the only ones I'm aware of in 26 yrs on the job.
3/4/2016 10:10:59 PM EDT
[#34]
Silenced MAC-11 in .380 and a beautiful Lithgow SLR with the fun switch that a resident walked up to the PD with and turned in when he found out they were illegal in CA.    I'm still crying at the thought of that SLR getting cut up.  I work in a place like Beverly Hills, only richer.  Lots of nice guns.  None of them owned by criminals.  They use junk guns.  Oh, I've worked murder for hire homicides with international hitmen who flew in for the job and flew out again, so no saying I don't see shit in Mayberry.

My brother works for a 1700 officer PD north of me and he recovered a hacked up UZI off an urban yute who was trying to shoot him, but couldn't get it out of his hoody.  Bro didn't realize it was an UZI/gun, due to the low light conditions and said urban yute still breathes in and out.  It ran full auto at the range.
3/4/2016 10:14:43 PM EDT
[#35]
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Actual full auto?   No.  In 22 yrs of doing this I have personally never seen anything FA with my own eyes nor have I heard others report it happening.  I am sure there are some instances of homemade conversions sometimes but I have never seen one.  Most of the illiterate masses hear "automatic pistol" and think FA. Unfortunately upper management is often completely illiterate to the vocabulary of firearms.  The "all the time" comment was bullshit
View Quote



Not too long ago, there was an article about a "factory" in Birmingham, Alabama that was making grenades and some kind of full-auto subguns (their own manufacture -not conversions). Guess it just depends on where you live.

Linky to news article
3/4/2016 10:20:54 PM EDT
[#36]
Almost 20 years on, and I have never encountered a F/A.

If I did? Depends. Is criminal activity involved? If I have to arrest and confiscate, I'll tag it in the property room like all the others. Are you asking about if I made a call and the law abiding owner just happens to have one in plain sight or something? I don't have any reason to check it or anything about him or his property, so I handle my call and leave. I would love to talk to him about it, but if I'm on duty then I'm acting in a LE fashion. So I'll check my curiosity at the door for his peace of mind and my avoidance of BS gun laws.
3/4/2016 10:26:00 PM EDT
[#37]

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Fox Lake is a BIG gang area now?  Compared to what?






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Fox Lake is a BIG gang area now?  Compared to what?




Quoted:


Quoted:

He's full of shit guns don't get confiscated "all the time" that's why it's usually a press release and a big to-do when they make an interesting gun seizure.



The last gun I seized was a POS .25 that had the slide rusted shut and nothing in the chamber and that's pretty consistent with the guns carried around by street criminals.




This was in a pretty big gang area, not sure if that makes a difference. Either way, thanks for the info.


Could be anywhere around there.  North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion, Gurnee.

 
3/4/2016 10:31:58 PM EDT
[#38]
In 25 years I have never encountered a fully automatic or silenced weapon.  Rifles or shotguns with chopped off barrels, sure.  I've worked gangs, narcotics, and a lot of other assignments in a 3 million plus county on the border with Mexico.
3/4/2016 10:33:57 PM EDT
[#39]
25 years (10 in SWAT) in a major city.  Never encountered an automatic weapon outside of law enforcement.
3/4/2016 10:35:35 PM EDT
[#40]
Doubtful
3/4/2016 10:36:18 PM EDT
[#41]
27 years and I have heard of one being confiscated from a drug dealer.  Thing is, he had a bunch of NIB guns.  They were investments to him.  I remember a brand new HK91 was one of them.  It now sits at the bottom of the ocean.
3/4/2016 10:40:04 PM EDT
[#42]
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What would you have done if you did?
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Quoted:
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In my 16 years in LE, I never encountered a full auto in the wild.

Me either.



What would you have done if you did?

If it was lawfully possessed, have a conversation with the owner about it, and if it was something I hadn't fired before, try to weasel my way into shooting it.
3/4/2016 10:44:13 PM EDT
[#43]
i know 1 cop who got a full auto uzi and a couple kilos of cocaine while writing parking tickets..
3/4/2016 10:45:35 PM EDT
[#44]
Nope.
3/4/2016 11:19:07 PM EDT
[#45]

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27 years and I have heard of one being confiscated from a drug dealer.  Thing is, he had a bunch of NIB guns.  They were investments to him. I remember a brand new HK91 was one of them.  It now sits at the bottom of the ocean.
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I hate it when the evidence truck has a boating accident.

 
3/4/2016 11:25:46 PM EDT
[#46]
Never have dealt with FA on the job (or any other class 3 except those cheap street sweepers) in my 14 yrs
3/4/2016 11:29:16 PM EDT
[#47]
Thanks everyone for the comments.
3/4/2016 11:33:25 PM EDT
[#48]
I've seen one in my years.  

I've seen a few sawed offs, and a few SBR's without paperwork, and exactly one legal suppressor being used for criminal stuff (and it wasn't as a assassination kind of deal).
3/5/2016 3:31:13 AM EDT
[#49]
That chief is full of it. Even in the area you were in, I have been in every single ghetto in the Chicago area and it was rare that they ever found a true FA out in the wild.
3/5/2016 3:36:27 AM EDT
[#50]
One beat to fuck MAC 3-4 years ago. Everything else has been Jimenez arms or Hi-point.
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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Question for Cops (Page 1 of 2)