I must be from another planet
See, what amazes me about this story is not that the guy was in the US illegally, and wasn't deported even though he'd been arrested and convicted of a couple of felonies.
It's that he had a fucking AK-47, and no one seems to be wondering why he had it or how he got it. (And don't even get me started on how MS-13 got to be such a big deal, or made inroads into the US.)
It's that he had a fucking AK-47, and no one seems to be wondering why he had it or how he got it. (And don't even get me started on how MS-13 got to be such a big deal, or made inroads into the US.)
Labels: crime
Since 1949, Durhamites have slept soundly, secure in the knowledge that, in our town, erection can be depended upon. Now, thanks to the power of the internets, we can spread that security all over the world.
5 Comments:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-47_legal_status
They're, in general legal in the US, barring state/local regulations. Also, the series of rifles called AK-47s are arguably the most widely produced gun, ever. It's (apparently) not hard to find one for a few hundred dollars.
By
Matt Sayler, at 7:29 PM
Followup: apparently, at least for the state, you can legally own an "AK-47." San Francisco may have more regulations.
http://blog.riflegear.com/archive/2007/08/20/california-off-list-ar-15-and-ak-47-cliffs-notes.aspx
Though my guess is that the rifle wasn't legal, it's not especially hard to get one legally I suppose.
By
Matt Sayler, at 7:33 PM
I understand that they're legal. I lived in Stockton, CA when some fuckhead shot up an elementary school with an AK, and the sportsmen's lobby was able to keep a ban from being enacted then.
what i don't understand is how a convicted felon and non-citizen member of an international gang was driving around in a populated city with one in his car.
I mean, why aren't the same folks who say that the government needs to listen in on my overseas phone calls without a warrant because of the terrorist threat upset about the idea that a criminal who's not even a citizen, and a gang member to boot, can get his hands on semi-automatic weapons? Isn't that a terrorist threat?
By
Barry, at 8:22 AM
Technically, you can own a Class III fully automatic firearm in the U.S., however, there are some serious obstacles, usually including obtaining a very expensive (and difficult to arrange) permit from the local law enforcement official and holding a federal firearms license.
Also, it's surprisingly easy to take a firearm made outside the U.S. and modify certain parts in order to qualify it as a domestic production rifle, thus avoiding the import restrictions. (This is quite often done with cheap rifles, like the AK-47/AKS and the MAK-90 "sporter" variant -- necessary because everyone is well-aware of the escalating use of body armor by deer and varmints.)
Besides, it seems entirely reasonable to join Justice Scalia in the belief that the founding fathers wanted to firmly ensconce grandma's right to use an M60E3 for personal protection.
By
Duke University Center for International Studies, at 10:49 AM
I guess the Blackwater boys forgot to cross all the Ts and dot all the Is.
By
Barry, at 10:55 AM
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