Guns melted, my response
In my local paper today was this artical, this was front page news today (11-2). Below the artical you can read the response I wrote to the paper.
http://www.sbsun.com/ci_7346212?source=rss_viewed
Guns see fiery end
2,000 weapons melted by police
Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/01/2007 09:40:43 PM PDT
Photo Gallery: Police melt thousands of guns
Video: Violence Cleansed by Fire
They are true prisoners of crime.
There were 44 of them at first, their cold steel bodies tucked carefully into manilla envelopes and trapped in a cardboard box for nearly five years.
They escaped the big joint on Thursday morning.
For about 15 minutes.
Then, extreme fire, all 3,100 degrees of
San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris watches as officers from the San Bernardino Police Department send about 2,000 guns taken off the streets to be melted down on Thursday at the Tamco Steel in Rancho Cucamonga. (Eric Reed/Staff Photographer)it.
Mass destruction followed.
In under 55 minutes, San Bernardino police had melted down 2,000 handguns, rifles and shotguns at Tamco Steel in Rancho Cucamonga.
A few swords, knives, screwdrivers and nunchucks were thrown in for good measure.
It's an annual celebration of the Police Department's success in confiscating the weapons used to intimidate, rob, threaten and shoot people on the streets of San Bernardino.
And there's a push to celebrate more frequently around the huge electric furnace.
"We have a full arsenal. We don't have any room on the shelves," said Officer Frank Linares, who works in the evidence bureau. "We have too much evidence coming in. We're trying to purge."
There are about 9,000 guns stored inside a metal and concrete vault within a large warehouse at the police station.
Bundles of rifles and shotguns duct-taped together line the walls and boxes of handguns are stacked on shelves down the middle of the room.
Still, more trickle in.
Police used to take about five guns off the streets each week. The weekly cache has jumped to 10 since July, when a six-member team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived to reduce violent crime and snatch guns off the streets.
"It's important that the community see we are getting results," Lt. Scott Paterson said. "We are making an impact."
No statistics were immediately available to judge the initiative's success. The operations are usually assessed after the first year, ATF spokeswoman Susan Raichel said.
Three patrol cars escorted the rental truck full of illegal guns to the steel plant Thursday morning, where members of the police Multiple Enforcement Team - which specializes in gang task forces and SWAT sweeps - immediately tossed them into a bulldozer bucket.
The total amount of firearms weighed in at 2.2 tons, or 4,500 pounds.
Then they were dumped into the fiery furnace. Twenty-foot flames shot out of the furnace, and the intense heat could be felt from more than 50 feet away.
"It's a symbolic burning," Mayor Pat Morris said. "It's a critical aspect of keeping our city safe and bringing some modest degree of peace back to our streets."
The melted steel will be poured into brick-lined ladles and cast into 5-inch square billets. Then it will be turned into rebar.
It's business as usual for Tamco Steel employees, even if the gun burn is a little disruptive to their normal flow.
"It's a civic thing we don't mind doing," said Ken Diederich, scrapyard supervisor.
He estimated that a law-enforcement agency, from San Diego to Los Angeles counties, comes every three weeks to destroy weapons used in robberies, assaults and drug deals.
Guns used in murders are never destroyed, as they are kept as evidence in case the defendant appeals the case.
But many of the firearms destroyed Thursday have pierced flesh and ripped lives apart.
A .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic handgun was tossed into the pile Thursday, its square grip no longer shiny and new.
This was the gun clutched in the hand of Edgar Perez's on Feb. 16, 2003, as he stood in a dark parking lot behind Gotham Night Club, police said.
When he pulled the trigger, four bullets slammed into 19-year-old Pete Taylor's bicep, back, right calf and buttocks.
He survived, but the gun was put to rest.
stacia.glenn@sbsun.com
(909) 386-3887
My response, I wonder if the will print it?
In today's world of budget cuts I find nothing more repulsive than our local government rejoicing at the act of wasting money. Yet, in San Bernardino, a city plagued by a lack of funding, Mayor Pat Morris is shown on the front page smiling as money is being tossed into a furnace. This was from the article entitled "Guns see fiery end" by Stacia Glenn (November 2, 2007).
How is this wasting money you ask? In the picture I noticed several SKS rifles, on the used market they are currently selling for $250 to $500. There was also a Marlin model 60 that is worth $200, a Remington 700 worth $500 and a Ruger Mk-II worth $250, along with many others of similar values. Why on earth does the city destroy these firearms when they could be sold to responsible citizens and bring a profit to the community?
Let's say that each of the 2000 firearms destroyed were sold for $200 each. That would have been a $400,000.00 profit for the city. The article also stated that there were another 9000 firearms being held. Sell those for the same price of $200 each and the city of San Bernardino would have a $1,800,000.00 profit. Now I ask you citizens, what could the city of San Bernardino do with an extra $1.8 Million? Should it go for schools or road repairs?
For those of you who are worried about these firearms being sold, remember that they would be sold to responsible citizens who would pass the California State background check, they would fill out BATF form 4473 and they would wait the state required 10 days before delivery of their firearm. The same as if a citizen would walk into a federally licensed firearms retailer. Plus if the city did not want the firearms in San Bernardino County they could be sold only to people who live outside of California. So I ask again, why is the city tossing millions of dollars into a furnace?
B. Campbell
Highland, CA
Would anybody else like to join in?
write to:
Voice@sbsun.com
http://www.sbsun.com/ci_7346212?source=rss_viewed
Guns see fiery end
2,000 weapons melted by police
Stacia Glenn, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 11/01/2007 09:40:43 PM PDT
Photo Gallery: Police melt thousands of guns
Video: Violence Cleansed by Fire
They are true prisoners of crime.
There were 44 of them at first, their cold steel bodies tucked carefully into manilla envelopes and trapped in a cardboard box for nearly five years.
They escaped the big joint on Thursday morning.
For about 15 minutes.
Then, extreme fire, all 3,100 degrees of
San Bernardino Mayor Pat Morris watches as officers from the San Bernardino Police Department send about 2,000 guns taken off the streets to be melted down on Thursday at the Tamco Steel in Rancho Cucamonga. (Eric Reed/Staff Photographer)it.
Mass destruction followed.
In under 55 minutes, San Bernardino police had melted down 2,000 handguns, rifles and shotguns at Tamco Steel in Rancho Cucamonga.
A few swords, knives, screwdrivers and nunchucks were thrown in for good measure.
It's an annual celebration of the Police Department's success in confiscating the weapons used to intimidate, rob, threaten and shoot people on the streets of San Bernardino.
And there's a push to celebrate more frequently around the huge electric furnace.
"We have a full arsenal. We don't have any room on the shelves," said Officer Frank Linares, who works in the evidence bureau. "We have too much evidence coming in. We're trying to purge."
There are about 9,000 guns stored inside a metal and concrete vault within a large warehouse at the police station.
Bundles of rifles and shotguns duct-taped together line the walls and boxes of handguns are stacked on shelves down the middle of the room.
Still, more trickle in.
Police used to take about five guns off the streets each week. The weekly cache has jumped to 10 since July, when a six-member team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived to reduce violent crime and snatch guns off the streets.
"It's important that the community see we are getting results," Lt. Scott Paterson said. "We are making an impact."
No statistics were immediately available to judge the initiative's success. The operations are usually assessed after the first year, ATF spokeswoman Susan Raichel said.
Three patrol cars escorted the rental truck full of illegal guns to the steel plant Thursday morning, where members of the police Multiple Enforcement Team - which specializes in gang task forces and SWAT sweeps - immediately tossed them into a bulldozer bucket.
The total amount of firearms weighed in at 2.2 tons, or 4,500 pounds.
Then they were dumped into the fiery furnace. Twenty-foot flames shot out of the furnace, and the intense heat could be felt from more than 50 feet away.
"It's a symbolic burning," Mayor Pat Morris said. "It's a critical aspect of keeping our city safe and bringing some modest degree of peace back to our streets."
The melted steel will be poured into brick-lined ladles and cast into 5-inch square billets. Then it will be turned into rebar.
It's business as usual for Tamco Steel employees, even if the gun burn is a little disruptive to their normal flow.
"It's a civic thing we don't mind doing," said Ken Diederich, scrapyard supervisor.
He estimated that a law-enforcement agency, from San Diego to Los Angeles counties, comes every three weeks to destroy weapons used in robberies, assaults and drug deals.
Guns used in murders are never destroyed, as they are kept as evidence in case the defendant appeals the case.
But many of the firearms destroyed Thursday have pierced flesh and ripped lives apart.
A .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic handgun was tossed into the pile Thursday, its square grip no longer shiny and new.
This was the gun clutched in the hand of Edgar Perez's on Feb. 16, 2003, as he stood in a dark parking lot behind Gotham Night Club, police said.
When he pulled the trigger, four bullets slammed into 19-year-old Pete Taylor's bicep, back, right calf and buttocks.
He survived, but the gun was put to rest.
stacia.glenn@sbsun.com
(909) 386-3887
My response, I wonder if the will print it?
In today's world of budget cuts I find nothing more repulsive than our local government rejoicing at the act of wasting money. Yet, in San Bernardino, a city plagued by a lack of funding, Mayor Pat Morris is shown on the front page smiling as money is being tossed into a furnace. This was from the article entitled "Guns see fiery end" by Stacia Glenn (November 2, 2007).
How is this wasting money you ask? In the picture I noticed several SKS rifles, on the used market they are currently selling for $250 to $500. There was also a Marlin model 60 that is worth $200, a Remington 700 worth $500 and a Ruger Mk-II worth $250, along with many others of similar values. Why on earth does the city destroy these firearms when they could be sold to responsible citizens and bring a profit to the community?
Let's say that each of the 2000 firearms destroyed were sold for $200 each. That would have been a $400,000.00 profit for the city. The article also stated that there were another 9000 firearms being held. Sell those for the same price of $200 each and the city of San Bernardino would have a $1,800,000.00 profit. Now I ask you citizens, what could the city of San Bernardino do with an extra $1.8 Million? Should it go for schools or road repairs?
For those of you who are worried about these firearms being sold, remember that they would be sold to responsible citizens who would pass the California State background check, they would fill out BATF form 4473 and they would wait the state required 10 days before delivery of their firearm. The same as if a citizen would walk into a federally licensed firearms retailer. Plus if the city did not want the firearms in San Bernardino County they could be sold only to people who live outside of California. So I ask again, why is the city tossing millions of dollars into a furnace?
B. Campbell
Highland, CA
Would anybody else like to join in?
write to:
Voice@sbsun.com
0
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I applaud your efforts and convictions, but you'd be better of applying your energies and resources to moving to a different state.[8D] 0 -
quote:I applaud your efforts and convictions, but you'd be better of applying your energies and resources to moving to a different state.
That is in the long term plans, I'm just trying to decide if Arizona, Navada or Oregon would be better.0 -
Ooooh, i dunno....still too "left" coast if you ask me. [:p] 0 -
I used to be a carman at a local railroad maintenence facility. And several times I saw hopper cars come in from a local foundry that had the remains of guns that had been thru a shredder. The cars had been mostly emptied by magnet crane by the time I saw them. But there were still some gun remains left in the bottom.
I used to salvage whatever I could find that looked useable. After a couple years I had a box of mostly un-ID'd parts that I eventally sold to a parts vendor. This was 17 years ago.0 -
quote:Origionally posted by Mk 19: My response, I wonder if the will print it?
Actually NO!, they will not print it. If in doubt, look on the bottom right corner of the web page for your answer.0 -
I read the same article in the P.E. Were the guns complete or stripped before they were melted? Some organizations sell the internal parts, like springs, pins, triggers, etc. for profit or trade for services back to the community. I believe that S.B. county does this.
You're right, there is a lot of value in those guns/parts that should be recovered. San Bernardino certainly needs the money.
badlandsbutch
Colton0 -
As usual they abviously have a math problem too. They confiscate 10 guns a week, lets see, thats 520 a year. Where did this "thousands" number come from?
The new medias credibility is long gone.0 -
It's hard to believe anything anymore. This may or may not have happened, of course. If it did happen, you can be sure that every handgun, rifle, or shotgun of any worth was not included in the ritual cebration and burning. Typical media crap....IMHO [:(!][:(!]
rider0 -
That was a very elagent response, however, we are dealing with Evil people who are intent on disarming the common man. 0 -
"That is in the long term plans, I'm just trying to decide if Arizona, Navada or Oregon would be better."
-Mk 19
Arizona and Nevada are much better places than the other one.
Doug0 -
The story is true. I just moved from Corona Ca. to Kuna Id. 2 weeks ago. Back in the 80's the San Bernardino Sheriff's used to hold the best gun auctions in the West!! SB always has had lots of crime[;)]!
After the Stockton school shooting the auctions stopped.[:(]
The story left out the fact that other agencies from the "OC" sent along their guns as well.
Dean
quote:Originally posted by A J Christ
As usual they abviously have a math problem too. They confiscate 10 guns a week, lets see, thats 520 a year. Where did this "thousands" number come from?
The new medias credibility is long gone.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mk 19
quote:I applaud your efforts and convictions, but you'd be better of applying your energies and resources to moving to a different state.
That is in the long term plans, I'm just trying to decide if Arizona, Navada or Oregon would be better.
If you come to Arizona, make sure you leave any support for Kali type regulations and laws behind.
Far to many Kali folks are moving here to "get away" and then systematically push for infringements here in Arizona. In addition, the real estate market in the north country is priced almost out of reach for anyone not rich, thanks again to Kali folks.[:(!]
Arizona is a state that used to be peopled by rugged individualists. Now it is slowly becoming more and more regulated and liberal.
Long story short, come on over if you are a "conservaterian" type, stay away or go elsewhere if you have Lib tendencies.
MHO only.[;)]0 -
quote:quote:
Originally posted by Mk 19
quote:
I applaud your efforts and convictions, but you'd be better of applying your energies and resources to moving to a different state.
That is in the long term plans, I'm just trying to decide if Arizona, Navada or Oregon would be better.
If you come to Arizona, make sure you leave any support for Kali type regulations and laws behind.
Far to many Kali folks are moving here to "get away" and then systematically push for infringements here in Arizona. In addition, the real estate market in the north country is priced almost out of reach for anyone not rich, thanks again to Kali folks.
Arizona is a state that used to be peopled by rugged individualists. Now it is slowly becoming more and more regulated and liberal.
Long story short, come on over if you are a "conservaterian" type, stay away or go elsewhere if you have Lib tendencies.
MHO only.
Lib tendencies? I'm so consertative that at 20 years old I complained to Rush Limbaugh that he was turning to the left. In the second grade I led a group of classmates around the play ground shouting "Regan Rules, Carter Sucks!!!" Every political test I have ever taken has pegged me as far right as I could get, the only problem is that the chart doesn't go far enough to the right[;)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by Mk 19
quote:quote:
Originally posted by Mk 19
quote:
I applaud your efforts and convictions, but you'd be better of applying your energies and resources to moving to a different state.
That is in the long term plans, I'm just trying to decide if Arizona, Navada or Oregon would be better.
If you come to Arizona, make sure you leave any support for Kali type regulations and laws behind.
Far to many Kali folks are moving here to "get away" and then systematically push for infringements here in Arizona. In addition, the real estate market in the north country is priced almost out of reach for anyone not rich, thanks again to Kali folks.
Arizona is a state that used to be peopled by rugged individualists. Now it is slowly becoming more and more regulated and liberal.
Long story short, come on over if you are a "conservaterian" type, stay away or go elsewhere if you have Lib tendencies.
MHO only.
Lib tendencies? I'm so consertative that at 20 years old I complained to Rush Limbaugh that he was turning to the left. In the second grade I led a group of classmates around the play ground shouting "Regan Rules, Carter Sucks!!!" Every political test I have ever taken has pegged me as far right as I could get, the only problem is that the chart doesn't go far enough to the right[;)]
My kind of people. Welcome to Az.[^][^]0 -
The Miami PD used to sell them (after individual officer's stole "borrowed" the expensive ones) at auction, all in one lot...only to licensed FFLs, who were invited to attend.
One FFL w/deep pockets always seemed to win all time.
Then, one of the firearms purchased at the PD auction by this FFL ended up being used in a crime.
The local media ran w/the story.
Now, the City of Miami PD dumps them out at sea in very deep water.
What a waste, especially when officers who want to carry AR-15s HAVE to purchase them w/their own money...the City is too cheap to pay for them.0
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