[mwithers72]

Man arrested for weapons arsenal
By SHEILA BURKE
The Tennessean
Staff Writer
and CHRIS TUCKER
The Ashland City Times

http://www.ashlandcitytimes.com/news/stories/20030827/manarrested.shtml

Only one spark in the right place and the sheer amount of firepower stockpiled in Steven
Lasky's home would have leveled his house and shook the block, officials said yesterday.

So much weaponry was in his Ashland City home, federal agents said, that it took several hours to remove it.

Investigators displayed a variety of weapons that they said had been confiscated from 1005 Trouble Road, including seven machine guns, about 500 blasting caps, military explosives and handmade grenades.

Why Lasky had the devices and ammunition was still under investigation, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and exlosives said.

"His residence itself was a hazard with all the explosive material that he had there," said
Larry Cooper, ATF assistant special agent in charge. "It was a danger to the community."

Lasky, 45, was arrested Thursday in Cheatham County after agents began a raid on his home. He was charged with one count of possessing firearms not registered with the National Firearms Registry and one count of unlawfully making firearms. Jim Vines, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, suggested the charges were preliminary and would change
later.

Agents would not say what led them to the home, about five miles from the Davidson County line, only that officials had received some information. Cooper, questioned at a news conference yesterday, said he would rather not speculate about what Lasky was planning to do with the weapons.

Lasky had C-4, a plastic military explosive, and conversion kits that are used to change semi-automatic weapons into machine guns. Agents said they were still looking into where he got the kits and the C-4.

"The military does not sell those items," Cooper said.

Authorities released few details about Lasky. He has served in the military and doesn't appear to have any criminal record, they said. He was not, as some of his neighbors said, a federally licensed firearms dealer.

Lasky lives alone and has a small tattered American flag in his front yard. A
camouflage-painted truck and similarly painted shed are on the property.

Many of his neighbors called Lasky a good man and voiced support for him after his arrest.

Elizabeth Carroll was one of them. She said Lasky had lived there for about three years and mowed yards for neighbors. She also said he once helped pull her son's car out when it got stuck.

"You need help? He was there to help you," she said.

The ATF didn't disagree that Lasky was congenial.

"Federal agents don't dispute that Steven Lasky was a good neighbor," Cooper said. "He just happens to be in violation of federal firearms laws."
___________________________________________________________

Now thats an arsenal if I ever saw one:eek:

[Nightcrawler]

Of course, it was stupid that possession of machine guns got him in so much trouble, but such is the way of things today.

However, if he did have explosives stored at home, especially (quite possibly unstable home made ones), he was endangering himself and anyone who lived near him, and that was ridiculously irresponsible on his part.

[Bigjake]

when the hell did it become law we have to register our guns with some "National Firearms Registry " this is such a load of BS.... also, is it illegal to have c4 and blasting caps? as a kid in tenn. we played with blasting caps on a regular basis, since when do they cause this much noise over something that small?

[Don Gwinn]

1934, sir.

[IMtheNRA]

Bigjake, machine guns, in order to be legal, must be registered.

[Ex-Doc]

camouflage-painted truck......get a warrant he must have something

[HankL]

Sounds like the guy was a bit more strange than most of us around here.

[Bigjake]

Don & IMtheNRA- i stand corrected, guess i knew that about machine guns, i was thinking it was all in general.

[Quartus]

also, is it illegal to have c4 and blasting caps?

Yep. If you don't have the proper license. As for storing them being irresponsible, nonsense. They're less dangerous than the gasoline in your car's gas tank.


Home made may be another story. Depends if he knew what he was doing.

[Standing Wolf]

Agents would not say what led them to the home, about five miles from the Davidson County line, only that officials had received some information.

I'll bet they used their super-secret decoder rings to evaluate the information.

[blades67]

At least the fbi and atf didn't shoot anyone this time.:rolleyes:

[Nightcrawler]

Yes, C4 is very stable. I've worked with it quite a bit.

However, it depends on the quantities of explosives were talking about. Enough C4 can make very big holes in things, and even a few pounds can do a number on concrete. If he's storing C4 and blasting caps in the same place, not only is he irresponsible, he's criminally stupid.

Regardless, I'd be very nervous around any hayduke or homemade explosives that somebody cooked up themselves. Especially if they use stuff like old-fashioned dynamite or nitro...

But this is speculation at this point, and it's assuming that what the article said about his having explosives is accurate.

[glockten]

And he lives on Trouble Road?:D

[kenehsr]

:scrutiny: Ok Mwithers72. What did ya'll get and who's sell'n?:scrutiny:

:D :neener: :neener: :neener: :D

[Cosmoline]

C4? Blasting caps?

Gotta admit, that there IS an arsenal. Puts my collection to shame.

[0007]

I think I read somewhere on another board that the C-4 turned out to be play-dough that he was using as a "visual" for some display or some such. He did apparently have sveral "homemade" surpressors and that fired up the batfags.

[gunsmith]

I don't know how to do all that stuff.
I pray to God that there will
be folks around to show me how
if the SHTF.
I am willing to bet a days pay that
the guy was harmless

[greyhound]

How much you wanna bet someone learned he had some "un-politically correct" social views?

[Tamara]

Read between the lines; it wasn't that he had "machineguns", it was that he had "conversion kits that are used to change semi-automatic weapons into machine guns." You can (or at least you could) buy AR-15 stubby sears, three-position selectors, and suchlike completely unregulated at any gun show or via mail. There is no law against owning them. Unless you also own an AR, that is. If you own both an AR and even one of the parts required to convert it to full-auto, then you are (in the eyes of F-troop) guilty of "constructive possession of a machine gun," whether the parts are in the gun, or even in the same room. I'd bet good money that he committed the awful felony of buying a couple of automatic fire control parts sets (stubby sears and the like) for his AR's as a novelty and didn't have them in the guns.

Hmmm... That's what, two? three? "arsenals" in the last two months or so. Oh, well, at least they're not burning the places down anymore. ;)

[Darrin]

When I first read the story, I had to try and remember what streets some of my friends live on up there. :uhoh: ;)

I'd match the "days pay" that he was harmless. I'm also still curious about what led them to this guy. :scrutiny:


If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to burying the school bus in my back yard. :neener:

[Double Naught Spy]

The guy lived on Trouble Road? You have to wonder if the nearest cross street was Anarchy Way.

You just gotta love the title of the article and title of this thread as they are both wrong as to the actual events. He was not arrested for having an arsenal. Many of us have arsentals, although most of us probably don't have unlicensed machine guns, illegally manufacturing firearms, and explosives. No doubt there will be other charges, but none for having an arsenal. There may be other gun charges, Hazmat-related charges, zoning charges, etc.

QUOTE

"He was charged with one count of possessing firearms not registered with the National Firearms Registry and one count of unlawfully making firearms."

[TallPine]

Jim Vines, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, suggested the charges were preliminary and would change later

To what ...?

Possibly no charges at all ....?

:rolleyes:

[Nightfall]

Jeez TallPine, give 'em a break. They just got the guy! It takes time for them to figure out why they arrested him. :rolleyes:

[TallPine]

:D

[RustyHammer]

Wonder what his TFL name was? :p

[willyjixx]

why cant i have cool neighbors like that:D


"say bob you got a stump puller? sure let me mix up a batch:evil: "

[TallPine]

This really isn't all that funny ...

What I predict will happen, is that they will drop all charges, but not return any of his property.

Gun confiscation in progress. Coming to a neighborhood near you.

[Doug444]

Hmmmm...."Enemies Foreign and Domestic", anyone? Truth IS stranger than fiction.:scrutiny:

[Tim McBride]

Charges will probally be dropped or plead to some minor ones.

THis is typical practice for the Feds, raid the place, take the guns and then OOPS can't charge you......
When that happened to a dealer I know here in AZ it took quite awhile for the return of the firearms, and some were "lost"

_Tim

[Skunkabilly]

What's the difference between blasting caps and busting caps? :confused:

[Nightcrawler]

You're joking, right Skunky?

"Busting a cap" is urban slang for shooting someone.

A "blasting cap" is a small, relatively low-powered explosive that's used to set off other, larger explosives. By low powered, I mean that a typical one would, say, only take off your fingers if it went off in your hand. There are different types of blasting caps used for different types of explosives, mind you, as some explosives require more powerful "high density" caps and others need only less powerful "low density" caps. (Not just typical explosives, but things like shock tube, detonating cord (or primer cord as they call it in hollywood), etc.)

[Daedalus]

Heavens to betsy how dare this man violate our byzantine gun and explosive laws. I think we should have the homes of every person suspected of having an arsenal that may/or may not be illegal raided and all firearms seized prior to public humilation and incarceration.:rolleyes:

[Bruce in West Oz]

Daedalus:
... public humilation and incarceration.
:what:
Incarceration?!? Hope you mean chemically and not with a knife!!

:evil: :D :evil:

(Ah, gee, sometimes I crack myself up ...)

Bruce

[Double Naught Spy]

So why do y'all think the charges will be dropped? Dropped or not, there is no way in hell they will be returning any form of contrand back to the guy. He definitely won't get his machine guns, homemade guns, or explosives materials.

[PrudentGT]

Yeah, I'm a little puzzled too. Did all the other 'explosives' turn out to be props as well? I'm almost certain he made the mistake of owning both full auto parts and the weapon they go in to, but what's this 'one count of unlawfully making a firearm?' I was under the impression you could make anything you wanted so long as you did not sell it. Maybe since having full auto parts + weapon they fit into = constructive possession, this was the 'making' he's been charged with... Byzantine is right...