FoXNews.com: Feds Raid Alabama Militia Group, Uncover Small Weapons Arsenal

[Ohioan]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,268726,00.html

Those in custody aren't being charged with any plot to use the grenades against anyone, however, but will be charged with weapons possession and stockpiling.

Is the stockpiling of ammo breaking the law? And what do they consider stockpiling? Or is it just an innaccurate statement? Or dealing with the explosives?

 

[Kali Endgame]

Guns, Drugs, Bombs, Machine guns, oh my. They definitely stepped in it this time.

If Ohio has limits on the number of rounds you can have, then stockpilling could be a crime.

At least they didn't get charged with RICO.

 

[Ohioan]

I don't kow if Ohio does or not... I should find out...
I have a little 9mm and about 1000rnds of 7.62x54R but that's about it



"RICO"?

 

[Prince Yamato]

Agents also found more than 120 marijuana plants, Martin said.

2500 rounds of ammo... ooh... hardly enough to fill a U-Haul... but I could understand the drug charges... which they mention AT THE BOTTOM of the article!

 

[Ohioan]

Silly Prince Yamato, pot plants won't kill innocent children at the school next door.... actually oh, a lightbulb just went off... i wonder who they were selling tha tpot to?

 

[mindwip]

Rico is a law that says if you hang around your friends you can go to jail. Because it is posable you were thinking bad thoughts. And you might of carried them out so the Feds send you off to jail early. It was ment to break up the mafia, sense when all the "bad guys" meet nothing good could come from it. So they thought hay lets keep them from meeting. Thats what i heard rico is, but could be wrong.

 

[eng23ine]

Agents also recovered enough live ammo to fill a U-Haul trailer

2500 rounds of ammunition

Must be a REALLY small U-haul.

Anybody know the exact numbers that are needed to be considered "stockpiled"?

 

[Titan6]

120 plants? Maybe not for personal use?

Drugs and guns... Sounds like someone decided to put a gang together and call it a militia. 2500 rounds is not even enough for a day at the range for a platoon.

 

[Big Calhoun]

Somehow, I think the rounds of ammo are the least of the concerns in this scenario...

 

[BigO01]

COLLINSVILLE, Ala. — Federal and state agents have uncovered a small arsenal of home-made weapons that included a rocket launcher, 130 hand grenades and 70 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) similiar to the kind used by insurgents against American GIs in Iraq.

Well it sounds like the grenades and IED's will be enough to send them away for a very long time .

 

[Robert Hairless]

Look at the first paragraph of that article:

Federal and state agents have uncovered a small arsenal of home-made weapons that included a rocket launcher, 130 hand grenades and 70 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) similiar to the kind used by insurgents against American GIs in Iraq.

 

[GhostlyKarliion]

Drugs and guns... Sounds like someone decided to put a gang together and call it a militia. 2500 rounds is not even enough for a day at the range for a platoon

What platoon... 2500 is not enough far a whole day at the range for me...

heh, that doesn't sound like a 'militia' to me, more like a group of people have a stock pile of weapons.

Illegal federal law makes that a crime now I guess.

Sad... so sad.

 

[Jim K]

"Stockpiling" is one of those terms used by lazy LEOs and ignorant reporters who don't want to bother to find out what the law says. There is no such term in federal law that I know of.

But it makes great PR for BATFE, and their appropiations bill comes up soon, which is what it is all about. I have no doubt that the group exists, but I wonder how long BATFE has known about it, and been willing to endanger the public while waiting for the right moment to impress Congress.

Jim

 

[22-rimfire]

I believe the charge is a weapons charge although there is probably a drug charge as well. It really gets me that news people report 2,500 rounds as something significant. For a militia group, I suspect the ammo quantity is rather small considering they probably buy in case lots. There supply must have been getting low.

 

[Ala Dan]

Changing Times In Alabama

I don't blame federal officers for taking the drugs and drug dealers, pushers,
or illegal substance users off the street; but in my way of think'in 2500
rounds of ammuntiion, ain't a'bout nothing. With the scarcity of surplus .223
ammo mounting everyday, and the escalation of its pricing all who shoot this
caliber need to stockpile all they can get~! I don't have nearly that much on
hand, but I'm thinking of picking up a couple 1,000 round cases myself from
my employer. Of course, I'm not a member of any militia or para-military group
either~!

 

[22-rimfire]

I shutter to think what the news people would say about me if I ever did anything illegal. I really don't even know how much ammo I have on hand, but if you count 22 ammo, then a lot from a news reporter's perspective anyway.

 

[220_Swift]

Rico is a law that says if you hang around your friends you can go to jail. Because it is posable you were thinking bad thoughts. And you might of carried them out so the Feds send you off to jail early. It was ment to break up the mafia, sense when all the "bad guys" meet nothing good could come from it. So they thought hay lets keep them from meeting. Thats what i heard rico is, but could be wrong.

RICO Stands for Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, and is known as the RICO Act.

Under RICO, a person or group who commits any two of 35 crimes—27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes—within a 10-year period and, in the opinion of the United States Attorney bringing the case, has committed those crimes with similar purpose or results can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $25,000 and/or sentenced to 20 years in prison. In addition, the racketeer must forfeit all ill-gotten gains and interest in any business gained through a pattern of "racketeering activity."

More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rico_law

 

[ArfinGreebly]

2500 Rounds

Yer kidding, rite?

Lessee, that's five bricks of .22 LR.

It's 25 boxes of WWB in any of 9mm, .40 S&W, .38 special.

What the hell?

That's what, maybe two or three trips to the range with the kids?

What's next, making it illegal to walk around with more than ten thousand dollars? (There was a time when that was serious money. Now it's barely a down payment on a decent car.)

Wait, wait! I can think of something even stupider!

Food stockpiling! Fer shur! Clearly, anyone stockpiling food is expecting trouble. Now, since the government is taking care of things, why would you expect trouble, hmmmm? Unless you're planning to start something that is, right?

So stockpiling food is clearly an indicator that you're plotting something socially disruptive, and if you're doing that you must obviously have friends (no one could do this on his own).

Therefore, stockpiling food is clear evidence of conspiracy to commit terrorism.

Q.E.D.

 

[ball3006]

I about snorted my morning coffee...

when I saw where 2500 "live" rounds of ammo would fill a uhaul trailer. I need to show this article to my UPS guy who has to lug my ammo orders to my door......chris3

 

[JackShandy]

I cringe when I hear what constitutes a large amount of ammo. When the subject comes up, I compare it to driving-range golf...

You buy the expensive equipment (clubs alone can cost upwards of $1000.00, or so I'm told), you pay to join a club, you sometimes have to set aside time to go there, maybe pay more for tee-time, etc...if you go through all that are you going to hit just one package of balls (say, 12) and call it a day?

No! You're going to hit buckets and buckets of balls; in other words, you want your money's worth! Same thing with shooting; why go to all the trouble/cost just to fire off one box of 50?

 

[Master Blaster]

The weapons cache also included a machine gun, a short barreled shot-gun, two silencers, numerous other firearms, 2500 rounds of ammunition, explosive components, and commercial fireworks. Agents also found more than 120 marijuana plants, Martin said.

 

[Big Calhoun]

Just a couple of KEY points that seem to be missing from the discussion...

Federal and state agents have uncovered a small arsenal of home-made weapons that included a rocket launcher, 130 hand grenades and 70 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) similiar to the kind used by insurgents against American GIs in Iraq.

The weapons cache also included a machine gun, a short barreled shot-gun, two silencers, numerous other firearms, 2500 rounds of ammunition, explosive components, and commercial fireworks. Agents also found more than 120 marijuana plants, Martin said.

Sources told FOX News that the six suspects were involved in manufacturing homemade weapons and explosives, and that one of the suspects had tried to sell hand grenades to undercover federal agents. The group has also allegedly been involved in the sales and distribution of other types of explosive devices and weapons, but the nature of these has not yet been revealed.

I can understand how the whole 2500 rounds and 'stockpiling' has feathers in a ruffle, but there IS a bigger picture here which appears to be selectively ignored. I can't see how anyone can offer any defense to this group and/or associate the totality of their activity as a positive for the RKBA. But, that's just me...or not...

 

[Geister]

How is this any different than what the British tried to do in Lexington and Concorde?

 

[whited]

.

Seems to me if they wouldn't have had the pot trees, it wouldn't be such
a big deal. That's likely what brought the JBTs, but the media of course will
focus on the colossal stockpile of EVIL GUNS AND WHATNOT.

*note to self: buy another new ammo can tonight and fill it with various items*

*maybe two*

 

[Tommygunn]

How is this any different than what the British tried to do in Lexington and Concorde?

To me this was a pretty local event, and was on the local channels. These guys are "Bubba Wannabes" and they are pretty unsavory characters. I know people here often believe marijuana should be legal. I have no intention of debating the merits of THAT case here; but the fact is it is illegal to cultivate, possess and sell marijuana. That's how these guys were financing their ... arsenal of "democracy."
They were also keeping handgrenades and rifle-propelled grenades. As well, making explosives. Explosives by their nature are unstable and some become more so with age and/or improper storage.
Do you really want your neighbor storing enough to take down the whole neighborhood?
A lot of the guns were probably legal in and of themselves; but made illegal because of their possession by individuals involved in illegal drugs.
So they get hit with drugs & those guns.
They also had one machine gun, apparantly. Anyone think they paid the NFA tax on that? Naaaaaaaa.
If I was the benevolent dictator of the USA, I would shredd the NFA of 34 and a lot of other laws, but I'm not, and what these guys were doing is not the way to change the law.
It's really laughable to call these Rambo wannabes a militia. Did they fight? No. The feds went in at zero dark thirty and -WHACK!- these guys folded up faster than a cheap camera.
Militia? Don't make me laugh.

They are illegal drug sellers. Thugs. Undesirables.

NOT minutemen ....by any POSSIBLE STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION!!!!!