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Teen may face charges for shipping an AK-47 to Canada
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
By Theresa D. Mcclellan
The Grand Rapids Press
A 15-year-old Grand Rapids-area boy could face federal weapons charges after he allegedly mailed an AK-47 assault rifle to a Canadian teen, who is accused of taking the gun to his high school and pointing it at another student.
The local boy, who has not been named by authorities, reportedly met the Canadian teenager on the Internet while the two were playing "Counterstrike," a popular weapons-based computer game. The boy allegedly mailed the AK-47 to the Canadian teen in hopes of getting two pistols in return.
"The primary charge is federal violation of shipping a firearm out of the country. But we're dealing with a juvenile, which makes it another issue," said Mark Hady, resident agent in charge of the Grand Rapids division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The firearms shipping charge carries a 10-year prison penalty, but it's unlikely the teen will face that offense, Hady said. The incident will be presented to the U.S. attorney's office by the end of the week for possible charges.
U.S. officials were notified Thursday by Canadian authorities, who made the Grand Rapids-area connection by tracking the Canadian teen's computer activity.
The Canadian teen, from the Hamilton area, appeared in an Ontario court Tuesday for a bail hearing. He is charged with assault with a weapon, threatening, possession of a prohibited weapon and pointing a firearm. The Catholic high school student allegedly pointed the loaded weapon at another teen at Joan of Arc elementary school and showed off the gun to friends Jan. 16 at a coffee shop.
U.S. officials tracked the weapon to the Grand Rapids area, Hady said.
"His mom bought the gun for him. We have talked with the mom, but can't talk about the details of the case. It's still under investigation," Hady said.
Hady said he could not release the name or the hometown of the Grand Rapids-area youth or his mother.
He confirmed reports from Tuesday's Hamilton Spectator News of Ontario. The newspaper said a teen from "a middle-income suburb of Grand Rapids" met the Canadian teen online six months ago. The computer game they were playing involves counterterrorist operations and hostage rescues.
According to the Ontario newspaper, the boys eventually started talking online about guns and brokered a trade in which the local boy agreed to send the AK-47 if the Canadian teen would send two handguns.
To show they would make good on the deal, they e-mailed each other "proof" of their merchandise, the newspaper said.
The Grand Rapids-area boy reportedly sent a picture of himself holding a mass-produced duplicate of the Russian AK-47, widely used around the world.He allegedly stated on his package he was mailing an aluminum baseball bat.
Local gun enthusiasts and sporting goods store employees were not shocked a parent would purchase an AK-47 for a teen.
"An adult can purchase a shotgun or rifle. The child has to have hunter's safety classes to hunt with it or to target shoot," said Lori Bachelder, of Bachelder Master Gunmakers on Grand Rapids' Northeast Side.
She added a parent is legally responsible for that firearm until a child turns 18.
Bachelder described an AK-47 as an assault weapon. "They are military guns, and you can hunt with it. It isn't any more or less deadly than any gun," said Bachelder.
Her husband, Brad Bachelder, noted that Canadian law prohibits the export of firearms.
"It's difficult to get a gun into Canada, period. I've never heard of anyone successfully attempting to ship to Canada," he said.
Charles Quijanow, an assistant manager at Dunham's Sports, was not surprised a mother would purchase an AK-47 for her son.
"There are some people who don't see it as something that is wrong. It's just a gun, and you don't differentiate between guns. A gun is a gun, from a .22 to a machine gun, to them it doesn't matter," Quijanow said.
He noted an AK-47 is not a small gun.
"That's like buying a Ferrari or a muscle car for your 14-year-old kid. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense," he said.
Spokesmen for the top three mail-delivery companies said they have safeguards against weapons in the mail. The ATF would not say which delivery system the Grand Rapids-area teen used.
FedEx and United Parcel Service spokesmen said they accept firearm shipments only from licensed importers, dealers and collectors.
"We have very tight security and are doing what we can to protect ourselves and customers," said Bob McCluskey, Fed-Ex spokesman.
But with tens of thousands of packages daily, no one can inspect every shipment, said Gina Haisma of the U.S. Postal Service's Grand Rapids headquarters.
"We do have security procedures, and our clerks are trained. But if people aren't honest about what they are putting in their packages, we don't have the means of inspecting what's inside every package," she said.
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
By Theresa D. Mcclellan
The Grand Rapids Press
A 15-year-old Grand Rapids-area boy could face federal weapons charges after he allegedly mailed an AK-47 assault rifle to a Canadian teen, who is accused of taking the gun to his high school and pointing it at another student.
The local boy, who has not been named by authorities, reportedly met the Canadian teenager on the Internet while the two were playing "Counterstrike," a popular weapons-based computer game. The boy allegedly mailed the AK-47 to the Canadian teen in hopes of getting two pistols in return.
"The primary charge is federal violation of shipping a firearm out of the country. But we're dealing with a juvenile, which makes it another issue," said Mark Hady, resident agent in charge of the Grand Rapids division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The firearms shipping charge carries a 10-year prison penalty, but it's unlikely the teen will face that offense, Hady said. The incident will be presented to the U.S. attorney's office by the end of the week for possible charges.
U.S. officials were notified Thursday by Canadian authorities, who made the Grand Rapids-area connection by tracking the Canadian teen's computer activity.
The Canadian teen, from the Hamilton area, appeared in an Ontario court Tuesday for a bail hearing. He is charged with assault with a weapon, threatening, possession of a prohibited weapon and pointing a firearm. The Catholic high school student allegedly pointed the loaded weapon at another teen at Joan of Arc elementary school and showed off the gun to friends Jan. 16 at a coffee shop.
U.S. officials tracked the weapon to the Grand Rapids area, Hady said.
"His mom bought the gun for him. We have talked with the mom, but can't talk about the details of the case. It's still under investigation," Hady said.
Hady said he could not release the name or the hometown of the Grand Rapids-area youth or his mother.
He confirmed reports from Tuesday's Hamilton Spectator News of Ontario. The newspaper said a teen from "a middle-income suburb of Grand Rapids" met the Canadian teen online six months ago. The computer game they were playing involves counterterrorist operations and hostage rescues.
According to the Ontario newspaper, the boys eventually started talking online about guns and brokered a trade in which the local boy agreed to send the AK-47 if the Canadian teen would send two handguns.
To show they would make good on the deal, they e-mailed each other "proof" of their merchandise, the newspaper said.
The Grand Rapids-area boy reportedly sent a picture of himself holding a mass-produced duplicate of the Russian AK-47, widely used around the world.He allegedly stated on his package he was mailing an aluminum baseball bat.
Local gun enthusiasts and sporting goods store employees were not shocked a parent would purchase an AK-47 for a teen.
"An adult can purchase a shotgun or rifle. The child has to have hunter's safety classes to hunt with it or to target shoot," said Lori Bachelder, of Bachelder Master Gunmakers on Grand Rapids' Northeast Side.
She added a parent is legally responsible for that firearm until a child turns 18.
Bachelder described an AK-47 as an assault weapon. "They are military guns, and you can hunt with it. It isn't any more or less deadly than any gun," said Bachelder.
Her husband, Brad Bachelder, noted that Canadian law prohibits the export of firearms.
"It's difficult to get a gun into Canada, period. I've never heard of anyone successfully attempting to ship to Canada," he said.
Charles Quijanow, an assistant manager at Dunham's Sports, was not surprised a mother would purchase an AK-47 for her son.
"There are some people who don't see it as something that is wrong. It's just a gun, and you don't differentiate between guns. A gun is a gun, from a .22 to a machine gun, to them it doesn't matter," Quijanow said.
He noted an AK-47 is not a small gun.
"That's like buying a Ferrari or a muscle car for your 14-year-old kid. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense," he said.
Spokesmen for the top three mail-delivery companies said they have safeguards against weapons in the mail. The ATF would not say which delivery system the Grand Rapids-area teen used.
FedEx and United Parcel Service spokesmen said they accept firearm shipments only from licensed importers, dealers and collectors.
"We have very tight security and are doing what we can to protect ourselves and customers," said Bob McCluskey, Fed-Ex spokesman.
But with tens of thousands of packages daily, no one can inspect every shipment, said Gina Haisma of the U.S. Postal Service's Grand Rapids headquarters.
"We do have security procedures, and our clerks are trained. But if people aren't honest about what they are putting in their packages, we don't have the means of inspecting what's inside every package," she said.
