Watching "Shootout" late night last night

[Dr.Rob]

Old history channel show about the SLA/ NYPD shootout was on last night. Along with typical reinactor stuff was archive footage of the real thing.. which showed LAPD SWAT officers with what looked like MP40 machine pistols.

Sure enough, after a bit of research, I found that LAPD SWAT was armed with Colt AR-15s but had FOUR automatic weapons at the scene, (2) full auto M-16's and (2) MP 40 machine guns that had previously been confiscated.

The SLA had (4) illegally converted M1 carbines, a semi auto BAR hunting rifle, numerous sawed off shotguns and pistols.

Something like NINE THOUSAND rounds were fired in total during the standoff.. shocking more people weren't killed.

Anyway this made me wonder if other officers on the board had used confiscated arms for police work, or heard of such a thing?

 

[avs11054]

I was issued a brand new Glock 22 and a used Colt 6920, but it was new when the department got it. I can't imagine using a confiscated gun for a duty weapon. Who knows what the bad guys did to it. I guess maybe if it had been checked out real good. But as far as I know on my department, that does not happen. I would guess this might happen with smaller departments who don't have the funding to constantly be buying new guns, but seeing as the OP mentions LAPD, maybe my logic is off.

I also think there was a law just recently passed in AZ that allows departments to sell confiscated guns (as long as they're not needed as evidence or something like that) to gun dealers and then back to the public. Few departments are doing that though IIRC.

 

[Zoogster]

Somewhat similar is that full automatic weapons typically were not actually used by early SWAT and other named paramilitary teams.


The LA PD (also the individuals responding to the SLA in Los Angeles) being the early SWAT is a good example.
Since the SWAT teams were typically using semi auto firearms in platforms most of the public were familiar with only as select fire weapons, back in the days of primarily revolvers, it was simply presumed they were using full auto firearms by most of the public. When the public saw ARs at that time they thought military m16 and presumed select fire.

As a result it went almost entirely unnoticed when they did begin to use primarily select fire weapons such as carbines and submachineguns because most of the public was under the impression they already had been using them.