The couple, who did not want to be identified, thought they were buying 100 empty gun storage cases from a military surplus website to resell on eBay.

“It’s just a case, everybody can buy it online,” one of them said.

But when a friend cracked open one of the cases, they found it was far from empty.


The couple found at least a dozen fully automatic M16s designed strictly for military use.

Not sure what to do, they reported it to authorities.

Within hours, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives seized the single box and quickly got a search warrant for the storage unit containing 100 more. Experts were shocked by what they found.


https://www.kktv.com/2022/09/27/box-m16-weapons-shipped-couples-home/?outputType=amp

Why would they say anything?


Sheesh

man sheeit. If i bought a couch off the craig list and it had cushions fulla cash and cheeba

Dis neeguh aint sayn sheeit

LOL. Same thought.

😳

Thought the same thing.. then every-time a thread is started on what’s the best AR15 you could say well my m16 is the best. Made bybcolt??! Whoever they are..

Pretty cool surprise.

I never get that lucky.

Fremin says the military carefully tracks all its weapons, because any misplaced weapons can be extremely dangerous.

We're talking about the US military, correct?

Kinda like a storage unit auction. ALL the chit in there is YOURS if you’re the high bidder.

Interesting legalities, which I don't fully understand...

If the government sold it, the buyer owns it.

However, the new owner may not be able to legally possess it. Possession and ownership are separate things. So the immediate first step is to get the firearms into the hands of an FFL who has the right license to handle them. Then negotiate from there.

IIRC, government sales, such as CMP do not require an FFL.

An interesting riddle for legal minds to solve.

Damn… that would be a find. What are they going for now a days like $12-15 grand a piece?

Mum's the word. I remember an article in the Pioneer Press from roughly 25 years ago about a automatic Thompson sub machine gun being found in a St. Paul attic. The guy who found it turned it in. Probably belonged to Dillinger. Oh well.

HMMMMMM- - - - -12 guns per case, and they bought 100 cases. That's enough to equip a fair-sized militia! The goobermint obviously screwed up, letting that number of guns go missing. Chances are the paperwork SNAFU would never have been discovered if they had just kept their pie holes shut!

I worked in our local gun store during my high school and college years. Atlanta.

A shipment of six AR-15’s came in one day and while we were logging them in, checking chambers to ensure they were unloaded, etc, we found the safety went all the way around to the full auto position. Huh? The receivers were clearly marked “AR” and were Colt mfg. We loaded a magazine and went out back and discovered they were indeed full auto!

We kept the secret while owner wondered what to do with his six new toys. He sold one or two to friends and a few days later ATF showed up and simply asked “Where are they?” “Excuse me, but what?” “You know what….now where are those M-16’s you recently received?” We showed him our recently received “AR-15’s” and pleaded ignorance. ATF pulled the 4473’s of the ones sold and directed the folks to bring em back in or else. Turns out Colt had notified the authorities of their assembly line error and that started the ball rolling. ATF got all six of them, carted them off and that was the last we heard of it.

What are lowers these days, $50? Just buy some lowers and strip out the parts. Destroy the receivers and those things were 100% legal.

Yep.

Here's how "careful" they are:

By the time the last U.S. transport aircraft left Afghan airspace on Aug. 30, 2021, 70 percent of U.S. weapons given to the Afghan forces over the past 16 years were left in the country as well as nearly $48 million worth of ammunition.

In all, the United States left behind more than $7 billion worth of weapons and equipment when it left Afghanistan last year...

There are more than 250,000 automatic rifles, 95 drones, and more than a million mortar rounds that require little training to use. And if the Taliban don’t use the systems, the cash-starved militant group could pass them on to American adversaries or they could find their way into the hands of terror groups.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/04/28/the-u-s-left-billions-worth-of-weapons-in-afghanistan/

That's a pretty high risk vs reward.

A dozen semi auto AR-15s in A2 configuration is worth maybe $10,000.

Getting caught playing that game is worth 10 years in a Fed Pen.



The Fed gears may move slow but they grind fine.

What configuration was Eric Holder passing out like jujubes ??

Rubber bands and sticks don’t cost much but the penalty for getting caught with an m16 is steep.

Probably another two bit sting operation to see if they could sucker someone into keeping them. Nothing is off the table anymore.

Morons.

Dumb asses should have kept their mouth shut.

LOL.

Over a dozen M-16s that .Gov would probably come looking for sooner or later?

If you're stupidly infatuated with full auto there are way less risky way to be dumb.


They would have snagged more than a few tards here at the Fire if that was the play.

Much like the IRS, aye Johnny?

Johnny fatbelly stands with gayghost and northmam.

Said a surprise when they went to the storage e, but not what.
Those were destined for some clandestine operation

Urban legend is a crate of trapdoors was found in a denver moving warehouse. Supposedly brand new; but could be Bannerman, some surplus store or who knows if they really existed. At least I could use a trapdoor, unlike an m16.

A Transferable M-16 in good shape is north of $30 k.

Those would not be transferable so 10 years if you tried to sell them.

Check all the boxes. Wearing gloves.
If only 1 or 2 have guns, buy a 20' storage container and store all the boxes.
Guns toward back. Never, ever, ever say a word. Buy more boxes,
price high so not many sell.
Possession, deniability.

CMP is not a government agency. You do have to fill out a 4473 along with a couple other forms and they do a background check.

Sounds like Peeky Blinders to me...

Sounded like a Fed setup to me . Wouldn’t keep for any amount. Edk

Civilian's can own a M16 BUT only if it was manufactured prior to iirc 1986 and do the full background check and pay the $200 tax stamp.

There is absolutely no way possible for them to keep those guns legally.

CMP does not sell military surplus automatic or semi automatic rifles to civilians anywho.
In addition, there is no FFL (who want to keep their license and remain out of prison) that would accept M16's made after 1986.

Destroy the receivers and they were just parts kits.

No Country for Old Men
A Perfect Plan
Treasure of the Sierra Madre

So many movies made about unearned gain and most don't end well.

Probably part of Biden’s MS-13 Outreach program.