[nerdwithamachinegun]

They were illegally converted. Those guys had been picked up previously on weapons charges.

Factory full auto AK fire control parts are readily available. Converting an AK is a little involved but not too hard. I don't believe for a second that they used "hand made parts" in the sense that they machined an autosear out in the garage and welded a trip on the bolt carrier. They probably got all the neccessary parts then modified the receiver for the autosear and slapped it together.
One of the other weapons used was an HK91 which was also illegally converted. It fires a more powerful round and is more readily converted but is less controllable on auto and the magazines are usually of lower capacity. A G3 (military HK91) will rearrange your dental work. You've got to put some ass behind it to keep it under control.

The SKS was never designed as anything other than a semi-automatic infantry rifle. Originally they came with a 10 round semi/mostly-internal magazine loaded from the top by stripper clips like a '98 Mauser or '03 Springfield. Frequently they are modified with junky 30 round mags that usually don't work well.
The AK and SKS are very different rifles. Converting an SKS to work in semi AND full auto is pretty involved and not practical. The Chinese have produced factory examples of such rifles but not in large numbers.
Hacking nearly any semi-auto firearm to fire full auto is well within the capabilities of most idiots. The usefulness of automatic fire is an entirely different discussion.

I agree that a greater degree marksmanship probably would have ended things more quickly. I watched the TV coverage live and was pretty amazed at police rounds impacting six feet from the apparent targets.

Every single time you hear a talking head on TV say anything firearms related you are quite safe in assuming that they are completely wrong, ignorant and possibly being intentionally misleading. This is more frequently the case when a reporter utters the sounds "AK", "SKS", "machinegun", "assault rifle" and the word "automatic" in any relation to the subject of firearms.
Reporturds and scared witnesses frequently mistake an SKS for an AK.

[Conspiracy Guy]

I watched the New Orleans Howard Johnsons siege on live TV channel 10 in early 70s this was the pre SWAT days. The idiot police rushed a metal door on top of the building from two different angles that were such that they were deflecting rounds into each other. Back to N Hollywood, With a police issue sidearm a person who can't make a head shot at 50 yards needs to go to the range. It should have been obvious that a headshot was necessary. At anyrate I've seen little actual coverage and didn't know as much as you. Thanks

[Atlas Sneezed]

"A G3 (military HK91) will rearrange your dental work. You've got to put some ass behind it to keep it under control."

Amen. Even on a concrete bench with a bipod, it would take some shoulder, and some practice to make tshots 2-20 count for anything.

That said, all lawful citizens have the right to such weapons (which right is currently infringed.)

[Atlas Sneezed]

"Every single time you hear a talking head on TV say anything firearms related you are quite safe in assuming that they are completely wrong, ignorant and possibly being intentionally misleading."

Every time anyone on TV or in the press covers an issue you know much about, you realize that they are almost ALWAYS wrong about almost EVERYTHING. (Hyperbole, but essentially true.)