Assault rifle turned over in gun roundup ("It's like catching the big one.")

L.A. Daily News ^ | 04/28/2007 | DANA BARTHOLOMEW

[holymoly]

Cops waited. TV crews waited. And church officials standing under the broiling sun in South Los Angeles waited, hoping Angelenos would come and surrender their guns.

They got only one — but it was an SSK assault rifle, along with enough ammunition to blow away 59 bystanders.

"You would not believe what we got," exclaimed LAPD Officer Brian Hun of the Southwest Division. "It's like catching the big one."

With the 15th anniversary of the Los Angeles riots approaching, ministers from the First AME Church asked residents to hand in their guns during a commemorative Weekend of Peace.

The region — with four homicides, 23 people shot and 40 gunfire reports in the Southwest Division between March 25 and April 21 — is among the most violent in the city.

It's also among the poorest, with few new jobs created.

For this reason, First AME hosted a gun-surrender program coupled with a massive job fair and food giveaway.

"Turn in your piece for peace," said the Rev. John Joseph Hunter, senior pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. "Violence is something that plagues (this) community.

"With a job, dignity is restored."

Los Angeles is often described as a city divided between haves and have-nots. But for some, it's a city split between those who have guns and those who haven't.

Few expected those with "dirty guns" — or weapons used during a crime — to turn them in. And few expected those whose guns remain the final bastion behind steel security doors to hand over their protection.

"People want to protect themselves; that's why they have guns," said Amelia Quinn, 39, of Los Angeles, a seeker at the job fair. "If somebody steps in your house, shoot on sight."

Today, First AME will host a Dialogues in Peace forum to discuss race relations, education and the economy since 1992.

"You haven't changed the conditions, the mind-sets, the hearts," Hunter said. "You've gotta offer hope. A job offers hope."

To thwart gun violence, the Rev. Eduardo Vickers said, society must convince the young.

"Get them while the clay is soft — you've got to mold them," he said, watching residents line up half a block for food. "The key is love, what the world needs is love, more love."

But for Los Angeles police, what the world needs is fewer guns. The Chinese-made SSK assault rifle with two, 30-round banana clips was dropped off by a dad whose son had long ago left it at his house.

It was the only gun relinquished in three hours of waiting.

"If we can take one gun off the street, it's worth it," said Hun, a senior lead officer for the area. "If a gangster wanted to do a drive-by, it's the ultimate weapon."

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Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew@dailynews.com

[AD from SpringBay]

That’s an SKS, NOT an SSK. The SSK is much deadlier.

[holymoly]

Not in Denver, a semi-automatic pistol is considered an assault weapon by City and County of Denver.

"Assault rifle" is a very real term, with a documented, historical definition.

"Assault weapon" is a propaganda term, coined by anti-gun zealots.

[William Tell]

holymoly said: "Actually, I have a WASR-10 (AK look-alike), with magazines holding from 5 to 75 rounds. "

Available in Kalifornia, if shipped without normal capacity magazines and the dreaded pistol grip.

I wonder what the state of Kalifornia has against one-armed people that they have outlawed rifles that enable one to hold it one handed?

I can't figure out why liberals are so intent on forcing criminals to adopt practices that increase their accuracy. If some dumb criminal wants to use an inexpensive and unreliable gun, why not permit it? Whose the loser when the bad guy fails to hit his target? Similarly, if a criminal sacrifices accuracy by holding his rifle one-handed with a pistol grip, just exactly what is the problem? Why force the criminal to hold the rifle so as to be more accurate?

[umgud]

Wow. SKS with double banana clips. That would be twice illegal in CA. Great pic BTW.

[Eastbound]

Thanks, yup! After a hard day of shootin’ I allus’ looks forward to coming home and having a nice banana marmalade souffle.

[El Gato]

bought by two SKS rifles for $90 each ten years ago and I got a can of 1000 rounds for an additional $20

They are listed for around $139-169 in SGN. Of course that's dealer price, but in quantities of one. That's about what I think you might pay at a gun show. It's also for the Yugoslav version, which sports a rifle grenade launcher and blade bayonet. No too bad for after 10 years. (BTW, I've had mine for longer than that, and paid more than you did, but it was an early import made for the Chinese military, not the stamped receiver version made for export.)

The ammunition however has gone way up, mainly due to the ban on import of steel core Chinese (or anyone else) made military type ammunition. The cheapest I see in SGN is $179/1000, and that's still Russian made with steel cases. It is however available for that price in three versions, FMJ, soft point and hollow point.

[El Gato]

The SKS is NOT, ans Assault weapon: SKS rifle - civilian modification

It may be, depending on configuration, in California. "Assault Weapon" is a legal, not a technical, term. It's whatever the lawmakers say it is.

One with a removable magazine, as this one apparently was, *is* an assault weapon under CA law.

[El Gato]

I bought by two SKS rifles for $90 each ten years ago and I got a can of 1000 rounds for an additional $20 (enough ammo to take out 999 bystanders and 1 reporter!). What are they going for today?

Of course if one want a truly effective second amendment firearm, one could buy one, or better several, K-98 (type) Mausers (8mm) (actually M24/47 Yugoslav) that are available for only a few dollars more than you paid for those SKSs. Similarly priced are Enfield #4 in .303. For even less, say $75-$85, one could buy a few Russian M44 Carbines or M91 rifles in 7.62x54R. Those can all be purchases at those prices with a Curio and Relic FFL. Ammo is cheap for the 8mm and 7.62x54R as well. The same J&G Sales ad in SGN has all three rifles and ammunition for them 7.62X54R sells for about $80 for 880 rounds (Hungarian). They are selling 8 mm Mauser for $76 per 10 rounds (new S&B), and .303 for $12.95/20. I think you can find the latter two types for less.

[SampleMan]

Thanks for the post. I actually bought the SKS rifles because of the cheap ammo.

[SampleMan]

I have a confession to make. I’m older than I thought. What I said was 10 years is actually 17 years when I do the math ;-) I have the milled receivers as well.

[El Gato]

I guess if I wanted to move to LA, my two AR15s and their 30 round mags wouldn’t be welcomed.

No guessing about it. If you did that, and got caught, you'd go to jail, and more importantly lose your RKBA *nationwide*, forever. This is because import into Kalifornia is a felony. Mere possession is only a misdemeanor, with the maximim penalty being 1 year in the county jail. In most cases the punishment would be a $500 fine. Unless you possess 3 or more or its a second offense.

I just discovered that the Yugo SKS I recommended above is considered a "Destructive Device" in California, due to that rifle grenade launcher. (An inert piece of steel which allows a rifle grenade to be launched from the SKS, totally harmless without a live rifle grenade).

Mere possession is a felony.

[dljordan]

LOL! A DEADLY Banana “clip” filled with super-deadly, armor-piercing, cop-killer “bullets” that only police are allowed to use.

[teeman8r]

there series and their standing by they’re hugh gnus.

[archy]

I just discovered that the Yugo SKS I recommended above is considered a "Destructive Device" in California, due to that rifle grenade launcher.

A couple of years back our local sheriff was annoyed when one of my newspaper news reports described sheriff's deputies surrounding a home during a standoff as being armed with *assault rifles and grenade launchers.* Whereupon I showed him the BATF press release with the photo descriptions urging the descriptions be used in stories when applicable.

That was a couple of months before news reports linking him to local election fraud were published, after which he wished he could go back to the good ol' days of stories about his well-armed deputies instead. He particularly hated it when it became a possibility that the department he headed could be named on racketeering charges....