Posted on 07/26/2007 8:46:27 AM PDT by holymoly
The same type of gun commonly used by Iraqi security forces is legally being sold to civilians in Rock Hill.
Surprised? Don't be. It's been happening for years in York County, and more stores are offering AK-47 assault rifles as their popularity grows among collectors since federal restrictions on their sales were lifted in 2004.
But law enforcement officials say they've found shell casings at crime scenes recently, and gun-control advocates claim the guns weren't designed for retail sale.
Take a drive along Cherry Road, and you'll see David's Pawn Shop advertising the weapons on its marquee, "AK-47s Now In Stock." Owner David Dresner said he started selling the Romanian-made weapon recently, and it's been a big hit with collectors and for those taking target practice. Some individuals also use the guns for hunting, he said.
David's is one of the first pawn shops in the area to start selling the guns, he said. Larger gun dealers including Nichols Store southeast of Rock Hill and the Sportsman in Newport have been selling the weapons for years, clerks at both stores said.
"We've sold a bunch of them," Dresner said, estimating he sells four or five AK-47s each week. "I've been surprised at how well they've sold."
Dresner said the AK-47 he sells is a semi-automatic rifle just like the ones used by Iraqi police allied with U.S. troops in the Middle East. It looks similar to the famed Russian AK-47, a fully automatic machine gun made popular during the Cold War. Those guns, however, are only sold to individuals specially licensed by the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, he said. And they carry a $25,000 price tag.
Priced from $550 to $800
The assault rifles Dresner and other local dealers offer are priced between $550 and $800. State law also requires a mandatory background check before the gun can be sold -- just like any other gun sale -- that takes between 20 minutes and three days.
From 1994 to 2004, a federal ban on assault weapons, including AK-47s, limited the kinds of guns dealers could sell. Dresner said the AK-47 was still sold, but only with magazines that held three rounds or less. The ban expired in 2004 and the guns can now be purchased with up to 100 round drums, Dresner said.
And they can be fired "as fast as you can pull the trigger," he said.
That's the main reason gun-control advocates are concerned about the sale of assault weapons. They claim the guns were manufactured for killing people, not any other reason.
"AK-47s should not be available for sale. There's really no argument," said Zach Ragbourn, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign, the nation's leading gun-control lobby. "They're designed to attack people, period. They're not for hunting or a fun collector's item."
Ragbourn said the term "assault weapon" was coined by the gun industry years ago as a marketing tool. He said any weapon capable of firing multiple rounds in a split second shouldn't be offered on store shelves.
"A 100-round magazine is not a cosmetic feature," he said. "It's nothing but a bunch of lead in the air in a short amount of time."
Ragbourn said lobbyists are pushing lawmakers to reinstate the assault weapon ban.
Locally, Lt. Les Herring of the Rock Hill Police Department said several shell casings from the high-powered rifles have turned up at crime scenes recently. He said there are two or three unsolved shootings, none fatal, where investigators found the bullet shells.
"We know people are shooting them, but that's about all we know," he said.
Herring said there isn't any data that suggests more assault weapons are used for violent crimes now than before the weapons ban expired. However, any time a weapon capable of firing rounds quickly is in the hands of a criminal, it's a concern, he said.
"People who want one will go wherever they have to in order to get one," Herring said, adding that before the guns were sold locally, people would travel to other places to make purchases. "The threat's always been out there. We've always had that concern."
Dresner doesn't believe the guns he sells are going directly into the hands of criminals. He said the background checks and clientele he sees on a regular basis suggest otherwise.
"It's just a souvenir, to be able to say, 'I've got an AK-47,'" Dresner said. "I bet 90 percent of the people who buy it won't even shoot the first bullet."
When he thinks a gun may end up in the wrong hands, Dresner refuses the sale, he said. Recently, a man passed a background check to purchase a handgun, but Dresner overheard him joking with a friend that he was going to use the gun for violence.
"I said, 'Sorry buddy. You just talked your way out of this gun,'" Dresner said. "It's not worth it to have that on your conscious."
Dresner said most guns used in violent crimes are bought illegally or stolen from a responsible owner.
"Could it get into the wrong hands? I guess," he said about the AK-47s. "But the average person who buys it is legit."
Adam O'Daniel • 329-4069
aodaniel@heraldonline.com
In 1981 Handgun Control Inc.(Brady Campaign today), put out a statment that they ONLY wanted to control handguns. Long guns would not be affected.
I can give you a list from the 1960’s to today of lies told by these people.
I know. I’m on your side, you do understand this, right?
I own several weapons they classify the same as the AK47’s in this article. AR-10 is one of them, in .308
***A particularly outrageous and bold-faced lie. ***
Actually that is not true. I have some old magazines (Guns and Ammo and others) that used the terms way back in the 1970’s and early 80’s. G&A put out several special issues titled ASSAULT RIFLES before the ban craze started. The publishers of Handgun Tests, Pistolero also put out a nice issue along with seeveral independent publishers.
Well guess what! I just happen to have them in front of me right now! Still good reading!
Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.
We should insist on precision in language and not allow them to "gloss over" very important distinctions, which failure to follow will land the prospective gun-buyer in club Fed. If they don't understand the laws, then we should insist they be repealed. If what they really want is the banning of all weapons, let's have at it.
BS. You're getting sucked into the liberal lies. I have a safe full of a variety of firearms. I have fired thousands of rounds from most of them. The only firearms in that safe that have been aimed at living things are my old bolt action .22LR rabbit rifle and a shotgun I received as part of my family estate. The other rounds were directed at precision target shooting or spinners on a target range. There are a few collectibles that have never been fired.
I am constantly amazed at how stupid the reporters who write these gun control agitprop pieces are. Apparently the editors are equally stupid.
You are, I am sure, aware that the term "assault rifle" is a time-honored and specific term referring to a rifle-caliber firearm with selective fire. "Assault weapon" is the term in question here. Do your magazines reference "assault weapons" or "assault rifles"? If the former I shall stand corrected.
I have a Mosin-Nagant that uses the same ammo.
And it is a BOLT_ACTION.
I agree. The author is stupid.
From Guns and Ammo..
ASSAULT RIFLES..1982..COMPLETE DATA ON SEMI-AUTOS FROM ARMALITE-BERETTA-COLT FN-H&K...
INTERNATIONAL COMBAT ARMS 1983..ASSAULT RIFLE ROUNDUP: Military and Civilian.
ASSAULT FIREARMS..1984
ASSAULT RIFLES..1992
***
SHOOTER’S SURVIVAL GUIDE 1981..Assault Rifles for Defense
***
ASSAULT WEAPONS (Publishers of Handgun Tests) 1983..ASSAULT RIFLES.COLT AR 15, RUGER MINI-14,
FN FAL, M1,
H & K, AKM, UZI
Not to mention some of the old SWAT magazines I also have.
No you don’t. 7.62 X54R (which is what your Mosin Nagant is chambered for) and 7.62 X 39 are very different cartridges.
My apologies, Sir...I was under the impression that the AK-47 took 7.62X54......I stand corrected :)
“The same type of gun commonly used by Iraqi security forces is legally being sold to civilians in Rock Hill.”
Pure, unadulterated bullsh*t, of course, but we’ve come to expect no less from MSM reports on the gun issue.
If your life is threatened, I think you’re going to use whatever is in your hand at the time.
I have no problem with firearms that are capable of killing criminals who pose an imminent threat to your or another innocent’s life, armed enemies of this nation or as many gun grabbing tyrants as is necessary to protect liberty and the consdtitution.
Nonsense. Can you say Josh Sugarman? Sure you can.
I would rather purchase a PS-90.
Non sequitur. You claimed guns are only made for killing. I pointed out that only one firearm in my substantial collection has ever been used to kill anything. My bolt action .22LR rifle put rabbits on my table in high school. The rest of the firearms have been used for nothing but plinking and target practice. You're attempting to switch issues or replying to the wrong post.
Oh brother, not this $#!+ again!
***Nonsense. Can you say Josh Sugarman? Sure you can.***
Can you say Mel Tappan 1977?
And here is some more magazines that I have in front of me right now..
SWAT SHOWDOWN ‘83 1983
SURVIVAL WEAPONS AND TACTICS...1983
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ASSAULT RIFLES 1985.
Josh Sugarman didn’t write his diatribe till 1988.
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