AP series of articles about thefts of military weapons

[DaleA]

I was perusing headlines in MSN.COM the other night and was a bit alarmed when I found four different stories dealing with weapons stolen from the military.

I thought it passing strange that the military had been targeted for so many weapons thefts but then found out these stories were about thefts that happened throughout the period of 2010 thru 2019. That is, we have NOT had an overnight rash of military weapons thefts.

Listed below are the stories and links. The last one seems to be an over all wrap up piece about the whole situation of weapons thefts and weapons accountability in the military.

Currently, Tuesday, June 15, 2021 the four headlines are NOT in the msm.com headline rotation although the stories are still available.

It's just me but I did a "doh" face slap when I read what the journalist wrote about the capabilities of the AK 74. I included that sentence below if you don't want to go to the article itself.

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1. An AP story dated June 15, 2021 By JEANNIE OHM and KRISTIN M. HALL, Associated Press.
"Stolen Army assault rifles keep showing up in California"
A story about an AK 74 rifle stolen from Fort Irwin by soldiers stationed there in 2011 and recovered in 2019 in a home in Fresno, California.

"AK-74s are similar to their more famous cousin, the AK-47. Every two seconds, they shoot three bullets. Because of how rapidly they fire, civilians cannot legally possess them in the United States without a license."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/s...ing-up-in-california/ar-AAL3clf?ocid=msedgntp
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2. An AP story dated June 15, 2021 By KRISTIN M. HALL and JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press.
A story about military munitions found in 2018.
"Military stumped by stolen box of armor-piercing grenades.
The green, metal box was stuffed inside a bright pink pillowcase and stashed in the bushes behind Christopher Zachery’s house. He hauled it out for a better look. Stenciled on the box: “Cartridges for weapons.” Inside were 30 armor-piercing grenades. Investigators determined the waylaid grenades were last seen eight month prior on an ammunition train that rolled out from Florida."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/m...or-piercing-grenades/ar-AAL39gN?ocid=msedgntp
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3. An AP story dated June 15, 2021 By KRISTIN M. HALL, Associated Press.
A story about six M4 rifles and ten M11 pistols stolen in 2015 from a Worcester Massachusettes Army Reserve center.
"With Massachusetts armory theft, military guns went public."
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/w...ary-guns-went-public/ar-AAL2TCD?ocid=msedgntp
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4. An AP story dated June 15, 2021 By KRISTIN M. HALL, JAMES LAPORTA, JUSTIN PRITCHARD and JUSTIN MYERS, Associated Press.
This seems to be the wrap up piece that ties the first three stories together with an over all story about weapons thefts and weapons accountability in the military.
"US military guns keep vanishing, some used in street crimes"
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/u...sed-in-street-crimes/ar-AAL36rd?ocid=msedgntp

 

[FITASC]

So, it seems Kristin hall must know an awful lot about this stuff with 4 articles all on the same day.

 

[Dunross]

The military has always had a level of weapons theft from the very beginning. If there were a sudden spike that would be interesting, but the military has always had some degree of weapons thefts.

 

[DaleA]

So, it seems Kristin hall must know an awful lot about this stuff with 4 articles all on the same day.

Yupper. My thoughts exactly.
Still not quite up to the level of firearms expertise shown on Public Radio.

 

[44 AMP]

They act like this is a new thing...

Bonnie & Clyde, the Dillinger gang, and others of the "motor bandit" era broke into govt armories and stole BARs and Tommyguns and other arms. BARs were a favorite, and were often turned into "whippets" with sawed off stocks and barrels, hung on homemade harnesses under trenchcoats and "whipped out" for use.

Even if you have total civilian disarmament, if the govt has arms, someone can steal them and use them, or sell them to someone who will.

While they haven't found direct proof (and likely never will) I'm sure that there were Gladius Iberius which found a home outside the Legions for a skin of wine and a tumble with someone's daughter, or a bit of hard cash...

It's not a new thing...

 

[SIGSHR]

Yes, nothing new, curious as to why they are bringing it up now-goes against the "police or military only" notion. On other boards veterans have noted they're usually inside jobs, someone pencil whipping the records, often trying to make someone else look bad.

 

[Moonglum]

Bonnie & Clyde, the Dillinger gang, and others of the "motor bandit" era broke into govt armories and stole BARs and Tommyguns and other arms.

I suspect that's part of the reason my National Guard unit stored the bolts for all of our small arms in a vault at the main police station. Our supply sergeant had to go get them every month for drill and at the end of drill he had to account for them and take them back.

 

[SIGSHR]

On another board one veteran cited a case from Fort Knox in 1977 where two Basic Trainees were put on guard duty with weapons but no ammo-"The Commander of the Relief found them roughed up, tied up-the weapons were not recovered." In my unit in Germany 1970-1971 the arms rooms keys were left with the CQ-who was unarmed. The armorers were always complaining that people were going into "their" arms rooms when they weren't present. And one member here noted having an obnoxious individual "sign" for something
was a favorite way of retaliation.