Customs agents nab shipment of machine guns in Tacoma

[Yo Yo]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Wednesday that its officers have seized a shipment of what it describes as 30 machine guns (M-4 automatic rifles) shipped from Taiwan.

The guns were fashioned to shoot plastic balls but could have easily become real weapons, the feds said.


The shipment arrived on Oct. 20 at Tacoma and has been investigated since. The guns were seized Feb. 8.

The shipment was described as toys and parts and valued at $10,000.

Officers examined it and found the rifles. They were the same size, weight and look of M-4 rifles. There were no serial numbers that a real gun would have but neither were there orange-blaze tips, which are required for all imported toy guns.

Investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive showed that the guns had been tooled to shoot plastic balls. However, parts could be switched out quickly to allow them to fire live ammunition.

ATF lab results indicated the rifle to be a WE-Tech, Model AWSS M4CQBR, Airsoft M-4 copy.

The guns will be destroyed.Originally Posted by Tacoma Inteligenser

http://www.airsplat.com/Items/GR-WE-CQBR-GBB.htm

[Dghs48]

Washington State is a very dangerous place.

[Jack of Hearts]

No - living here for over 10 years, I feel Seattle is much safer than Washington, D.C; Chicago, Ill; N.Y.C., Houston, TX; L.A. and a number of other urban areas in which I lived. Seattle is relatively safe - probably because we know the blueshirts aren't safe, and know that we are on our own. It's the acceptance of our own level of responsibility, and the tools, (like concealed weapons permits), allow for our safety.