Albany, NY Cops help themselves to Dept.'s full-auto firearms

[Wolfwood]

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=630735&TextPage=1

  The article is a bit light on details, but has some great quotes!

"To the extent that the documents reflecting possession of the weapons pertain to potential misconduct or rules violations, the disclosure of the identities of the officers ... would expose the (union's) members to the use of this information to degrade, harass, embarrass, or impeach the integrity of the officers," the officers' motion states.

  Man, I've GOT to join a union!

In denying access to the records last year, the city wrote: "Disclosing the weapons that are used by the police force in fighting crime in the City of Albany could endanger the life of the officers using them against criminals."

    We gots our supah secret weapons!!

In the wake of that report, Chief James W. Tuffey said the fully automatic guns were never deployed on the street and that many of the officers who got them were simply gun enthusiasts who used the department to illicitly obtain the automatic weapons.

  We have a winner!! Our officers may be stealing weapons, but at least they're not selling them on the street! Of course,

  The U.S. attorney's office declined to take action on the Albany gun purchases.

  Guess it's good to be in uniform-you can do whatever you want(except fight the system), and get away with it.

[Seamas]

Hahaha, that they are "simply gun enthusiasts who used the department to illicitly obtain the automatic weapons" is the excuse!?!!?  I'm also a gun enthusiast but am pretty sure that if I stole a full auto weapon and was caught I'd be sent to "pound me in the ass prison".  Yet the city and the police union are fighting the FOIL request from the paper because it "would expose the (union's) members to the use of this information to degrade, harass, embarrass, or impeach the integrity of the officers," the officers' motion states". 

Hmmm, or maybe they would be subject to the Federal gun laws that they have blatantly violated?  Illegally owning a full auto weapon is a pretty serious federal offense, but I'm sure that has nothing to do with their stonewalling...

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=630735&TextPage=1

  The article is a bit light on details, but has some great quotes!

"To the extent that the documents reflecting possession of the weapons pertain to potential misconduct or rules violations, the disclosure of the identities of the officers ... would expose the (union's) members to the use of this information to degrade, harass, embarrass, or impeach the integrity of the officers," the officers' motion states.

  Man, I've GOT to join a union!

In denying access to the records last year, the city wrote: "Disclosing the weapons that are used by the police force in fighting crime in the City of Albany could endanger the life of the officers using them against criminals."

    We gots our supah secret weapons!!

In the wake of that report, Chief James W. Tuffey said the fully automatic guns were never deployed on the street and that many of the officers who got them were simply gun enthusiasts who used the department to illicitly obtain the automatic weapons.

  We have a winner!! Our officers may be stealing weapons, but at least they're not selling them on the street! Of course,

  The U.S. attorney's office declined to take action on the Albany gun purchases.

  Guess it's good to be in uniform-you can do whatever you want(except fight the system), and get away with it.

[Romak]

This story probably pissed me off more than any story Ive read in a while. This is total BS. Talk about a perfect example of cops being above the law. People have been killed by the ATF for far less infractions, and these guys are going to get off with a slap on the wrist. If I made any of my weapons fully auto without a class3 Id be facing I think 5 years mandatory. A guy I know taped a plastic bottle on the end of his 22 to see if it worked as a silencer and I told him something as stupid as that could technically get him in the same type of trouble. Something is seriously wrong in this country.

[Recumbent ReCycler]

If the officers bought the machine guns with their own money, I don't have a problem with what they did.  Granted, it is "illegal", but it is an unconstitutional law which they are apparently using their position to get around so that they could buy machine guns that civilians aren't allowed to own without expensive licenses and so that they could get them for significantly less than civilians and without paying the $200 transfer tax.  I wouldn't do it, but I don't really care if someone else does it, as long as they aren't harming anyone else.  I'm not a huge fan of cops in general, although there are a few that I like.  The laws they are accused of breaking are all unconstitutional, unless they used department funds to purchase the weapons that they kept for themselves.  Granted, I am a little jealous that they were able to buy machine guns at wholesale rates and I can't, but regardless of whether or not they did it I still can't afford a legal machine gun and I'm not going to risk going to jail to get an "illegal" machine gun.

[Romak]

I agree with you Defender but wouldn't it be nice to see the people in charge of enforcing these unconstitutional laws face the same music as the people they arrest? Personally I don't see the use in owning a fully auto firearm. Ive shot them down in Kentucky but they are impossible to aim. I guess its nice to have the option but I personally wouldn't buy one especially with how overpriced they are due to these laws.

[Recumbent ReCycler]

Romak, I get your point.  In my experience, after some training, I have been able to get some pretty good accuracy from machine guns.  I have been able to get 1" groups at 25 yards while shooting 3 shot bursts from a machine gun.  I have also been able to consistently hit truck sized targets at 800 yards with belt fed machine guns while firing in extended bursts.  Technique and training are key to getting accuracy with machine guns.  Of course some machine guns are more accurate than others and in most cases semiautomatic fire is more accurate than automatic fire.  I qualified expert with every firearm that I was allowed to qualify with.  While I feel that law enforcement officers should be held to the same standards as civilians, I would prefer that nobody were charged, convicted or imprisoned for possession of a machine gun or other NFA firearm because I believe that those laws are unconstitutional.

[Romak]

I wasnt talking about manufacturing them I was talking about buying them. One thing I can say defender is that belt fed machine guns are awesome to fire. Sounds like youd be a fun guy to shoot with. Ive been shooting my whole life and my dad gave me all the training I ever needed. Cant wait to pass this on to my little ones.