Illegal Gun Sellers Arrested - Redondo Beach

[locktime]

Good news as far as I'm concerned. Some people just have a criminal mentality, and I'm guessing thiese people are some of those.

They probably could have gotten more money selling them legitimately. (except for the stolen ones!)


Gun sellers arrested in Torrance, Redondo raids
By Larry Altman and Tracy Manzer Staff Writers
Posted: 11/12/2009 0514 PM PST

Detectives arrested three people and seized 22 handguns, rifles and assault weapons in raids at homes in Redondo Beach and Torrance, police said Thursday.

The searches Wednesday morning occurred after police learned that Redondo Beach resident Tania McCree, 36, was allegedly selling guns on the streets of Long Beach, Long Beach police spokeswoman Nancy Pratt said.

When investigators served a search warrant Wednesday morning at McCree's residence in the 600 block of El Camino Real, they found her at home with two alleged accomplices, Emmet Flores, 32, of Santa Monica and Anjelica Quijada, 29, of El Segundo.

"It's a lovely area of Redondo Beach," Long Beach police Sgt. Chris Morgan said. "The neighbors were actually very glad to see us."

Officers found nine rifles and some handguns, Morgan said.

"Based on the information we had, we knew there had to be more," Morgan said.

The investigation led Long Beach detectives to a second home in Torrance. The exact location was not disclosed.

"As a result of this entire investigation we did ultimately confiscate over 22 rifles, handguns and assault weapons, as well as a large quantity of ammunition," Pratt said.

Officers recovered more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition and found a small amount of methamphetamine.

Police said the majority of the weapons were registered to McCree's deceased father.

She apparently inherited them and allegedly was selling them, which is illegal without a dealer's license, Pratt said.

"There are proper procedures for selling weapons," Pratt said.

Two of the guns were stolen, police said.

Neighbors were not aware that people were selling guns out of the Redondo Beach home, but knew something was wrong when they saw people coming and going from the house at all hours of the day, Morgan said.

McCree was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of an assault weapon, possession of a controlled substance while armed, and possession of a controlled substance. Her bail was set at $50,000

Quijada was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, on a probation violation and warrants charging her with burglary and driving without a license. She was held without bail.

Flores was arrested on suspicion of being a felon and convicted person in possession of a firearm. His bail was $35,000.

larry.altman@dailybreeze.com

tracy.manzer@presstelegram.com

[caoboy]

I wish they would list the firearms and serial numbers...especially if some were stolen. Maybe the owners were legal?

[bruceflinch]

Hope those 3 get the MAX Sentence. Scumbags!

[Seesm]

Weird they ALWAYS find assault rifles... Never find "Sport Utility Rifles" Weird...

[rabagley]

Except for the stolen guns, their activities are not illegal in most other US states. Does that mean that if they were in Texas and selling dad's old guns that they would be healthy well-adjusted people, but because they live in California, the exact same activity makes them "scumbags"?

I think it's important to distinguish between immoral and illegal. Selling dad's old guns without an FFL is moral but illegal. Selling stolen guns is both immoral and illegal. In my opinion of course.

I don't mean by my observation to condone illegal behavior. If you get caught doing something illegal, you have to deal with the unpleasant consequences and that's how "illegal" works. However, I think it's ridiculous that an act is considered wrong simply because it's illegal. Purchasing a "high capacity" magazine is never a "wrong" or immoral act, even if it is illegal to do in the great state of Kalifornia.

[yzErnie]

I would guess in Texas they don't condone someone being in possession of stolen guns or dope either.

[rabagley]

I would guess in Texas they don't condone someone being in possession of stolen guns or dope either.

I did try to distinguish between the various acts.

While I further disagree with both California and Texas regarding the criminality of personal quantities of drugs, possession of stolen property is both immoral and illegal (IMO).

[locosway]

They may not have known the guns were stolen, especially if they were part of the inheritance.

If they weren't selling to a prohibited person, I really don't see a reason to charge them with such. Then again, ignorance of the law is never an excuse.

[hawk81]

I agree with everything you just stated. California is turning a lot of otherwise law abiding citizens into criminals. It is time to change this crazy state.

Except for the stolen guns, their activities are not illegal in most other US states. Does that mean that if they were in Texas and selling dad's old guns that they would be healthy well-adjusted people, but because they live in California, the exact same activity makes them "scumbags"?

I think it's important to distinguish between immoral and illegal. Selling dad's old guns without an FFL is moral but illegal. Selling stolen guns is both immoral and illegal. In my opinion of course.

I don't mean by my observation to condone illegal behavior. If you get caught doing something illegal, you have to deal with the unpleasant consequences and that's how "illegal" works. However, I think it's ridiculous that an act is considered wrong simply because it's illegal. Purchasing a "high capacity" magazine is never a "wrong" or immoral act, even if it is illegal to do in the great state of Kalifornia.

[Clayface]

Something tells me there's going to be a lot more arrest ,once they run those serial numbers and track them down.

[Vin496]

Something tells me there's going to be a lot more arrest ,once they run those serial numbers and track them down.

Who would they track down? The people selling probably weren't keeping records and if they have no clue who they were(or don't want to say), then who is there to get.

The article makes it seem like they sold a lot of guns already and they still had a good amount left. If that is the case, sounds like the Dad may have been a long term enthusiast, so it's very likely that many of the guns were his before registration was mandatory.

[762cavalier]

McCree was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of an assault weapon, possession of a controlled substance while armed, and possession of a controlled substance. Her bail was set at $50,000

This one also bothers me. It seems she is being charged with the same crime twice.

[BroncoBob]

More to this story then what is being told in my opinion. Let's keep and eye on it and see what develops.

[slik556]

Weird they ALWAYS find assault rifles... Never find "Sport Utility Rifles" Weird...

The reason they always find an assault weapon is that they think any AR,AK or even a Glock is an assault weapon.. The term coined by the anti's is now so loosely thrown around that even knowledgeable gun owners misuse the term. Most would consider, in the automatic form, the AR and AK to be an assault weapon, which is fine. But I doubt that any of the thousands of guns touted by the confiscating agency as assault weapons are of the automatic type. Yet they still let the public know that they have found a deadly hoard of "HIGH POWERD" assault weapons, since when did the .223 become a high powerd caliber.
It has gone so far as to have one Idiot lawyer call a Glock 17 the most powerful and deadly assault handgun in the world. The end result of his nonsense is(only hypothetically speaking, but you get my drift) to have the sheeple of the country think that now we need to get a ban on the cop killing assault Glocks.
The news media groups will always tell this assault weapon lie to the public and it always sounds better than, BATF confiscated a hand gun a few bolt action hunting rifles, and a few common semiauto underpowerd AR's. This does nothing to enrage the public and get them on the anti's side...

Anyway rant over.. and yes it is Weird

[yzErnie]

McCree was arrested on suspicion of illegal possession of an assault weapon, possession of a controlled substance while armed, and possession of a controlled substance. Her bail was set at $50,000

This one also bothers me. It seems she is being charged with the same crime twice.

It actually should read that she was armed while in possession of a controlled substance...it is a weapons violation and not a double charge of possession of a controlled substance.