Illegal AR-15 Found at Ellwood Mesa

the only thing he accomplished is he made himself a person of interest to the police

Leave it be what if it wasn't there when he went back with the police?

This person had the good sense to empty the chamber. The police will take his prints as well as any other prints on the gun. It'd be very easy to rule this person out as a suspect.

Roger -- What? Call the police and wait with the gun. Why would he go anywhere?

What if he didn't have his phone on him should he just stand there and yell? SHMONK How would you do it if you did not have your phone on you which I'm sure you take everywhere with you..

SH MONK Maybe he should build a home and live next to the gun until a police officer happens to be hiking and discovers him.

Rogur What a bizarre response. you know cell phones dont have cords right? No reason for him to touch the weapon

Oh gee you mean cell phones don't have cords my tin can does....

Emmenanthe, Many more than you think.

CHICO - an abandoned gun with blood on it is illegal, regardless of its mag.

An AR-15 is also illegal if it has a barrel less than 16", and it is not "featureless". If it is not "featureless", the magazine cannot be detachable. In The People's Republic Of California, just about anything these days can send you to jail when it comes to firearms. I own three by the way...

CWANZY - Does all this make this situation any less dangerous and problematic? No. Stop using every little comment as your chance to make a "political" statement. A loaded, bloody high powered rifle was found in what is basically a park. THAT is the problem here, not CA's gun laws.

Not a political statement. Just pointing out what make an AR illegal in CA.

Easy to rule out their fingerprints, but impossible to get the fingerprints smudged by his own fingerprints back. Whoops. But, I don't judge the guy, it's a bizarre situation and I'm sure adrenaline was pumping.

It's ability to be easily modified so it can kill large groups of people within seconds. Why can't you just have a shotgun or handgun? Why do you need a gun like this? Last I checked, ducks/deer/elk don't shoot back, nor do they need to mowed down en masse. Are teams of ninjas or, more likely, militiamen trying to break into your home? If not, why do you need a gun like this?

If this is an honest question, then I'll just throw in my 0.02. Unconverted and without a high capacity magazine, they're just semi-automatic rifles with a design modifications that make them look intimidating and could prove of some ergonomic value to the shooter. Perhaps in the right hands this style of weapon provides a significant advantage. A Navy SEAL is probably more dangerous with a spork than I would be with an AR-15, given I have no experience with AR-style weapons. To me, dangerous is relative. The truth is common items such as pressure cookers, automobiles and chemicals (in my particular case) can dangerous in the right hands.

It's a totally unnecessary weapon in a non-military situation. The short barrel length reduces accuracy. The ability to fire many rounds quickly is not needed for hunting, and in a self-defense situation is also overkill. The lightweight bullet is easily deflected by vegetation, and is not ideal for hunting because the high velocity and the aspect ratio of the bullet causes tumbling on impact and massive tissue damage. It is a weapon designed for the military, and has no place in civilian life in a civilized country.

It's appeal is because of its appearance and military reputation, a crutch to the psyches of the wannabe machos.

AR15s don't have special rules. Weapons are really just tools, and each has its own application, accessories, and nuances. For instance, I like to woodwork and have about five different saws: hand saws, band saw, circular saw, table saw, and jig saw. Each saw has a different application, unique saw blade, and specialty accessories. Same goes for weapons, including types such as the AR15 rifle or AR15 pistol. This weapon has no greater or lesser ability to "kill large groups within seconds" than other types. That's uninformed. But ditto others: A weapon left unattended is very bad, and a loaded weapon is a tragedy waiting to happen. The reporting party did the right thing and let's hope the LEOs get to the bottom of what happened.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Here’s something you may not know. The .22 caliber ammunition most common in this type of rifle is to small to legally use on deer and elk. Illegal to shoot birds with rifles. There are limits on taking game animals? Mowing down deer and elk would also be illegal
You are correct it’s probably not the best home defense tool while you wait for the defunded police to show up...

@SIMPLETON: "This weapon has no greater or lesser ability to "kill large groups within seconds" than other types." -- I don't need to be a "gun expert" to say you are absolutely wrong. Can a .357 revolver be modified to hold 40+ rounds and fire automatically? How about a shotgun? Stick to saws.

People who say that it's just a tool should know that tools are often designed for a specialized function. In this case, that function is killing or maiming as many people as possible in the shortest amount of time. There is a time dimension to firepower that is often ignored by those who say it's just a hunting rifle.

You are correct on the revolver as they are fixed for a number of rounds, speed loaders notwithstanding. But there are large magazines for some types of shotguns. And "automatic" is not legal in the US for most civilians. I presume you meant "semi-automatic". My point is that each weapon has a specific use and application. Most gun owners own several types for several applications, as I do for saws. You would not use the same weapon to hunt ducks as you do deer. If you have questions or would like to learn more then you should visit a range or gun shop and educate yourself. Maybe we'll bump into each other, which would be nice. Good luck and have a restful weekend.

It is nothing but a tool!!! When people realize that and look for underling conditions as to why a person wants to harm others then we will have a path to stopping violence!!!!!!!!

The Second Amendment has NOTHING to do with hunting...

Again. The Second Amendment has NOTHING to do with hunting...

Again. The Second Amendment has NOTHING to do with hunting. Why do anti-2A people always talk about hunting?

Is there such a thing as "overkill" when it comes to defending your family and yourself? And, stop talking about hunting. It has NOTHING to do with the Second Amendment.

The second amendment pertains to a "well-regulated militia", and was formulated in a time when the colonists were opposed to a standing army. The rough equivalent today is the National Guard. Gun worshipers don't get it.

Firepower has a time dimension. We should ban all semiautomatic firearms, allowing only bolt-action long arms (rifles and shotguns) with a minimum barrel length of 32 inches, and fixed box magazines loaded by a stripper clip. Handguns would be limited to a minimum barrel length of 6 inches, and be single-action revolvers, or be single-action with fixed-box magazines loaded by stripper clip. All magazine/revolver capacities should be limited to 5 rounds maximum. Sound suppressors should be forbidden.

No legitimate hunters or target shooters would be the least bit inconvenienced by such restrictions, and mass shootings would be much more difficult.

Combined with severe mandatory penalties for mere possession of nonconforming weapons, and required training and licensing of firearms owners, we could eventually greatly reduce gun deaths, much as the more civilized countries of the world have already done.

Since our country is awash in firearms, it will take a long time, but eventually sanity would prevail over the current stupidity.

There should be strongly enforced restrictions and high taxes on ammunition, and all propellants, casings, primers, and projectiles should be required to have batch-numbered identifying marks or embedded nanoparticles to aid in post-crime investigations. Reloading equipment and supplies should be strictly limited and closely monitored for compliance. Use of lead projectiles should be eliminated.

We should also consider reducing the power of firearms by limiting them to brass rimfire cartridges and/or restricting the bore pressures and diameters.

Looking toward the future, guided projectiles should be banned, and duly licensed firearms should incorporate biometric devices that disable them if they are not being wielded by the registered owner.

The rough equivalent is the National Guard? The driving force behind the Second Amendment was for American citizens to have the ability to protect themselves from a tyrannical government. The National Guard is part of the government. Just look at the tapes on their uniforms, i.e., U.S. Army (National Guard) and U.S. Air Force (Air National Guard). Having the National Guard is not a replacement for excercising your 2nd Amendment rights. And, it doesn't pertain to a "well-regulated militia". It pertains to a citizen's right to bear arms.

And, please show me a single-action revolver with a fixed-box magazine loaded by a stripper clip, or any magazine for that matter. My God! Why do people that know the least about something, always talk so much about those thing of which they know little to nothing? Again. The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting or target shooting. Amazing!!!

Thank you for proving my point! I definitely don’t want people who have guns so that they can fight off our government some day. In fact I’d prefer if those people didn’t even have Edhat accounts... let alone assault rifles!

So, the Colonist should not have fought their government (that would be the British Monarchy, just in case you forgot). And, it appears that you've actually proved my point; you actually don't know why the 2nd Amendment exists. Thanks for that!

If you just ignore the words you don't like, for example "well-regulated militia", you can bend the meaning tremendously. Gun worshipers and wannabe traitors just don't get it. Ballots are better than bullets for preventing tyranny.

Anyone who has any familiarity with modern military power also realizes that a couple of rednecks in the woods with guns won't last very long.

The fixed box magazine was for non-revolver handguns, for those with reading comprehension problems.

The word is "colonists", and they didn't have the voting power to resist British demands they felt were unreasonable. There is no parallel in the modern USA.

Unless, of course, the current trends of voter suppression and racism continue to expand. But still, idiots with small arms don't cut it.

Well... Since I spent 6 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, I'm sure that I'm quite a bit more familiar than you about "modern military power". You seem to be ignoring some words yourelf such as, "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed". You all like to ignore that little bit of text...

I guess you didn't learn much then. Especially the Semper Fidelis part.