Sheriff Tony Perry is playing with the bad boys

[ensho]

http://www.newsobserver.com/917/story/1116379.html


Rifles given to sheriff in deal that skirts law


The private military company Blackwater has found an unusual way to skirt federal laws that prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons. Blackwater bought 17 Romanian AK-47s and 17 Bushmasters, gave ownership of the guns to the Camden County sheriff and keeps most of the guns at Blackwater's armory in Moyock.
Tiny Camden County -- population 9,271 -- is one of the most peaceful in North Carolina. In the last 10 years, there have been two murders, three robberies and seven rapes reported. The sheriff has just 19 deputies.

Sheriff Tony Perry said his department has never used the 17 AK-47s outside of shooting practice at Blackwater. None of his 19 deputies are qualified to use the AK-47s, Perry said, and his department's need for automatic weapons is "very minimal."

In the summer of 2005, Blackwater CEO Gary Jackson signed two agreements with Maj. Jon Worthington of the Sheriff's Office. Worthington has worked as a firearms instructor for Blackwater.

"Blackwater has financed the purchase of 17 Romanian AK-47 rifles for the Camden County Sheriff's Office for use by Sheriff's Office," the agreement says. "The Camden County Sheriff's Office will have unlimited access to these rifles for training and qualification, and state of emergency use." Worthington and Jackson also signed an agreement for the purchase of 17 Bushmaster XM15 E2S automatic rifles.

Why did Blackwater strike this deal with the Camden County sheriff?
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did Tony have a choice?

[benEzra]

1. I believe there is a bill in Congress (H.R.5005) to allow Blackwater to purchase automatic weapons

on the same grounds that a law enforcement agency can. Currently, possession of a post-1986 automatic weapon (whether a 9mm submachinegun, an actual AK-47, or a belt-fed machinegun) by anyone outside of police/military/government service (or their suppliers) is a 10-year Federal felony violation of the Title 2/Class III provisions of the National Firearms Act. H.R.5005 would change that to allow government contractors to obtain automatic weapons as if they were law enforcement agencies or whatever.

They can currently get civilian-transferable, pre-1986 machineguns with the proper paperwork, but the prices for those collectors' items are in the stratosphere (try $17,000 for a single pre-1986 AK-47 in the USA).