Latest news with #machinegun
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Morphy's Unleashed Major Firepower May 13-15 with $6.74M Auction of Prized Military, Civilian & Sporting Firearms
Sensational Fabrique Nationale (Herstal) US M240B machine gun, .308, one of very few specimens of its type fully transferable to individuals, led the sale at $467,400 DENVER, Pa., June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Premier examples of military, civilian and sporting firearms crossed the auction block on May 13-15 at Morphy's flagship gallery in Denver, Pennsylvania, with aggressive bidding – especially on NFA weapons – pushing the grand total to a heady $6,740,000. The top-selling lot was a spectacular factory-original Fabrique Nationale (Herstal) U.S. M240B machine gun, one of very few specimens of its type confirmed to be fully transferable to an individual owner. In near-mint condition, it retained its original tripod and even its original shipping box. Per its consignor, the gun had never been fired since leaving the factory. Its markings included U.S. M240 / 11825980 / MACHINE GUN 7.62MM on the left side of the receiver, followed by its serial number, contract number and National Stock Number. Prior to the auction, Morphy Auctions' founder and president, Dan Morphy, pegged it as a superstar lot, calling it "a tremendous example that would be all but impossible to upgrade." Morphy's observation proved correct. In "exceptionally high condition," the gun sold for a solid $467,400, near the midpoint of its estimate range. Another big winner in the NFA category was a factory-original Heckler & Koch four-position-selector MP5SD3 machine gun, 9mm Luger caliber, with an HK MP5SD silencer. An IE proof code on top of the receiver indicated its year of manufacture to be 1984. It was further marked Made in W. Germany / HK Chantilly, Va on the right side of the magazine well, and HK MP5 SD on top of the receiver. Importantly, it conveyed to its new owner with an official BATF letter identifying the gun and silencer as being unrestricted and fully transferable to individuals. Extremely attractive with crisp mechanics, this sought-after gun rocketed to $96,000 against an estimate of $40,000-$60,000. There was also great interest in a circa-2009 Westley Richards Droplock .470 Double Rifle with chopper lump barrels with the manufacturer's patented flip-over front sight, and scenes of big game (cape buffalo, rhinos, elephant) engraved and signed by Peter Spode and dated '09. The gun was further engraved over its chambers with CAL. .470 NITRO-EXPRESS and REG. FOR 500 GRN. BULLET. Its wide concave rib was gold-inlaid with the name WESTLEY RICHARDS & Co ENGLAND. Accompanied by a handsome Westley Richards case and accessories, it sold for $96,000 against an estimate of $45,000-$65,000. A treasure of the Civil War era, an outstanding cased set of Colts consisted of an 1860 fluted Army Revolver and an 1862 Police Revolver. The set was originally a factory presentation to Colonel Henry Craig, US Army Chief of Ordnance. It conveyed to its new owner with a copy of a 2019 factory letter confirming its 1861 shipment to Major W.M.B. Hartley with the notations: "To Col. Craig, U.S.A. Commanding Ordnance Corps From Colt's P.F.A. Mfg. Co." and "Furnished with a shoulder stock, a powder flask, 60 cartridges, and 500 belt caps." According to firearms expert Greg Martin, this set was acquired directly from the Craig family. It sold at Morphy's for $116,850. Edged weapons continued their hot streak, with a signed World War II sword forged by Masataka (Japan) at the Minatogawa shrine rising to a final price of $49,200, well in excess of its $18,000-$25,000 pre-sale estimate. Visit Morphy's online at Media Contact:Dan Morphy877-968-8880396283@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Morphy Auctions Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
15-05-2025
- CBS News
ATF officers in Philadelphia say they're seeing more switches to make guns fully automatic: "Keeps me up at night"
Amid the sparsely spaced pops at the Philadelphia Police gun range in the Northeast, the tearing of more than a dozen bullets in the blink of an eye stands out. It's because of a machine gun conversion device, a small piece of plastic also known as a "switch" or "Glock switch." With the switch, which can turn a standard semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic one, Special Agent Neil Zubaty with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rips off 17 rounds from a handgun in under two seconds. "It takes less than 30 seconds to pop that on," Zubaty said. "You don't need any special tools to do it. You can actually just use a pen." The ATF invited CBS News Philadelphia to the range this week for a close-up demonstration of the destructive power the devices can cause. The results were shocking to witness. According to Zubaty, adding the device to a gun can allow it to fire 1,200 bullets in a minute, if one could reload that fast. He tells us that's a higher firing rate than a military M-16. The recoil from the rapid-firing weapon is also tremendous. Zubaty has been a firearms instructor with the ATF for more than 15 years. Even for him, he says, controlling a weapon with a switch can be challenging. And when these fall into the hands of someone less experienced, it can lead to devastating collateral damage. "You can also feel it in your hands, but you can also feel it if you're on the balls of your feet, it knocks you back to your heels. And if you don't have experience doing that, it's even worse," Zubaty said. CBS News Philadelphia "A lot of times the intended victim is not the only victim, just because there are so many rounds coming out once this device is employed it causes a lot of damage," said Eric DeGree, special agent in charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division. DeGree said officers are finding these switches more and more in their investigations in Philadelphia. He said agents see them in everything from violent crimes to robberies and gang cases. Finding and stopping the spread of these weapons has become a "top priority" for the ATF, DeGree said. "It's one of the things that keeps me up at night," DeGree said. Recent cases involving switches in Pennsylvania U.S. attorneys on Wednesday charged an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old for boarding a SEPTA bus in December with weapons hidden under their clothing equipped with switches. In January this year, Montgomery County authorities announced the bust of a gun trafficking operation, where they recovered a number of machine gun conversion devices. Then there's the notorious shooting near Rising Sun and Cottman Avenues in March 2024. In that case, several people fired at a group of people getting off a SEPTA bus, injuring eight. In a press conference days later, Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said one of the suspects arrested was found to have a weapon modified with one of the devices. "We recovered a .40-caliber Glock 22 pistol with an extended magazine. It was fully loaded. It also had laser sights on it, and it had what we call a Glock switch," Vanore said on March 11. ATF agents say the devices are easy to install and can be very hard to spot at a glance. They can be made out of metal, but many are now being made relatively cheaply with 3-D printers. They say this can also make them more accessible. "So with a $170 printer, a quarter's worth of material, and 30 seconds, you have a machine gun?" asked CBS News Philadelphia reporter Dan Snyder. "Correct," Zubaty said. Officers crack down, emphasize jail time Agents note that the devices are illegal at the federal level, and they are cracking down on offenders. One way is by highlighting the jail time people face for even possessing a switch. According to DeGree, switches themselves are considered machine guns, and merely possessing the device itself could bring federal charges that could land you in jail for 10 years. If the device is used in a crime, DeGree says offenders are looking at 30 years. DeGree admits keeping these small, mostly unassuming pieces of plastic or metal off the streets is a challenge for the department. But it's something he says the department, and its local partners, are committed to prioritizing. "It's something we work at every day to stem the flow," DeGree said, "so it's not hurting our communities."
CBS News
06-05-2025
- CBS News
St. Paul man charged in alleged gun attack on mom that prompted Metro State University lockdown
A St. Paul man, who had only been out of prison for a couple of months, is charged with attempted second-degree murder and possessing a machine gun after he allegedly shot at his mother last week on the city's east side, prompting a lockdown at nearby Metro State University. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office filed charges against the 22-year-old suspect one day after the shooting, which happened on the afternoon of May 1 in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood. According to the complaint, the suspect and his mother separately told police they had an argument at their home, culminating with the woman telling her son to move out. They told investigators the suspect left the house, and minutes later his mother pulled up beside him in a parking lot a couple blocks from their home off Sixth Street East and Maria Avenue, directly across the street from the university's main building. The two started arguing again, the complaint states, with both saying the mother told her son not to return home. The suspect told investigators he then "blacked out," and fired nearly a dozen rounds at her SUV. The woman told police she then drove home, and her son said he followed to check if she had been injured. Officers arrived soon after to find the two arguing again, and took the man into custody. A K-9 found the gun, which police say was modified with a "trigger activator," inside their backyard grill, according to the complaint. The suspect allegedly admitted it was his weapon. Officers at the scene noted the woman's SUV had "a shattered rear window, a broken rear driver's side window, and multiple bullet holes along the driver's side," the complaint states. Court records show the suspect has four previous felony convictions, including first-degree robbery and being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm. He was released from prison in late February, and was arrested less than three weeks later in Hennepin County for illegal possession of a firearm modified with an "auto sear," the complaint states. He was on conditional release for that alleged offense at the time of last week's shooting. The suspect's bail was set at $1 million. If convicted, he could face at least 20 years in prison. Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
