State cops, Steelers under fire over firearms party with assault guns

[RamboLiberal]

AT LEAST 14 Pittsburgh Steelers participated in a shooting party with Pennsylvania State Police troopers at the Greensburg barracks, using state police ammunition and illegal assault weapons from the evidence room, sources say.

Although the gun-fun day was three years ago, someone recently began circulating photographs of the pistol-packing players among state troopers, prompting outraged calls for an outside investigation.

Critics contend it is proof of a pattern of state police ignoring or covering up misbehavior by superiors.

"It's a state police firing range used for state police to train. When we're there, it's downright military," said one state police official, who requested anonymity. "But at this event, it's chaos. Everybody's throwing contraband assault weapons around like they're toys; it's like they're having G.I. Joe tryouts. Not only is this totally unethical, but it's totally illegal."

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At the Daily News' request, a National Rifle Association-certified training counselor and firearms instructor examined the photographs and detected multiple "dumb and dangerous" safety violations.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20090812_TARGETS_OF_CRITICISM.html


Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers are among those gathered at a 2006 shooting event for the players held at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in Greensburg. A safety expert criticized the lax handling of the weapons, including the gun aimed by one player (standing second from right).

[Renew Deal]

1. That picture reminds me of this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TbuoXWNSQ8

[davepc]

2. They took weapons out of the evidence locker?!

What the hell?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

8. That's just idiotic. It jeapordizes the outcomes of trials.

[spin]

3. Perhaps football players and firearms don't mix...

Remember Plaxico Burris and the accidental shooting in a night club?

[benEzra]

4. Bad idea...

But just a quibble with the news story re: assault guns. To paraphrase the Princess Bride, "I don't think that term means what you think it means." A civilian rifle with a protruding handgrip is sometimes dubbed an "assault weapon", but an "assault gun" is an entirely different animal, i.e. a howitzer on a tank chassis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_gun





I know, I know, minor difference, right? Drive-bys with Sturmtigers happen all the time in the cities, we need to ban them for the children, and so on...

[PavePusher]

5. Facepalm, on many levels...

I don't know what "illegal assault weapons" are in Pennsylvania. That is the only part of the article I find not based on facts.

"using state police ammunition and illegal assault weapons from the evidence room, sources say." So we have waste and abuse of government resources, and tampering/destruction of evidence, some of which probably needs to be returned to its rightful owners at some point, so add in unauthorized use/theft of private property. All criminal acts.

"Critics contend it is proof of a pattern of state police ignoring or covering up misbehavior by superiors." Fraud, malfeasance and false testimony. Wonderful.

"At the Daily News' request, a National Rifle Association-certified training counselor and firearms instructor examined the photographs and detected multiple "dumb and dangerous" safety violations." In the crappy group photos there seem to be at least 5 failures to keep the booger-hook off the boom-switch, job-lots of crap muzzle-direction control, gaaaahhhhhh. I have never seen anything like this at the public or private ranges I go to.

I would have left such an event immediately, and called both local police and local media forthwith.

[X_Digger]

6. Bad form, good idea..

Teachable moment wasted. (Don't stick a handgun in your sweat pants, treat all guns as loaded, etc etc.)

[JonQ]

7. So stupid

by all means teach them how to use firearms properly (assuming they pay for their own ammo). Although judging by the picture I would say they failed on that end as well.

But don't take anything out of an evidence locker.

Idiots.

[proteus_lives]

9. Very stupid.

Bad training and taking weapons out of evidence? Someone needs to taken out to the woodshed for this.