Sometimes a story comes along that’s so good it doesn’t NEED to be punched up. This was the case yesterday when the N&O knocked it out of the park describing the gun bungling of state Alcohol Law Enforcement officers:
Every agent at the N.C. Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement has a state-issued assault rifle, and two of the expensive and powerful firearms are missing.
On Dec. 11, ALE Agent Bryan S. Irvin reported that his state-issued Sig Sauer model 552 assault rifle was stolen out of a Pontiac Grand Prix in the driveway of his home. Also stolen were two 30- round magazines, a targeting laser and a barrel-mounted tactical flashlight. There were no signs of forced entry, according to a report filed by the Davie County Sheriff’s Office.
the Sig 552, courtesy of Dr. Wikipedia:
On March 4, Agent Derwin Brayboy reported to Fayetteville Police that his Sig assault rifle was missing. Brayboy was unsure how long his weapon had been gone, but he suggested in an internal ALE report that it might have been stolen out of the trunk of his car 11 days earlier as he raided a nightclub.
On July 20, the same day an agent in Charlotte reported that his handgun had been stolen out of his car, Chandler sent an e-mail instructing his officers to secure their side arms with handcuffs.
On Aug 24, ALE Special Agent Nelson W. Corthell accidentally shot himself in the hand at home in Hendersonville. The bullet lodged in his arm, according to his 911 call.
About two hours later, another e-mail was sent to all ALE officers.
“Whenever you secure a weapon using the issued cable lock or any other means (handcuffs, etc.) it is vital that the weapon be rendered safe by unloading it,” wrote Patrick Forbis, a special agent-in-charge in Elizabeth City. “This unloading should be done first prior to placing any security device on the weapon.”
[Bill] Chandler, who has one of the agency’s Sig assault rifles, said Friday that the weapons are essential for his agents.
…
In four years, no ALE officer has needed to shoot one of the assault rifles outside of a firing range.
ALE is also replacing their handguns with $1,055 Kimber pistols, complete with an ALE engraving. I bet you’ll think twice about stealing one of those from an unlocked car!
