L.A. County Sheriff's Department to destroy 8,300 weapons seized from criminals [Updated]

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will destroy 8,300 confiscated weapons Tuesday at a steel mill in Rancho Cucamonga.

The annual effort is known as Project Isaiah. The stash of weapons taken from criminals will be dumped from a series of tractor-trailers into the smelter at the Tamco Steel Mill, said Deputy Bill Brauberger, who described the event as a celebration for the Sheriff’s Department.

“It’s pretty exciting and very visual,” said Brauberger, who attended the event last year.

The Tamco Steel Mill has hosted the event for the last 17 years, he said. [Updated at 1:38 p.m.: Tamco donates its furnace, equipment and personnel to convert the weapons into rebar and will allocate the steel from the melted weapons to be used for upgrades to freeways and bridges in California, Nevada and Arizona.]

This year’s event will begin at 5 a.m. Tuesday, he said.

-- Sam Allen 

Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca holds a Ruger mini semiautomatic rifle at a news conference at Sheriff's Department headquarters, where he announced the destruction of over 8,300 weapons confiscated from criminals in Los Angeles County. Credit: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Brian]

Aren't any of these weapons from the "Cash for Guns" program? Seems too large of a number of weapons seized without including the cash for guns weapons with all the killing and shooting going on in this "safest since the 1950's city" of ours. I hope LAPD isn't fudging the amount.

[xchips]

I propose that all the steel be used in the proposed 357 freeway.

[latimesreader]

That rifle he is holding might bring 700.00 at auction, but he will melt it down fo .01 cent worth of Rebar. Yes, this is our officials at their best. What about selling the guns to lawful citizens???

[Pedro Gambino-Gotti]

Oh my gosh! Cali rebar going to Arizona? Where's the city council when you need them? Oh no, this can't be true! Si Se Puede!!! Viva Arizona!!!

[Sean Chen]

If they seized 8,300 firearms from criminals (not including the cash-for-guns program) in the last year, Los Angeles has a SERIOUS gun problem!

Primarily because only the criminals are allowed to be armed in Los Angeles County.

Private, law-abiding citizens are not allowed to carry guns to defend themselves.

Criminals need to carry guns for "self-defense" from other criminals and for their livelihood.

[lucy goosey]

Hey Sheriff Baca
it would be cool to buy one or two of those firearms b4 you destroy them, the recession has cut into my firearm budget.

[Greg]

What a great use for confiscated weapons from criminals so they can be finally used to make a positive contribution to society.

[Fernando]

Yeah right. Those cops are going to keep the good ones and only melt the broken ones. The one he has in the photo isn't even illegal in CA.

[pcarlson]

From swords into plowshares...

[johnjasonchundotcom]

We can trade the GUNS 4 MEXICAN OIL!

[Randy2009]

Drunk drivers should have their vehicles melted down likewise.

[glove]

allow us to save our own lives - police always arrive after you are dead. governments/polii$hits just making jobs & importance for themselves by insisting on protecting us

[BlazinBob]

Ohhh noes! That "mini" rifle has a flash suppressor! now it's an "assault weapon"...BURN IT!!!

[PadrePete]

What a stupid, wasteful, dangerous media play! Without understanding the basic principles of metallurgy, this portends a far greater threat to society.
The varying combination of metals used from one gun manufacturer to another cannot be ascertained. Which potentially means that the so-called (what, maybe a dozen pieces of 1 inch)mixed rebar may be structurally deficient for engineering use in highway construction.
God help you liberal, anti-gun morons if this made-by-media rebar finds its way into a bridge or overpass that your stalled on in rush hour when a 7+ earthquake hits.
Maybe this story will flash by your brain as you're tumbling 100 feet down to whatever doom waits below. What a joke!

[loiseisenberg]

How satisfying for the Sheriff's Department to have these
confiscated weopons melted down, and have all the steel allocated to upgrade freeways and bridges in Calif. Nevada and Arizona. It shows that all their hard work and efforts were not in vain!!

[diaper rash]

is that the mini-14 tac or a mini-13 with an added flash suppressor?

you wouldn't melt that down for rebar? that would be a shame.

Are you sure that it came out of the confiscated guns bin?

Couldn't it possibly be the one the Ruger rep left for you to play with?

Won't they just let you keep it? That would be the right thing to do.
Just remember to leave a note for your bookeeper reminding them to list it on your annual disclosure form.

And don't forget the memo to all of the station commanders they need to remind their people:
any non-issue pieces that have been sitting in the locker or the trunk all year that need to be cleaned out - you must be inside of the Tamco gates by 5:00 am sharp or you won't be allowed to toss them onto the bonfire.

[Doyle Dean]

la county should keep all the good semi auto pistols and assult rifles and 12 guage shot guns for their armory and sell all other good guns to other police agencys to save the tax payers money. sure melt down the junk but the weapons can also be used in sting opperations. how about thinking about the law abiding taxpayers for a change. the rifle in the chiefs hands in the photo could be used by swat
teams as an axuillary weapon. save the tax payers some bucks
it would make better press!

[Sheila Martin]

WHAT IS THE PROFILE OF THE CRIMINAL?

[eZachLee_Wright]

LA has so many guns to destroy because California has so many anti-gun laws. Many of these have been taken off true criminals but many belong to citizens that were tripped up by laws that have no effect violent crime. CA rates a score of 78 by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. This is the highest score in the nation and is the Brady tribute to California's massive set of gun laws. Another western state got a score of "Zero" for allowing its citizens to have and hold guns. Guess which of these two states has the lowest crime rate? California's violent crime rate is four times higher than the state with the zero Brady score (FBI stats). John Lott's book "More Guns, Less Crime" shows the fallacy of California's near sighted gun laws and the philosophy of "Destroy the gun, but let the criminals out of prison early" Just call me... E. Zach Lee-Wright

[Taxpayer]

8300 auctioned to law abiding buyers or legal dealers at just $150 average each could bring in $1,245,000.00. However, L.A. never saw a tax increase it didn't love and support.

[Thomas]

That's a shame!! Why they don't auction those (legal) firearms to law abiding citenzens and use those money for city budget??
Such a morons!!!!

[Mike]

The junk weapons were destroyed. The Berettas, Glocks, Sigs, Benellis and other worthy pieces are now owned by the sheriffs.

[257xxinNYC]

...Yes, destroy all of them. Rid us of their evil. And what of the criminals? Well, we all know they will be walked thru the revolving door of the (sic) criminal justice system and be back on the streets in no time! And how criminal it is! Great photo opp. though. When is the revolution ?

[257xxinNYC]

....What do you expect from control freaks?

[james]

yep! i'm sure this'll reduce crime in the People's Republik of Kalifornia!