Erie - Arsenal Seized - Tavern owner accused of buying 4 stolen guns

[doug]

Arsenal seized - Tavern owner accused of buying 4 stolen guns

BY KARA RHODES kara.rhodes@timesnews.com [original source]

Erie police went to an eastside tavern looking to find four stolen guns.

They discovered much more: two hand grenades, one with a live fuse; a crossbow; a case of armor-piercing bullets; and 100 guns, including the four suspected stolen guns as well as a World War I-era machine gun that police said is illegal to own.

"We found guns from the basement to the attic," Erie police Detective Sgt. Stan Green said.

Police seized all the weapons from Mays Tavern, 1118 East Lake Road, on March 30, the same day officers charged the tavern owner, Richard May.

Police on Wednesday announced the case against May and said he is accused of three counts of receiving stolen property and one count of recklessly endangering another person. Police said the case is part of a broader investigation into the theft and resale of valuables in the region in the past several weeks.

The charges against May are related to the four guns that police believe were stolen before May bought them. May, who has been released on his own recognizance, was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

While it appears many of May's guns were legal to own, they were seized along with the suspected stolen firearms until authorities can verify that they are registered to May, said Erie Police Lt. Kirk Werner. He said police have been unable to trace ownership of about 25 of the weapons, including the machine gun.

Police and agents with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are looking into how May got the machine gun.

Police said May bought the four suspected stolen guns from Erie residents Christopher Edinger, 37, and Ryan Lohrer, 23. Police have linked Lohrer to four other burglaries in the region in recent weeks.

Police said officers searched May's Tavern after Lohrer told them about selling the four stolen guns to May. Police identified Edinger as Lohrer's partner.

Many of the seized guns -- including an AK-47 and a Chinese assault rifle -- were hanging in plain sight behind the bar of the tavern, Detective Green said.

Green said the two grenades were also hanging behind the bar. One had a live fuse that was disarmed by the police's Bomb Squad. While there was no gunpowder in the grenade, it still had enough power to severely injure someone, Green said.

"It was shocking because that grenade was capable of exploding, and it was hanging where any bar patron could have grabbed it," he said.

Green said a rifle with ammunition attached to it on a belt was also hanging behind the bar.

Lohrer has been jailed since March 15 on burglary charges. Police are investigating him in connection with four burglaries involving jewelry that was sold to several local resale and collectible shops, including P.J.'s Coins and Metals in Millcreek Township. His bond is set at $57,000. He has not been charged in the case involving the stolen guns.

In a criminal complaint police filed against Edinger, investigators alleged Lohrer told them he worked with Edinger to sell the stolen guns to May. Lohrer told police that Edinger knew the guns were stolen when he took two of them to May's Tavern to sell, the complaint said.

Lohrer and Edinger returned a second time to sell two more stolen guns, police said Lohrer told investigators. The guns were taken during three separate burglaries, police said.

Edinger was charged April 5 with three counts of receiving stolen property in the case. He is jailed on $5,000 bond.

Police are also searching for Nicole Orton, 25, who they believe drove the getaway car in several of the burglaries investigators have connected to Lohrer. Orton is known to have friends and family in Erie and North East.

Erie police asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to call investigators at 870-1120.


KARA RHODES can be reached at 870-1858 or by e-mail.

[Kenshin]

Theyll throw the book at him for those illegal firearms but they wont throw the book at those who use illegal firearms in a crime....

Oh and someone really needs to smack the police upside the head before they spout off stuff about the illegality of WWI era machine guns. Will be interested to see what happens with that.

[cas]

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

I am tired of the Governments twisting the words SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED

I consider it to be treason to twist the words of our constitutions

[D-FENS]

Good. I am glad he's getting busted. People like this guy are why there's a market for stolen firearms. I am absolutely opposed to a registry, sales registry, ownership registry, etc but there's no excuse for buying stolen guns. It's not about guns or weapons, it's about encouraging the theft of others property because there's a market for it. This guy knew he was buying the guns illegally so it's not like he's a victim here.

Just a shame cause it makes us all look like assholes.

[diputs]

Arsenal seized - Tavern owner accused of buying 4 stolen guns

While it appears many of May's guns were legal to own, they were seized along with the suspected stolen firearms until authorities can verify that they are registered to May, said Erie Police Lt. Kirk Werner. He said police have been unable to trace ownership of about 25 of the weapons, including the machine gun.

anyone else catch this? from what I read only the WWI machine would need to be registered.

[cas]

I do not support stolen weapons , but what part of "shall not be infringed"
do people don't understand hehe. Infringment is being required to get a "license" . Let me remind you William Penn the founder of Pennsylvania was almost killed for not getting a "license"

[Matt2496]

I always hate reading stories like these because you can never tell if the source is a reliable and if we're getting the right or all the details.

Does the "WW1 machine gun" even function? It doesn't look like it was taken care of. Wouldn't that qualify for C&R? If he had a C&R license that means it wouldn't have to be registered right?

[Pukindog]

There are C&R auto weapons on the C&R list, but they do have to be registered just like any other class 3 firearm. Difference is that after all paper work is completed and approved the C&R auto can be shipped to the C&R holder.
Does not matter if it works or not. Perhaps if it was DEWATTED it would be OK.
I think they are going to throw the book at this guy.
Jeff

[theshadow]

up front, I don't condone theft, or illegal activities, and I'm not making excuses for the guy but so amny inaccuracies jumped out at me I wanted to post this point of view.

1) as pointed out earlier, what is the crap about 'registered to him'?

2) the Local Army Surplus has oneof those demilled non-fuctioning MG's in the window, it's not illegal to own. Likewise I'm sure there are many fully functional who did come in and are on the legal to own class III device list, since it is almost 100 years old (roughly 7 years short of 100). So how can they say with certanty that it isn't lawful, based on the other inaccuracies.

3) the grenades, sounds like practice grenades to me, I have two on my desk behind me as I type, no live det cap, but again 100 % lawful to own.

4) AP Ammo is 100% lawful to own, unless it's pistol ammo. Only Pistol AP ammo is unlawful, those shown look like .308, which is rifle not pistol, so 100% lawful.

Now let's look at the transfer of the stolen weapons. No excuse to transfer a handgun and not go through the FFL/ Sherriff, but the story only refers to them as 'guns' so if they were long guns, no need for an FFL or Sheriff. So let's look at it like this (for arguement sake) Joe, the regular comes in. 'Hey Bob, I'm having a bit of a rough time, I know you're into collecting guns, want to take my hunting rifle off my hands?' 'Sure Joe, I know you're a good guy, we anc do a F2F transfer, give you $100?' Now in that light the Tavern owner screwed up trusting someone he shouldn't have, but not criminal intent.

The way this piece is written reaks of hooplaphobia, and trying to villanize the tavern owner because he liked to collect firearms, and malitia related materials. Let's look around here. Crossbow, yup, over at 1 o'clock, waiting fro me to replace the string. evil assault rifle, yup beside me, getting ready for the next range trip. Grneades, yup, two paperweights, behind me, one current, one WW II pinaple. Evil Sniper rifle, yup Deer rifle in the cabinet where it belongs. Bomb making material? Yup smokeless powder, caps, etc in the reloading cabinet. Ammo Cache? Check, .50 cal can of over 1000 .22 rounds, several hundred .45, 20 for the deer rifle (got to reload more) around 1000 loaded or empty brass for my little 'assault' rifle. Machetties, knives, axes, tomahawks didn't even make that guys list. Man I can look like a real villan.

What's around you're home that could be twisted? Me, I think I'm going to with hold a verdict until we have more unbiased information.

[Pukindog]

If the machine gun was demilled, no problem, legal to own. But the article did not say that.
"Almost 100 years old" means nothing. Like the term "almost pregnant".
I would like to think this guy was blind-sided but he probably knew the sellers.
Jeff