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Man Orders TV On Amazon, Gets Shipped Assault Rifle
First time accepted submitter InfernoApple writes "Seth Horvitz, a Northeast D.C. resident, thought he had ordered a new high-definition television a few days ago through Amazon.com from a third-party merchant. When the package arrived yesterday, however, Horvitz opened the oddly shaped box to find something completely different. Instead of the flat-panel TV he had bought to enjoy with his wife, who is pregnant, Horvitz opened the long packaging to discover a Sig Sauer SIG716, a high-caliber, semi-automatic assault rifle capable of mowing down, well, just about anything."
He obviously was buying the TV so that he could hoist it a few stories above the ground and kill whatever poor sucker stood under it when it drops. Amazon just knew him so well from his previous purchases that he'd rather just have a rifle!
Instead of TV package contained high-powered assault rifle.
Would not buy again.
It's just a misunderstanding, officer. I ordered an issue of Big'uns!
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
How far is this man away from Congress?
---
How is his wife's pregnancy relevant?
What's a "high-caliber" assault rifle? A big, scary "machine gun" that will kill people that look at it wrong...
Sounds like a bargain.
Obilgatory XKCD reference.
http://xkcd.com/325/
Fulfilment dept at 3rd party F's up. News on /. ???
i defy anyone to "mow down" anything with a semiautomatic rifle. get a grip
"Yesterday, I got a gun for my wife." "Pretty good trade, don't you think?"
Is this one of the exercises you're asked to do before Rush comes on?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
I'll take that over a TV any day of the week. Especially living in DC...
Karma: Bad
Obviously...
I want to know what kind of retailer carries HDTVs and assault rifles? Maybe Best Buy should adopt this idea, TVs, guns and chicken!
tonyaldo.com
Somewhere, deep in the desert, a hidden meth lab got a nice new TV.
...to shoot all the execs and writers that produce the shit that would have displayed on his tv.
Silence is a state of mime.
No one outside the US cares one bit about this US political crud. Spam is several degrees more classy than this slop.
Orders an assault rifle, gets a TV, instead of going on a rampage watches desperate house wives...
is why he seems to have pots and pans in what looks like his living room? Very suspicious to me..
Unless there was ammunition included, the assault rifle wasn't capable of "mowing down" anything, unless you swung it like a baseball bat. In that case, an assault TV would have been more effective.
Why can't I get lucky like that???!?! :(
What does his wife being pregnant have to do with anything?
I suppose it is fatter than a .223, but it ain't no .50cal.
The SIG716 is not an "assault rifle" and you won't be "mowing" anything down with it. It is a conventional semi-automatic rifle that can be legally owned just about everywhere. Also, it is in a large caliber that makes it better suited for hunting than for rapid fire.
If the guy had been shipped a functionally equivalent hunting rifle with a classic wood stock there would not be as many ninnies getting the vapors over it. Unless Amazon has never made a shipping error before, this is a non-story.
His wife, who is pregnant, is definitely integral to the story
Please blather elsewhere.
Amazon doesn't sell firearms, as far as I can tell. I'm pretty sure they don't. The article is non-commital about whether the package was actually FROM Amazon. So, I think what happened here is that this dude ordered a TV for his wife, and in a totally unrelated incident, received a mis-shipped rifle. Of course, that's not as cute a story, so trim out a few details, leave a few false impressions, and Bob's your uncle.
If your bitterest enemies are people who hack the heads off civilians, then I would say you're doing something right.
^^^
oldhack: "Security is a waste of money until shit hits the fan. 5 minutes later, it becomes waste of money again. "
not to order assault rifles over the internet.
A border patrol vigilante is busy trying to figure out how to load a magazine clip into his assault rifle flatscreen.
Can someone tell me which make/model of TV he ordered and if it was cheaper than that 716?
I have a friend that owns the 516 (5.56 version of the gun instead of the 7.62) and it's a nice chunk of hardware...
It's not an Assault Rifle. Normally the terms don't matter, but in the case of weapons, the laws are VERY different when you change just one word. The Sig 716 is an Assault Weapon, not and Assault Rifle.
The term "assault weapon" is a United States legal term used to describe a variety of semi-automatic firearms that have certain features generally associated with military assault rifles. The 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which expired on September 13, 2004, codified the definition of an assault weapon. It defined the rifle type of assault weapon as a semiautomatic firearm with the ability to accept a detachable magazine containing more than 10 rounds, and two or more of the following "Evil features":
Folding or telescoping stock
Primary pistol grip
Forward grip
Threaded barrel (for a muzzle brake or a suppressor, commonly called a silencer)
Barrel shroud
The National Firearms Act of 1934, Gun Control Act of 1968 and the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 are the laws that affect Assault Rifles (all, I repeat ALL of which are select fire (burst) or fully automatic weapons)
So, in summary, the terms assault rifle and assault weapon are NOT interchangeable from a legal standpoint.
Secondly, that's a $2200 rifle, and the law is pretty specific about where you can deliver those things to (an FFL holder, and that's pretty much it). That's a pretty huge mistake to be made by UPS or whoever the shipping agent was
I'd like to purchase one with a 30-rnd mag and a cleaning kit...
Let me see, hmmmm, TV or assault rifle worth about 10 times the tv. I would have kept it and shut my mouth and had a nice home defense weapon.
Assault is something you do with a rifle, not a description of a rifle. If it is used for home defense then it would be more accuratly described as a defense rifle. Since it has never been used, it is currently best described as a semi-automatic rifle.
Maybe the customer who got the TV is another failed grad student/batman dressup guy, so this worked out well.
This brings the violence on TV to a whole new level!
Is that article originally from the Onion?
Geez, they're just lucky that they're still alive. That very big gun, capable of mowing down, well...just about anything, could have leapt out that box and killed her unborn child!
I mean, unloaded guns, still in packaging, have killed untold numbers of unsuspecting hipsters.
semi-auto means that you squeeze the trigger and one -- ONE -- bullet comes out. Assult rifles are, by definition, fully automatic. This weapon is not full-auto, ergo it is not an assault rifle. "semi-automatic assault rifle" is a contradiction in terms.
You're not going to "mow down" anything with that gun. Again, it's semi-auto.
The rifle is chambered in 7.62 x 51 mm. That's, like, one of the most common rifle calibers in the world. There are hunting rifles that fire similar rounds, yes even the ones in the old cowboy movies.
But, hey, there's no reason we can't call this semi-auto rifle in a common caliber an "assault rifle capable of mowing down, well, just about anything." Who cares if it makes you sound like you don't know what the hell you're talking about? It's a gun! And not just any gun: it's black and has no wood on it! SCARY!
This story was on the local Washington DC NPR affiliate yesterday, and they did a much better job describing the problem -- it was quite obviously a UPS bungle, underneath the address sticker on the package, there was *another* address sticker, with the address of a gun shop in Maryland, which confirmed that they had indeed ordered this thing, and were waiting for it. Amazon doesn't appear to have done anything wrong in this case.
The part that I thought NPR did poorly was, both they and the guy who was the subject of the story kept going on about how dangerous the situation was, and I thought that was kind of over-blown. It was left on his porch for a while, which put it at risk for theft, but the gun was, as far as I can tell, not loaded, and there was no suitable ammunition anywhere around. So, it seems to me that, practically speaking, it was no more or less dangerous than a similarly-sized shovel or crowbar, independently of the presence of pregnant women and other vulnerable people.
When someone shows up with the right ammo, *then* it's dangerous. But not before.
2*3*3*3*3*11*251
"Assault Rifle" is a military term for a rifle that can be fired as semi-automatic or fully-automatic. The SIG 716 isn't an assault rifle and a Corvette ZR1 isn't tractor trailer.
The author probably meant "assault weapon" but that's a meaningless word for "scary looking gun" The now-expired Assault Weapons Ban defined certain guns by model and feature but mostly it was about looking scary. The gun in question was released this year so it couldn't have qualified based on the model and I don't care enough to check if it would qualify based on cosmetic features.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
every single military-age man has a fully-automatic variant of this rifle that was given to him by the government
"Oh... I'm sorry... I thought you said 'high caliber' not 'high definition.'"
You feed him for a day. Give a man an assault rifle, and you'll feed him for as long as he has ammo!
"Quote me as saying I was mis-quoted." -Groucho Marx
I just ordered (seriously) a vacuum cleaner. Please stay tuned for the test of the thermonuclear device I'm going to get.
The gun is chambered for a 7.62 NATO round. That's like a .30 caliber bullet. A pretty common caliber for anyone who hunts medium sized game. It's a semi-auto rifle as well, so nothing incredible about that. If you ignore the 20 roiund clip, this rifle doesn't do anything out of the ordinary except look "scary".
A Barret .50 would have been much more exciting to receive.
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
What does a Canadian band have to do with Obama and Romney?
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
No weapon kills people, people do. That's why no one should deny me my constitutional right to buy a tank and build a nuke.
1. I haven't ordered guns through the postal system but shouldn't there be a system where the postal system knows what is being shipped? It would have been helpful if a postal worker had noticed that a dangerous semi-automatic rifle was being shipped to a D.C. address and notified police. As an example this guy (http://www.joc.com/government-regulation/con-way-freight-helps-capture-alleged-terrorist) was caught because the shipping company became suspicious and notified the FBI. Why was this gun not detected and intercepted?
2. Where are the quality controls on this? There should be a big difference in the shipping weight and dimensions of a flat-screen TV and a rifle. Amazon must have poor QA/QC if they cannot automatically detect a shipping discrepancy and hold the shipment to be checked. This is not that complicated - stores now have self-checkout lines that check the scanned UPC code against the weight added to the bag. Quite simple, except for Amazon.
3. What did the gun store (that was supposed to get that rifle) get? Presumably it was a flat-screen TV, but it considering the poor tracking on this issue by Amazon there could be a whole series of incorrectly shipped items.
4. I didn't know Amazon was in the gun-selling business. However I can't find any high-powered guns on their website (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Sig+Sauer+SIG716). How did this get ordered from Amazon in the first place?
It was, NPR reported that his address label was stuck on top of one for the gun shop it was intended to go to. Pretty much every one of the articles on this story also neglects to state that you can't have firearms shipped to your house unless you have an FFL.. You have to go pick it up at a gun store and go through a background check.
Bring back the old version of slashdot.
NPR reported that the label under this guys address is for a gun store in PA. This is really poor reporting. The washington post version lacks this detail as well, as well as any reporting that you can't ship firearms to a persons home unless they have a FFL.
Bring back the old version of slashdot.
Preferably one written by someone at least knowledgeable about guns. It's neither high caliber, nor capable of "mowing down just about anything".
It's gas-powered semi-automatic: One trigger pull, one round.
It's 7.62x51mm NATO, which is nearly (but not exactly) identical the .308 Winchester it's based on. It could be potentially classed as high-power (the .308 being a hunting round), but it is not high caliber.
It features the so-called "scary assault rifle look", particularly since it uses the popular modular rail mounting for components and accessories using with a common attachment design. But then there is no law that all rifles must look like grandpappy's squirrel gun, or be "not scary looking".
As for "mowing down", that's hyperbole. Any weapon is capable of such a thing if misused, be it a knife, gun, car, or simple bottle of Chlorine gas from your local pool.
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
"SIG716, a high-caliber, semi-automatic assault rifle capable of mowing down, well, just about anything"
what makes a semi-automatic assault rifle diffrent from any other rifle of same barrell length and caliber?
oh, it looks scarier.
I am reliably informed that at proper finishing schools you learn how to pluck and gut game birds, if not actually how to shoot them. So I think you may be misunderestimating what happens there.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Yep, the Washington Post's version lacked the details you mentioned and any discussion that you have to ship firearms to a gun store or FFL holder. To be fair, WAMU failed to mention the FFL part as well. I think it speaks volumes to the amount of detail left out in stories either due to shrinking newsrooms, or rush to report rather than trying to sell a story by omission. Its a simple case why people should get their news from multiple sources.
Bring back the old version of slashdot.
The bass was really loud; I thought I blew the speakers, but when I tried again, it was still as loud. It was at that point that I noticed the large, gaping holes in my wall. Within a few minutes, police had arrived at my house, to ask if anything was wrong. I informed them that my television was malfunctioning, and they seemed to decide I was a lunatic and drove away. When I tried to RMA it, the man on the other end of the support line laughed at me and hung up.
Would not buy again.
Slashdot is not a US centric site. They keep saying that because they want it to be true, but it isn't.
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
;)
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
I guess it's like the old porn shop gag, ex Monty Python I think:
"I want to buy an...iPhone"
"Sorry, Sir, wrong euphemism."
"A microwave oven?"
"Try again..."
"A high-definition TV?"
"Ah, now Sir is talking. If you come in back you can peruse our...interesting equipment."
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
why not?
why can't you hunt with one?
what makes this a bad weapon to hunt with?
Man orders something. Supplier gets order wrong.
The fact that they really should be more careful with something fairly tightly regulated adds a little I guess but it's not that serious.
Well you're wrong.
Certain Canadian Citizens have prohibited class licenses permitting them, as individuals, to own and possess fully automatic rifles and machineguns.
Unfortunately AFAIK there is no civilian range approved for fully automatic use, so they're basically legally problematic paperweights.
As far as guns belong in the hands of professionals, as a Canadian I don't agree.
I think guns belong in the hands of responsible good guys, this may or may not include professionals.
The RCMP officer who got mad and fired her service pistol at her hubby in a domestic dispute has no business with a gun.
I see no issues with a border guard coming off shift carrying their own personal or duty pistol.
Min wage armoured car drivers, with limited training, can carry guns around town, why can't I, as a former military, responsible law abiding professional?
That's a badass gun. Why can't they ever fuck my order up like that...
With an assault rifle, he can get all the hi-def TVs he wants.
Some see the vessel as half full; others see it as half-empty; We pour it out on the floor and laugh
Makes a difference that the woman is pregnant
" Instead of the flat-panel TV he had bought to enjoy with his wife, who is pregnant, Horvitz opened the long packaging to discover..."
Now I'm disappointed, my Gummi Fish order arrived today, but not my semi-automatic UPS. Shipping has been delayed for some reason.
http://www.sigsauer.com/CatalogProductDetails/sig716-patrol-rifle.aspx "Familiar Handling, Unfamiliar Power, SIG SAUER® has taken the proven features of the SIG516â and applied them into a potent AR-based rifle chambered in 7.62 x 51mm. " Who in the heck see this as a hunting rifle ? American apparentely. This might not be an assault rifle (even if AR chambered can be misleading) but this is not a "hunting" weapon by all mean.
Wow, that is an amazingly ignorant claim. Anyone who looks beyond the cosmetics of the silhouette and black plastic would think otherwise.
.308 Winchester ammunition, a popular hunting calibre.
Accurate, yes,
Mounts a scope, yes.
5-round magazine, as per hunting regulations.
Semi-automatic, like many another hunting rifles.
So how is it different from common hunting rifles in non-cosmetic terms?
MyCleanPC.
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Perhaps he'll get another unit in 6 months, and save 15% with free 2-day shipping through Amazon Primed.
... otherwise no one would have received anything.
http://whois.domaintools.com/slashdot.org
insensitive clod overlords obligatory xkcd car analogy russian reversals whoosh pedant fanbois ftfy in 3...2...1..PROFIT
for a TV, so they sent him a rifle.
Sorry, but gray text on gray background is making my eyes bleed.
... but can't buy or own ammo for their rifle unless they're at the range, and they have to use it there. They also can't carry the rifle around unless they're on the way to the range or some militia training exercise.
-- Let us endeavor so to live that when we pass even the undertaker shall be sorry. -- M. Twain
Actually it is a fine hunting weapon, I have AR-10 same cartridge that I use for large game hunting. I know it is black so nobody would hunt with that, right?
Got Code?
Then step on over to one of the other /. sites like slashdot.jp or slashdot.co.uk if you want a non-US centric /. site.
... it ain't an ASSAULT RIFLE!
Thanks to file sharing, I purchase more CDs
Thanks to the RIAA, I buy them used...
Why did this dumbass call 911? Why did he tell anyone, I bet that gun was at least two times the cost of his TV, plus you don't need a permit to own a rifle. This article is so slanted against guns it screams gun hater. Example "enjoy with his wife, who is pregnant" this has nothing to do with the mistake. Example 2: "a high-caliber, semi-automatic assault weapon capable of mowing down, well, just about anything" this is an obvious overstatement. Errors happen and if the person who received the package would have just called Amazon instead of 911 it wouldn't be an issue. Instead of being an over reacting gun hater he should have been a responsible adult and just taken care of the problem. Thank you liberal news media for taking time to once again try to make something out of nothing.
You clearly have no clue what you're talking about.
This rifle is but one example of the hundreds that have been manufactured in .308 Winchester for 60 years now. If you read the article, you'll see that the .308 cartridge was designed in 1952 AND IS THE BASIS FOR THE MILITARY CARTRIDGE. It is wildly popular in short-action rifles for hunting large game. It is typically loaded to slightly lower muzzle energies than the longer .30-06, but is usually cheaper, and as 'short' cartridge it allows for faster follow-up shots if needed. (It also is supposedly slightly more accurate because of its length).
Don't spout rhetoric; learn the facts.
Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
He just used the wrong NSN (National Stock Number) when ordering the television. Simple mistake. Happens all the time. Like when you order replacement O-rings and they deliver a long-palleted Honda Gold-Wing.
If you read TFA, it looks like it was a mistake by UPS, so why even mention Amazon? (And Amazon doesn't allow listing of guns anyway.) The article says the box was addressed to a gun dealer in PA ... not an error by Amazon or the vendor, but by the shipper.
Though I do wonder what was in the other box. The photo shows a big shipping box with the rifle box on top of it, there's still another box in the shipping box ...
Agenda is cranked way the hell up jeeez! Slight breech of etiquette, with the *triple dog dare* propaganda coming out of the rats' nest of DC.
With an assault rifle you can go out and get any TV you want. And keep it too. Even in Wash DC.
The reverse, not so much.
Other then the fact that the guy ordered the TV from Amazon, what's the connection to computers, software, the Internet and all the rest of the technologicawocal world that Slashdot's supposed to have made it its goal to cover?
Is the news that UPS screwed up?
Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
I really wish people that have no clue about guns and gun laws would stop posting their ridiculous (and false) comments . Especially non-U.S citizens. You're just jealous of our constitution.
I didn't realize there were citizens as ignorant as you. At least the romney badger will get one vote, I suppose.
Where can I order this TV!!!!!!???!?!??!!!
Wuddooeyeno? IITYWYBMAD? Like nuts? eclecticallyincorrect.com
I saw that in Arizona. Talk about one-stop shopping!
Well, I use a rifle that is functionally identical to an AR-15. It's a gas-operated, semi-automatic rifle. The biggest difference is that my rifle has a wood stock and it's chambered in .30-06.
Amazon doesn't sell guns unfortunately. Not real ones, anyway. I bought an AR15 a few weeks ago and would have liked to have bought from amazon so I could take advantage of my free shipping/prime account. I just rechecked, still no guns. I think it's more likely that the shipping company screwed up.
What does a Canadian band have to do with Obama and Romney?
Yeah, everyone knows they voted for Nader.
Amazon DOES NOT SELL FIREARMS!
YOU CANNOT BUY FIREARMS THROUGH THE MAIL!
IF THIS BULLSHIT IS TRUE MANY FEDERAL LAWS WERE BROKEN!
This is a classic political BS story that would never have appeared if it was not in the wake of mass murders involving firearms!
I killed da wabbit -Elmer Fudd
No, no, wait, mods! This is clearly on-topic! Just look:
1. This person wanted to buy a TV for his wife, but instead got a high-powered semi-automatic rifle. See where I'm going with this? He'll kill his wife with the gun by accident!
2. This sort of shipping mishap must have been done by someone so inexperienced with the English language to mess up an order that badly. It can be assumed, therefore, that this job was outsourced from whatever third-party reseller being used in this case. The chief of said company must have made that decision.
3. This is a very embarrassing gaffe, overseas or not.
4. Amazon's been under attack recently by states demanding they collect sales taxes. And the TV that was supposed to be delivered would've been quite heavy. Combine those together, and the middle class will be crushed, and there's taxes!
5. Whoever did this will need to be hunted down and fired. Unfortunately, this will result in a McCarthy-esque witch hunt in the company until everyone responsible has been found.
6. Ownership of such a gun may not be a crime in DC, but we still need to figure out where it came from; it may be a felony in whatever country this was shipped from.
7. The customer couldn't abort the shipment before it got to him. Or rather, he had no reason it would need to be. But, he certainly wouldn't abort the order if he could use the gun to defend someone being raped.
8. Most likely, this entire affair was due to some penny-pinching MBA, most likely one from a prep school where they have no real concept of how the real world works. As a result, the outsourcing issue mentioned above, ultimately leading to this erroneous shipment.
9. The company probably wants to keep this a secret. See the part about it being a major gaffe.
10. This is obviously racist, too. I mean, would they accidentally ship semi-automatic rifles to BLACK PEOPLE?!? No. This was shipped to a white guy due to racial fears.
See? It all ties in to the article at hand. This certainly wasn't some political nutjob vomiting up a copy-and-paste checklist in the desperate, DESPERATE hope that someone, ANYONE will care about what he's saying.
Its was a 3rd party.
So some company, that uses Amazon, sent the wrong package. Amazon had nothing to do with it but host the 3rd party's products.
While the hordes argue over what the term "assault weapons" means or doesn't mean, there is a much more significant question: how did a firearm get sent to a private individual's house in the US, who is not a licensed firearms dealer? This is the error that (I suspect) is going to get someone (who shipped that package) into trouble....
I had thought that doing so was illegal in all 50 states. Is it so?
You can mail a gun TO a dealer or a repair center, but they can only return it to a FFL/firearms dealer. They cannot legally send it directly to your home address.
Most companies are very skittish on following this law; I've sent in air rifles for repair and they wouldn't mail them back to my house....
Because that would be nice.
It pleases me to see so many Nerds also interested in Firearms.
For every benefit you receive a tax is levied. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sig doesn't ship their rifles in cardboard boxes. It would have come in a blue hard sided case. That is an airsoft. It shoots nice 6mm plastic pellets, and likely neither he nor the Police have handled either an airsoft sig nor a real one to know the difference. Now if it really is a firearm then the company that sent it to him violated the 1968 Gun Contral Act and is going to lose their licenses. That is if it wasn't from Eric Holder's Fast and Furious Program
...the (sarcasticly called) "RIAA/MPAA Fan Club" is now looking at a big box with a TV in it.
FTA:
UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: Ty Rogers, an Amazon spokesman, declined to say what the company is doing to remedy the situation.
Why should Amazon have to do anything in the first place? This was a shipping error by UPS and has nothing to do with Amazon. Amazon wasn't even the one directly selling the TV, they just listed the page for one of their third party sellers. UPS should be the company to remedy the issue by getting the man his TV. I suspect the person the gun was intended for is eager to get his $2500 gun opposed to the $400 TV he likely got anyway.
The story should read...
Man gets additional package delivered in addition to his TV. After viewing the shipping sender and intended recipient, he determined the package was not for him. He proceeded to open the package anyway, rather than contact the shipper about the error. After noticing it was a gun, his liberal ideas that "guns kill people" took hold and made him extremely scared that the gun would jump out of the box and chase down in his own home. Scared for his life and fearing the tape holding the gun in place would break any second, he called 911.
Ok the last part was a little over the top, but he's still an idiot. Amazon doesn't sell guns(except airsoft). He knew by the addressee, sender, and box size that he wasn't the intended recipient. Basically he's guilty of multiple state and federal laws by opening that package that was not intended for him.
Semi-automatic rifles don't "mow." They shoot one bullet at a time, one per manual pull and release of the trigger. But hey. Nice try with the hysterical pitch. omg "assault" rifle!!!! Idiot.
You want "mowing", you need a fully automatic weapon.
The gun is illegal to have in DC. He could have been arrested just for having it on his porch. Worse, if the police had found out about it before he called them, they could have come in with weapons drawn.
Or, worse yet, since it was left unattended, it could have been stolen, used in a crime, and then the gentleman may have been liable even though he did not order the gun or even know that it was there.
Those things aside, however, I do agree that an unloaded rifle in a box isn't very dangerous all on its own.
I would have STFU, and just complained about the non-arriving TV order.
Tried a gun shop?
At least in Arizona and Nevada.... Glad I don't live near you, after you say that.
Give a man a TV, he watches TV until the TV breaks.
Give a man an assault rifle, and he can get a new TV anytime he wants.
I don't want to seem like a dick, but, I feel the need to point out the Sig Sauer SIG716 is not an assault rifle. It is a semi-automatic rifle meaning that a round is fired every time one pulls the trigger. An Assault rifle is a selective fire weapon capable of firing fully automatic or a single round at a time when one pulls the trigger. An assault rifle is a completely different weapon from a semi-automatic. I know it sounds cool to say the weapon is an assault rifle, but it is just not accurate. It makes it hard to take Slashdot seriously when you mess-up the facts.
People tend to look at AR/M-15/16 type rifles as being very scary. When the nutter in Colorado went on his shooting spree, the AR-15 (scary looking black rifle) actually jammed. The shooter continued using a shotgun. So much for an "Assault weapons ban" making a difference.
This rifle chambers a round that is roughly a 30.06. This is a pretty big round and would make fully automatic operation pretty much impossible. It is so big, it even makes rapid fire semi-automatic shooting with any real accuracy unlikely.
What a perfect case study... Finally we have a controlled situation where we can answer that age old NRA vs Liberal question...
Did he turn into a raving lunatic and gun down people?
Are you really telling me that in the US, you can just go and buy a real assault rifle online and it will just get shipped to your door?
WTF is *wrong* with you people!?
start your own website if you don't like that Americans own and operate this one.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
assault rifle capable of mowing down, well, just about anything
Nope no bias there.
And, just for the record its a *semi* automatic, so its not an 'assault' rifle. Phhft
---- Booth was a patriot ----
No. that is why this is news worthy.
In the US you may order and pay for a gun. But it will get to a licensed dealer. Then held for a waiting period while background checks are done. And then must be released to you, in person. Some states have additional regulation, like California requires handguns to have a special state certification, that the buyer provides a thumb print for the firearms transfer (the FFL "owns" the firearm until it is released to the buyer), that ammo capacity and assault rifle restrictions are met, that the gun is not on a federal or state banned list (50BMG is banned in California, even though it is primarily used for target shooting competition) and finally that the buyer has not purchased more than the maximum number of handguns in a given period (you can't buy and receive a matched pair of custom handguns in California. you have to have someone hold part of the set for a month).
assault rifle is a poorly defined term. different jurisdictions have different definitions. And popular consensus usually differs from the various legal definitions. To be honest I think California's 10 round capacity limit is the most effective way to deal with assault rifles in the US to date. For hunting and for most types of competition, more than 10 rounds is unnecessary. For fun/entertainment, I'm sure high-capacity 100 round drum is great fun, but is it absolutely necessary? As a society we do have to balance between safety and fun. For gun I guess people will just have to shoot 10 cans, then reload. As for self-defense, I'm not in a position to judge what is appropriate for self defense, as I don't personally use firearms for self defense.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
Out of all places, found out more details, heavens to Betsy, from all places FoxNews.
How did it end up in Washington, D.C.? According to The Florida Gun Exchange, the rifle was shipped properly, according to law with the correct address on the box. But in transit, the label with Horvitz's address somehow came off the box with the television and was attached to the box with the gun. "Whoever made the mistake, it's pretty serious. I think it should be followed up," said Horvitz. The Florida Gun Exchange says it's looking to UPS for answers.
Immediately thought of this as soon as I read it. http://xkcd.com/325/
Semi-automatic is a single round per trigger pull. These will not mow anything down. Unless you still have acid in your spinal column, are currently are high, or cry for the trees, "assault weapon" is not about features (looks) but function. Ignorant people (usually that live in big cities) should not use the term "assault weapon", or "automatic" if they do not know what that means. A true "assault weapon" is only available in the military, or requires a special firearm license to even get issued by the government. If it fires one round per trigger pull, it is just a rifle... Please don't use ignorant terms like the media (mentioned above), and politicians, because you will look stupid AND ignorant. If it is black, don't be a racist and call it an "assault weapon", or "automatic" because it is black, educate yourself but not in a liberal college regurgitating terms of ignorance...
First, to be an Assault Rifle, it needs an automatic fire mode, or at the very least a burst fire one, (I don't see any value in burst-fire weapons, but as long as the yanks don't properly train their soldiers, it's better then the alternative).
Second, there are three legal distinctions, fire mode, length, and magazine size, which affect whether a firearm is legal or not. A lot of Assault Rifles have Semi-Automatic derivatives, so they can be purchased by civilians, which, with the right permits, are completely legal in most jurisdictions, (though, maybe with a smaller magazine).
Third, a Carbine just means it has a shorter barrel then would be normal for it's caliber.
Fourth, not really high caliber. 7.62mm NATO is a pretty mild caliber for civilian rifles. There are a lot of rifles that are significantly more powerful. It should be noted that the smaller 5.56mm NATO isn't really good for hunting anything else but humans, (and target practice), so 7.62mm NATO is far less creepy.
Fifth, while this is a big mess up, it shouldn't be that strange. I'm sure Wal*Mart has sent a few rifles to the wrong stores instead of the potato chips they were expecting.
Sixth, he did the the exact right thing, legally, (aside from panick like a little girl, but legally, that's neither here nor there). If ever you get a weapon you legally can't own, or aren't sure if you can legally own, call the police to come and collect it. Try not to panick, as that will just make them worried, and more likely to do something stupid.
Seventh, "declined to say what the company is doing to remedy the situation."
I'm guessing, try to track down the TV, try to recover the rifle, and then send them to the correct owners. If the guy who got the TV by mistake doesn't return it, it will be charged seperately to his credit card. They will probably just have to pay a fine for the rifle, (just might not be indicative of how expensive the fine is...), and then make sure each person gets what he ordered intentionally. They treat this like it's rocket science, or something, when it's far less complicated then when an airline loses your luggage.
Eight, what is far more interesting is what the Police / Prosecutors are going to do to remedy the situation.
Chill. Never did I say that I have any problem with Americans running the site.
I am simply saying it is not US Centric, and it isn't. A substantial number of users are not American and a number of stories are not US Centric. Just because it is operated by Americans does not make it US Centric.
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
US Centric as a term has nothing to do with where a domain was registered. Amazing, huh?
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
Despite the caliber, this gun is based on the same design as an AR-15 (the SIG516 is the 5.56mm version). It would need a different trigger group, fire selector, bolt, lower, and probably a few other things.
Could someone modify it? Sure, in theory. I mean anything that one person can make another can remake. However it would be serious work, and require knowing what the heel you were doing and it isn't like such information is something a legit gunsmith will give you.
Semi-auto ARs are quite popular, and quite legal (even in more restrictive countries, in Canada they are restricted but not prohibited). They are not things where you just remove a pin and they go full auto or something.
I found it odd that every time I ordered a horror DVD from Amazon, a zombie in a box showed up. At least it wasn't a zombie with a gun!
Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
I mean it is quite likely that a roving Wal-Mart snuck in to his house and loaded the gun when he wasn't looking. They are extremely stealthy like that.
Look man the GP's point was the weapon doesn't ship loaded and nobody had gone and loaded it. Nothing was going to happen.
Also, perhaps this is an argument for not being so scare of guns that you never learn about them. ARs are extremely easy to clear: Set the selector to safe, press the magazine release and remove the detachable magazine, pull the charging handle all the way back and while holding it back, press the slide lock. Then look in the chamber and make sure it is clear. If it is, release the slide lock, the bolt will go forward. The weapon is now clear. If you are still concerned, push out the two takedown pins, and the rifle will come apart in to two pieces. This is not some arcane knowledge that requires years of training, it is designed to be simple.
Finally, you can find all this out be RTFM. Guns come with manuals. They tell you how they work, how to safe them, how to clear them, how to take them apart to clean them, and so on. Even if you don't know how to use a particular gun, if you get one brand new, as this one was, it comes with a manual. The manuals for Sigs are very comprehensive. Oh, and should you wish to secure it, they come with a gun lock, again which the manual explains how to use. You lock it through the magazine and ejector port so the bolt can't close (and a magazine can't be inserted).
The GP's point was just that a gun shipped new in box is not something dangerous. It takes ammo (loaded in to it) to make it dangerous and that doesn't come with it. It turns out gun manufacturers aren't interested in their products going off accidentally, they are designed to be quite safe.
Sounds like they shipped the remote ahead of the TV. It's especially useful if you watch Fox.
You can have a firearm shipped to you provided:
1) You already legally owned the gun.
2) You sent it to a federally licensed gunsmith for work.
3) They sent it directly back to you.
4) You let the carrier know at the time of shipment that the package contains a firearm.
5) Nowhere on the package is there any marking that indicates it is a firearm.
6) You don't use the post office to do it.
If all those are true, it is legal to directly ship and receive a gun. However one of the parties has to be an FFL, just not both, and as I said it is only in the case that the non-FFL already owns the gun and is the initiator.
In that case FedEx or UPS will ship the gun for you. However they put the additional stipulation that you have to ship it priority overnight, no ground shipping.
I've done that with a pistol I have. I wanted a new trigger and sights installed, and the gunsmith I wished to use was not local. So I took it to FedEx (has to be a real FedEx location, not a Kinkos) told them it was a gun, paid my money, and off it went. Some time later, the gunsmith called to tell me it would be coming back and to schedule with me when I'd be there to receive the shipment. You need to make sure to verify it is a real FFL you are shipping to (the ATF has a site to do that).
For new weapons though, yes they have to go to an FFL in your state. I've done that too. Bought a SIG516 (the 5.56 version of this gun) and nobody around here had one (they are pretty popular). So I paid an out of state gun store for it, who shipped it to a local gun shop, which I then went to for the background check and pick up.
A .308 Winchester to be specific. That is the parent case. A 7.62 gun fires .308 ammo just fine. There are some minor specification differences, but they are the same round for most purposes.
Yes...and that's the point. It's really nothing special. Just a standard semi-automatic rifle (not much different than any other varmint rifle).
But in DC it is illegal and near impossible to get one. And he did.... (Could of just kept his mouth shut. And when things hit the crapper in another decade, he'd have the means to keep himself and his neighbors safe.)
Could the moderators tell me exactly what part of this they found informative? The only piece of information in this that is even accurate is the bit about such guns being illegal in DC and that was from the post he was replying to. Yeah guns keep you safe, keep telling yourself that. Also fried chicken keeps you thin and computer games keep you tanned.
you must not understand americans then. we don't do shit for anyone else but ourselves. the editors don't spell words like colour, humour, recognise or theatre. there's no non-english language version of the site. there's no spain.slashdot.org or espana.slashdot.org. an overwhelming majority of news topics submitted take place or are centered around events in america or corporations based in america. when any amount of money is specified in a headline or summary it is almost always in american dollars. there are far more stories referring to politics in america than politics in any other country.
as of this writing, all of the stories on the slashdot homepage (before getting 'Many More') are about american people/companies/organizations/websites except for one regarding the indian government giving away cell phones to the poor. the fact that slashdot is registered and administered in america indicates a high probability that the site is us-centric. america is very ethno-centric, we teach it from kindergarten on up.
if this site is comprised of user-submitted news stories, and the majority of those users are american, then it's easy to see that the site is us-centric. there's a difference between saying the site is not us-centric and saying that non-american users are equally valid. the latter is probably what you meant. amazing, huh?
insensitive clod overlords obligatory xkcd car analogy russian reversals whoosh pedant fanbois ftfy in 3...2...1..PROFIT
As they would ship a real SIG716 in a box quite a bit sturdier than something that looks like "made in China".
what would of happened, if he HAD ordered a weapon like that? Would a tank show up on his front door?
Yes, the Constitution forbids ex post facto laws (laws that punish actions committed before the law was passed), and this isn't the only law to have an exception for that reason.
I listen to both RIAA and non-RIAA stuff if I like the music, tangential business/politics nonwithstanding.
If it was semiautomatic, it wasn't an assault rifle.
The most mistaken part of this story is the implication that you can just buy this gun on the internet *anywhere* and have it shipped to you. All firearms purchases across state lines must be done through a license firearms dealer, who will complete a federal background check. So yes, you can buy guns on the internet - but they get shipped to your local gun store, who charges you a fee to do the background check. NOT to your front door, unless you, too, happen to be a license firearms dealer.
He ordered the rifle but the wife showed when the package did and he got caught. Oh honey I ordered a TV really, they must have sent this by mistake.
Got Code?
What sort of person notifies a news organization when something like this happens?
Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
So... am I the only one who disregards this type of sensationalist journalism as complete-waste-of-time garbage when they come across lines like that pregnancy mention?
Sometimes I feel real hatred for Slashdot editors.
He could use the gun to get a TV at a bricks and mortar show. When I showed my gun to the bricks and mortar shop here (I am very proud of it) they were so awed they gave me a 100" plasma for free!
Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
Because Amazon probably put the UPS labels on the package and there were two of them?
Er, it's a 7.62mm NATO chambering, not .308. I know many people think these are the same, but they are not. You can generally get away with firing one in the other, but specifically, the 7.62mm NATO chambering should not be used to fire a .308 round, especially if you're reloading. You can go the other way (a 7.62mm NATO round in a .308 chambered rifle). But the fact that this particular gun is chambered for 7.62mm NATO makes it a bit less useful for hunting than otherwise.
My informant was the mother of a friend who went to one before WW2. She was posted to Egypt for much of the War and the skills she learned ensured an interesting social life.
From scarped cliff or quarried stone she cries "A thousand types are gone, I care for nothing, no not one."
Except most of the stories are not US Centric, they are international. With international stories and userbase, how is /. us centric? It isn't. It's just administered in the US.
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.
you want so much to believe that you're right that you will completely ignore reason. i just listed several compelling reasons why /. is us-centric. you are completely wrong, most of the stories are not international. some stories are. and some of those are still us-centric. when a story is about us hackers attacking iran nuclear facilities with a virus, the story is not about iran. when a story is about a kiwi filesharing website owner being harassed by the fbi and facing charges in the us, the story is not about new zealand. you fail.
insensitive clod overlords obligatory xkcd car analogy russian reversals whoosh pedant fanbois ftfy in 3...2...1..PROFIT
I am not surprised. They've gone down hill - I ordered a Sam Sung HD TV about a year ago through them. Guess what? Somehow it had a crack on the screen in less than a year (I swear I didn't touch the damn thing one bit). I called both Sam Sung and Amazon and none of them wanted to take care of it. I am thinking of going back to eBay. Or where else I should go? Any suggestions?
you must not understand americans then. we don't do shit for anyone else but ourselves. the editors don't spell words like colour, humour, recognise or theatre. there's no non-english language version of the site. there's no spain.slashdot.org or espana.slashdot.org. an overwhelming majority of news topics submitted take place or are centered around events in america or corporations based in america. when any amount of money is specified in a headline or summary it is almost always in american dollars. there are far more stories referring to politics in america than politics in any other country.
There's a Japanese Slashdot:
http://slashdot.jp/
Yes it is. You just keep saying it isn't because you want it to be true.
I can play that game too, fuckwit.
Some people have all the luck.
I opened an unexpected package via UPS once and it was a very nice set of Adams Tightlies. I have to admit I was very tempted to move them into my sports equipment locker. :) But I called UPS and reported it. When they picked it up they didn't even say "thank you".
WHY is it that every time I hear some [expletive deleted] use the term "assult rifle" I have a vision from the hollyweird productions of some guy with a WW2 vintage 50 cal blazing a trail through parasite zombies?
I must keep reminding myself that what the prestitutes blather is NOT reality - just some strange dillusional form of sheeple dreaming.
Firearms may not be legally shipped to individuals through the mail. From Amazon it would have had to legally go to a Federally licensed dealer (FFL) that fills out the paperwork and check with the FBI to make sure the purchaser can legally purchase said firearm. Most FFLs will charge around $25 to do this.
It seems the main stream media likes to omit these little details on which the entire transaction hinges. It appears likely that they USPS is the one that screwed up, or the wrong address was accidentally given.
They've changed the definition of Assault Rifle to the Politically correct term to fit anything that might look like one. Until it was redefined "assault rifle" was capable of fully automatic fire with a selector switch to choose full or semi-automatic fire. Civilian versions are semi-automatic as are a good portion of hunting rifles. BTW the larger the caliber the more difficult they are to control. They kick harder too! A lot harder:-))
I'm not ignoring reason, it's just that your "compelling reasons" are wrong. Keep thinking what you like, while a casual glance at the front page shows the international scope of the site.
If you ignore ACs because they are anonymous - you're an idiot.