Update (June 12): Alleged shooter’s father writes to victims (Arizona Daily Star)

Update (June 12): Delich documents say searches turned up guns, ammo, pot (Arizona Daily Star)

Update (June 10): Remembering Officer Erik Hite (*videos*)

Update (June 6): Witnesses say killer laughed as he fired (Arizona Daily Star)

A man accused of killing an officer and wounding two sheriff’s deputies Sunday was laughing and making snide remarks during and after the shooting spree that spanned 20 miles, reports released Thursday state. -Arizona Daily Star

The short answer to the question in the headline is, “deadly.” And while I’m not yet aware of any evidence that any of the pictured weapons were used in the shooting spree that killed a Tucson police officer, I wanted to learn the names of the weapons in the picture above.

The photo is featured on David Nickolas Delich’s myspace page. Investigators say Delich shot three law enforcement officers Sunday, fatally wounding TPD Officer Erik Hite.

While I know very little about guns and rifles, I do know someone who is both very familiar with firearms and highly-trained in the proper use of them. Because he’s also somewhat well-known to factions of the Tucson community, he has asked that I not identify him here.

Here is what my source told me about the weapons featured in the picture:

Rifle on the floor, in the back ground:
Polish Tantal, caliber 5.45x39mm

Rifle on the floor, in the foreground:
Bulgarian RPK, caliber 5.45x39mm

Assorted magazines for both on the floor also appear to be Bulgarian manufacture.
Round capacities are both 30 rounds and some that are 45 round capacities.

About these rifles, do not think that Polish or Bulgarian made military rifles are available here on the firearms market. These weapons are imported into the United States in the form of parts kits with the receiver (the metal box holding the trigger mechanism) cut and removed. There is a whole industry in the US to then build these rifles into federally compliant firearms, meaning semi-auto firing, not fully automatic firing weapons. There is a company called K-Var: http://www.k-var.com/shop/
and they sell, and sold weapon parts kits, magazines, etc in the past. One of the other companies that made receivers, the box that holds the guts of the weapons is NoDak Spud: http://www.nodakspud.com/

All of these are of course legal weapons from that I can see and from what I have heard there never was any report of Delich using fully automatic weapons on the day of his rampage.

So, based on what my source is telling me, these are all legal weapons. Perhaps they were all legally obtained, too.

Maybe not.

Mark Horner

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