“What was one man doing with all that firepower?”
That was the breathless question posed by Los Angeles local media after LAPD and federal agents seized over 1,000 firearms and “thousands of rounds of ammunition” from a man living in a mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in West LA. Authorities said they also found a large amount of firearm-manufacturing equipment and tools, according to the LA Times.
“I had never seen so many weapons in my career of 31 years,” said LAPD Lt. Chris Ramirez. “That’s such a big arsenal in a residence like this, in this type of neighborhood. It’s astounding.”
“This type of neighborhood” is also home to the Playboy Mansion, so it’s unclear why a man living in a luxury home wouldn’t have a large collection of firearms.
The suspect has been identified as Girard Damien Saenz from Los Angeles. The LAPD received a tip Wednesday that someone was manufacturing and selling firearms out of the home, and ATF agents assisted with the execution of the search warrant.
SEE ALSO: NY Cop Arrested for Making, Selling Assault Rifles to Prohibited Persons
Secure storage doesn’t seem to have been high on Saenz’s priority list. The weapons were described as “stacked all around the home” and the rooms were “cluttered with guns and ammunition,” according to local media. Rifles, shotguns, and handguns were all confiscated, including both modern weapons and collectible rifles dating back to the Civil War.
Ramirez admitted that owning a large collection of firearms isn’t illegal. But being in the business of selling firearms without a federal license is against the law, and Saenz was booked for unlawful transportation, giving, lending or selling of an assault weapon. More local, state and federal charges could be added as officials document and trace the firearms in his collection.
Saenz was the only person home and the only person taken into custody.
Saenz’s neighbors said they had no idea he had so many firearms.
“I would never, ever think anybody would be wanting to pack so much in this neighborhood. It scares the wits out of you,” said Rabbi Chaim Mentz. “What does my next door neighbor have? What does your next door neighbor have?”
SEE ALSO: Court-Ordered Gun Seizures Spike Nationally Under Red Flag Laws
The home is owned by a woman named Cynthia Dianne Beck, who owns several other properties around Southern California, NBC4 reports. The LA Times noted that Beck was the mistress of billionaire Gordon Getty, who was himself a big Democratic donor. Getty helped fund campaigns by Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry and Gavin Newsom.
It’s unclear that Beck knew of or was involved in Saenz’s alleged activities, though the pair jointly owns several other pieces of property in LA and an office building in San Francisco.
But if police really wants to get to the bottom of this, they should hire this reporter, who can identify “fully automatic” firearms from 800ft.
Seizing those weapons strictly on a personal opinion about quantity, is total BS. Compare it to” how many stamps, or coins, or cars, the police would be considered too much. The Constitution has NO limits on anything you, or we, are allowed, or can purchase.
Very sad that because of this a piece of American history will likely be destroyed and or dispersed. When I was about 10 my father had an association with a man in So Cal that had a marvelous collection that may have been similar. Guns going back to the days of the revolutionary war and Lewis and Clark to then a commemorative John Wayne Colt 45 an a Winchester lever action. Included were relics of both the first and second wars. My father had no real interest in collecting guns he had a stamp collection of mint stamps going back to the mid 1800’s including individuals plate blocks and mint sheets. Both collections carried you thru history. An upside down Jenny to a air rifle dating to Lewis and Clark. FANTASTIC experience as I am a lover of history. In our more modern experience the politicos have been writing laws to eliminate the gun and we need to be heard or we will loose a amazing piece of history.
I HOPE someone verifies that what he sold was FULLAUTO/SELECTFIRE in operation?!?! If NOT – it is NOT a G/Dd “Assault Rifle”!!!!! As for WHY he had “so many” firearms — WHO CARES????? It is NOT ILLEGAL!
The next step will be to allow one car per household. From there a woman will have to settle for one pair of black heels, one pair of beige…………………….. Let us wait until a crime is committed, and then throw the book at him.
This size collection, should be stored in a corner basement vault room.
All those fine firearms are sawdust plastic shavings and scrap metal by years end.
One of the local news reported that there was an ongoing dispute between the man with the guns and his neighbor regarding a wall or a structure that affected the neighbor’s property. The neighbor finally retaliated and probably got what he or she hoped for. What goes around comes around.
Yup. Sounds about right.
Heston has sizeable personal collection. A collection. Not selling for profit. Not clear what’s going on here b/c the news is sensationalizing it and manufacturing conjecture and wild speculation..
“What does my next door neighbor have? What does your next door neighbor have?”
Well, that would be none of your f*cking business, Chaim!
I thought the Jews kept a long memory. Seems Rabbi Mentz is half a step away from proposing an American KGB or SS.
EXACTLY RIGHT! Maybe someone should look into Chaim’s Child-Porn collection? See how he likes it.
That’s a whole lot of firearms folks and the only thing I have read but don’t know if true or made up is that he was selling guns illegally? If he doesn’t have an FFL he can sell guns to whoever the heck he wants to! Oh that’s in every OTHER state, what freaksville did to screw this up Pig Pelosi only knows! I question just about everything about this!
Same here!
Why am i crying because the Law is taking this man collection, The Constitution didn’t say how man guns i can own. Whoever turned him end, i can’t say what i think about them. If he is a crook by all means take the guns, but if not put his guns back in his house. Turn me a lose to take all i would like would make my year. My heart is broke because of this Media Report. He has a Gun Collector’s dream
Sadly he will never get these firearms back. California has no 2nd Amendment anymore for common citizens. I left California over fifteen years ago because I knew it would just continue to get worse their for freedom.
I now live in a free state and vote for liberty.
I saw a nice Python, and several other collectibles, that will be destroyed by being mishandled by LAPD. I’ll wager a dollar the only violations are unique to the Democratic People’s Republik of Kalifornia, and not an issue in a free state.
I’m sure the gangbangers are just lining up for a single shot T/C Contender.
Don’t put that on the Democratic party, the 15% who oppose guns do NOT speak for Me and My shooting friends. Matter of face the Democrats just want to put certain requirement already in force. They are using guns to get a few votes
If believe in gun rights and liberty but vote Democrat in today’s society, you need to see psychiatrist about your split personalities. The one that can vote is nuts.
I’ll bet you are right about the violations being unique to California. You can see some of them, the Thompsons, the AR15s, etc. that would need to be “registered”
I’ll make you another wager. $1 says that Colt Python will end up “missing” from the inventory before it gets to the shredder.
Like the quote from Jurassic Park, ‘Life finds a way’, even with some of the strictest laws in the country ‘guns find a way’. Good luck with your ‘war on guns’ leftists, I suspect it will be as successful as the war on drugs in creating ruthless cartels and increasing crime and risk to the citizens.
I am confused, What law did he break?
Never heard of a semi-auto only version of mp-44? you would need to have it in your hands to determine. Indistinguishable from aerial perspective.
All these so-called ‘ experts ‘ can make observations that a ‘ real expert ‘ cannot is astounding to me .
As a 50 year collector ( since 1969 ) here’s what I See . Nearly All Of The Guns Pictured Are ‘ Average Everyday Firearms ‘ Found In Millions Of Homes Across America !
Your Right, I hate plastic guns. Mostly these all look like legit high dollar keepers from bygone times.
Yes a semi auto version was made by a company in the USA a couple years ago. Also a 22 LR version was also made. From the look of that MP44 it was not WWII German made. They never looked that good leaving the factory in 1945.
One gun or 1000 who cares. Were they stolen or was he just a collector or a FFL dealer?
So here in the batshit crazy state of California if they seize your guns and ammo in the wrong way. They will have to eventually give the gun’s back, but the ammo is long gone. The people who run CA, NY are America’s greatest disgrace. There are not enough gun people/ conservative or independent. The rest of the country better get they’re shit together because the 2nd amendment only has probably less than 20 years left nation wide before the Dems destroy it and the rest of the Constitution.
This is a long shot, and many might consider this a stretch, but maybe, just maybe the guy liked guns, and had the means with which to indulge in his passion . . . with absolutely nothing more nefarious than that. If he would have just moved next door to Nevada, the entire scenario would be met with a collective yawn.
Norm,
While you would have been correct a decade ago, Nevada has just elected a wave of leftist gun-grabbing morons throughout the state government who have already started enacting their idiotic ideology. We’re officially California’s b**ch. I’m looking for a good way out as we speak.
There are no illegal weapons, only illegal governments.
This!. on a side note, we should be able to bid on these.
Only in California. Somebody got threatened by a person owning “too many” guns. The true back story will never come out, but from looking at what he has, I’d say he had a gun store and decided to stop selling. If I had a billion dollars, though, that size of collection would be what I would call a “nice start”.
I don’t see a single self manufacturered gun. I see some nice stuff. Some former friend, likely a woman, decided guns bad and called the PoPo
““I would never, ever think anybody would be wanting to pack so much in this neighborhood. It scares the wits out of you,” said Rabbi Chaim Mentz. “What does my next door neighbor have? What does your next door neighbor have?”
Maybe Hitler had a point.
I hope the LAPD or the ATF has more proof that he was selling guns illegally other than a nieghbor saying so.
If that’s the case where the police can enter our homes without any real proof we are as a society are screwed.
Most of those “ assault weapons” are 22s
SCOTUS needs to put an end on whether or not a semi automatic that looks like a M16 is a assault weapon.
The whole purpose of the Second Amendment was to have weapons and yes semi automatic rifles that look like an M16 to fend off a tyrannical government.
The LAPD should do more on addressing the drug use in the homeless encampments throughout its city and the illegal taco shops on the sidewalks.
The city “LA” wants to go green but yet they haven’t address their unfunded pensions liability.
OK, the “tip” came in 24 hours prior to the raid. Do you really believe there was a “investigation” into illegal buying/selling/making firearms? Regarding the AR style semi automatics it is legal to assemble them for yourself but not for sale assembled. 22’s. revolvers of many types, rifles dating back over a hundred years old are not heinous firepower. Even the Thompson look alikes are semi automatic with 16 inch barrels.
The agents do not know how to safe handle a weapon noting you NEVER sweep anyone with a muzzle.
YOU ARE CORRECT , SIR !
99% were common every day guns found in millions of homes across America , 22’s and hunting shotguns , handguns , etc. Of the very few AR Type Rifles shown NO ONE can tell if they were ‘ California Illegal Full Auto Rifles ‘ or not .
Typical douchebag CA liberal neighbors. Wait \’til they themselves end up in a FEMA camp, wondering how they got there.
Look at the idiot agent at 00:48 pointing the rifle directly at his fellow agent’s face. Jesus, what an f’ing moron!
Well…….. yep one of those people ^
And yes modern MP44 reproductions are manufactured and sold in the US in semi automatic only.
I really doubt if that was a Original MP44 look at the stock, it’s too new to be an original maybe it’s the 22 version that sells for about $400.
Why did he have all those guns? Because he could. It is his RIGHT. So someone claims that he is selling firearms. Well last I checked he is innocent until proven otherwise.
If the claims against him prove to be false I will laugh my a** off especially when they have to return all of those firearms to him. Here’s hoping.
He will never get all the guns back, your living in a dream world. Those people looking over the pile are picking which ones THEY ARE GOING HOME WITH !!!!!!!!!
I agree. By the time everything is sorted out and even have the charges did missed a lot of those firearms will mysteriously have gone missing.
What does my neighbor have? If he or she isn’t shooting at you, who the F cares?
Gun owners are getting more and more “otherized”. I’m [not] waiting for the day that we’ll have to be registered. 😡
Yeah, California can go fuck itself with a rusty knife. That is all.
California is trying to shit out all of the communists. Wildfires, earthquakes…….
The poor state is beautiful, it’s the arrogant assholes that ruin it.
As far as the collection goes, looks like some wheel guns and a few hunting rifles to me. Pack it up and go see what Gavin Newsom, Diane Fienstien and Nancy Pelosi,have in their houses.
Well yes. MP-44s are full automatics, and there is at least two of those visible.
They make semi auto mp44’s…..but I dont see them……I do see semi auto thompsons……im sure none of them are legal in California though.
Except for semi-automatic versions
MP44? Probably more like the STG22 made by Walther… Even comes in a Wooden Crate…. SEMI AUTO 22!!!
Are they? Or are they the semi auto replicas?