7000 guns seized in SC
 

NBC News LINK
Published: October 25, 2015

(NBC) – Police from North and South Carolina are assisting with the investigation into an enormous gun seizure.

Police estimate they confiscated at least seven thousand weapons from a home in chesterfield county South Carolina.

Officers went to the home of 51-year-old Brent Nicholson on unrelated charges, and saw the weapons upon entering the home.

At this time, investigators believe Nicholson was hoarding the guns and not selling them, but it’s unclear as to just how Nicholson came across so many weapons.

Jay Brooks, the Chesterfield County Sheriff, said: “we’re still finding guns in safes and hidden under beds, so we’ll be here the next couple of days.”

Right now Nicholson is only charged with possession of stolen property.

CNN reports that police also found over 150 chainsaws and more than 250 taxidermy mounts.

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Deputies estimate that they’ve seized between 7,000 and 10,000 stolen guns from a house and warehouse near Pageland. Deputies have arrested Brent Nicholson in connection to the stolen goods.

Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks says the seized guns, ammunition, and hundreds of other items were all found on a single property off of Highway 9 outside of Pageland city limits.

Brooks says the guns alone filled one tractor trailer and ammunition filled another.

Nicholson was arrested and charged with trafficking opium and heroin, earlier in the week in Union County. Deputies reportedly went to serve him with a subpoena Friday and noticed what appeared to be stolen goods in his front yard.

The deputies say they wrote out the reports for the stolen property just days before.

The raid started Friday night, according to SLED. It’s reportedly part of an ongoing investigation involving multiple jurisdictions that could have ties to counties in North Carolina as well. Sheriffs from other jurisdictions were there as well as SLED and ATF.

“None of us have ever seen anything anywhere close to this,” Brooks said. “No telling how many break-ins this will held wrap up.”

Over 100 law enforcement officials were on the scene Friday and Saturday. Brooks says 20 agents will be sifting through the evidence “piece by piece” starting Monday. Their goal will be to eventually find the rightful owners. Deputies estimate that 99 percent of the seized goods are stolen.

Brooks says Nicholson lived at the home where the items were found. It is believed that other people stole the guns for him.

When asked what Nicholson was doing with so many guns, Brooks said, “(he) looks like a gun hoarder to be honest with you.” Deputies have found no evidence that he ever sold any of the guns.

“You know he just had 7,000 guns,” Brooks said. “99.9 percent are hunting rifles and shot guns.”

Brooks called the items found a “menagerie” of stolen property which also includes 150 chainsaws, 4-wheelers, and taxidermy supplies.

The article quotes Nicholson’s neighbor—his name is Rusty Fender, I kid you not—and suggests that the hoarder/drug dealer didn’t fire any of the thousands of hunting rifles or shotguns that he amassed.

I do not envy the law enforcement officers who are going to have to catalog theses thousands of firearms and then try to get them to their rightful owners. It looks like that could be a full-time job for numerous officers for months.

You can never have too many!!!

Did they find a Rebel flag?

WOW, What a stash. Crazy!

There is your gun confiscator, right there.

No - it wasn't my stash.

??? what is it

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Geez, did they have to stack them up like firewood? What's going to happen with them? They will be stored and cataloged for evidence? Eventually they will be sold at auction, so would be nice if they aren't all scratched up! Or maybe they just go drive it to the steel plant and dump it in the melting pot and save themselves some work!?

WTF do you do with taxidermy mounts? Anyone buying those? For a prop or restaurant maybe?

G

They will be held for evidence, then disposed of. (see below)

The cops don't care about condition. They have nothing invested. They just do whatever is easiest for them. Chuck 'em in the truck, boys.

Because there was a drug arrest involved, all firearms that were legally owned are now forfeit. After the local cops check to see if there is anything they want from the haul, the firearms will be cataloged and checked against the NCIC database. Stolen firearms will be returned to the rightful owners, unless the owner collected insurance for the firearm in which case the insurance company will be the rightful owner. I cannot remember what the current policy is in the state for other seized firearms; I think all non-stolen firearms will be auctioned/sold to the public and proceeds kept by the police department. Any prohibited firearms will be scrapped.

Taxidermy mounts will be offered up at a Sheriff's auction. Any unsold will probably be sent to the landfill.

This is based on when I used to deal with a lot of firearms - back in the 90s.
Things may be different now.

Maybe he's from Arizona or Utah :D

Or a super secret agent of the gov living in Cali.

Here they'll go to the ffls first. No public auction. They did that with the local buy back. Sold them back to ffls to resell. Guns off the streets mein arse.

Thanks for the input Cashflyer. Definitely a reminder to have insurance and log serial numbers.

G

And why is it legal for them to seize the guns if they are not illegal to own?

The article above stated they were stolen property.

Ahh, no. I've never confiscated any guns. But this guy definitely was. You super-genius. :cool:

Because he "seized" them out of other people's houses.

Does anyone even read anything around here? :rolleyes:

I'd say some mental health issue are in the mix.

Wonder if they'll try to return them to their original owners or just auction them all off? There could be some great deals depending on what you're looking for.

Drug addict/dealer/hoarder takes guns (and apparently head mounts) as currency in exchange for drugs. Addicts fire sale everything they can and then steal them when they have none left to barter.

The guns appease the dealer's paranoia (common among addicts) of being robbed of money but created a different issue that he was unable to solve before being arrested. Would imagine he was using the guns to buy from his supplier as well. The stock pile would seem to be the net profit.

Frontline could use the guy as a case study.:(