Montco Police See a Trend of More Illegal Guns being Recovered Every Day – NBC10 Philadelphia

Police in Montgomery County found illegal, untraceable and modified weapons in the hands of people who were not supposed to have them by law.

Police say they have found several loaded guns during routine patrols over the past two weeks, and in some cases they have been modified to fire faster and hold much more ammunition than what even police officers carry.

“Unfortunately, we take these weapons off the streets almost every day,” said Lt. Steven Fink.

One Sunday morning, an Abington police officer noticed a car with tinted windows and a tag that turned out to be fake. When the officer approached the car, it drove away and the officer did not pursue it.

However, the driver crashed the vehicle in nearby Cheltenham Township.

Police said there were three young men in the car, all under 21, who then abandoned a backpack containing three loaded guns.

“All young men under the age of 21, which is the legal age to carry a firearm,” Fink said. “All three guns were found in that backpack. As you can see, the extended magazines (and) were being loaded at the time.”

Some of the weapons found by police had their serial numbers scratched off or were ghost weapons that could not be traced. Some even have additives added to them.

Fink explained that if someone had an extended magazine and added that to a gun with a fully automatic switch, it would be able to fire 30 rounds in about two seconds.

In all cases, police say the weapons are in the hands of criminals and were found during what are considered minor traffic offenses.

“We will continue to stop these cars… you can see for yourself what a minor violation can turn into,” Fink said.

Once the weapon is processed, it is checked against a national database, where investigators can learn much more about the weapon and its whereabouts.

Just two weeks ago, officers recovered a gun from an Abington Township business that was found in a bathroom.

“The guns found at the Abington business were used in two murders and four shootings in Philadelphia,” Fink said.

Although the police are able to determine where some of the weapons came from and what crimes they were used for, identifying the people who used them requires further research.

The weapon was checked for DNA and other evidence enabling the identification of these people.