Police & Fire

Arlington Police Seize Unlicensed Machine Gun Ammunition Magazines from OUI Suspect on Summer Street

One of the magazines was labeled “law enforcement and government use only.”

By John Waller
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February 5, 2013

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The ammunition magazines seized from the vehicle. Courtesy of the Arlington Police Department

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The ammunition magazines seized from the vehicle.

Credit Courtesy of the Arlington Police Department

Credit Courtesy of the Arlington Police Department

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While investigating an alleged drunk-driving crash early Saturday morning on Summer Street, Arlington police discovered “large capacity machine gun feeding devices” in the suspect’s vehicle, according to a police department press release.

Police seized six 30-round machine gun ammunition magazines and one nine-millimeter, 15-round magazine labeled “law enforcement and government use only,” according to the release.

The suspect, 28-year-old Kyle Laidman, of Boston, was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, operating so as to endanger the public, texting while driving and being in possession of large capacity feeding devices without a license.

“The possession of large capacity feeding devices without a license is a serious crime,” Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan said in a statement. “We are investigating to determine the origin of the devices and to determine what, if any, access this person has to the firearms that would accept them.”

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Laidman allegedly crashed his vehicle early that morning into a telephone pole on Summer Street, near the back of the Community Safety Building. The impact severed the pole in half, according to the release.

An initial investigation revealed that Laidman was under the influence of alcohol and texting at the time of the crash, according to the release. He was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge with serious injuries, police said.

Laidman is not licensed to carry firearms, and the possession of the devices without a license is a felony in Massachusetts, the release states.

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Patrick J. Colvario

3:42 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Those are rifle magazines, post ban. They are not machinegun magazines.

Wind Dummy 25

5:53 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Those are Magpul magazines pictured. Magpul is a great company that upgraded the cheap GI issued spring loaded metal magazines that can weaken at the spring. Thus causing feed jams at the worst times if not cared for by the individual soldiers who are issued M4 or any M16 base rifle. Magpuls are not issued by the services, to expensive. But coveted by grunts as they are reliable. What this guy was doing with them, who knows. Bet they find out!
Great job APD. Plus the town gets a new pole for free...Sweet.

James Kirk

6:18 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

What a horrible piece of reporting. For goodness sake do some research before you type this kind nonsense. This is what the world is coming to. Criminal charges and there's no mention of a gun.

Donald Mei

10:58 pm on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Kirk - you need a LTC to possess large capacity feeding devices in MA.

As others have said, these are standard magazines for any number of rifles designed to use the standard STANAG style magazine.

There is nothing extraordinary here. If the mags had been "pre-ban" i.e made before 1994 and the perp had a LTC-A, everything would have been legal.

The (presumably Glock) magazine that was found with the Law Enforcement Only marking was made from 94 - 04, during the federal magazine restriction that expired. These mags are perfectly legal in about 45 states, even with the marking.

Again, in MA, this magazine would have been perfectly legal had it been made prior to the ban in '94 and if Laidman had a LTC-A.

Of course, gun laws in MA are so complex that they can entrap otherwise law abiding citizens who are no threat to the public. This clearly wasn't the case here.

Texting while driving drunk??!!!??? Good god. Take his license away forever.

Wind Dummy 25

12:07 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Bet the APD keeps them...Which is against the law...? Very troubling these gun laws. The more they inflict these convoluted laws the more my eyebrows go up. Who votes for these dumb arrs laws anyway.
Though I do like the no text while drinking while driving law, that makes sense.

Great observation.

Tim

10:28 pm on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Laws ?? What laws ? Like driving unregistered trucks in snow storms? Using someones plates? Laws what Laws?