Project Destructo

[Iraqgunz]

In some states you can view the contents of the unit with the door open, but you are not allowed to go inside and there is no list of contents. In some places the units are sealed and bid accordingly.

My sister used to buy units like this and a friend of hers did the same. They found one with a 1940's era Harley Davidson fully restored under a tarp in the back. She paid 500.00 dollars for the whole unit.

i'm trying to figure a couple things out-

how the hell do you not pay your storage bill when packed full of unregistered and probably stolen machineguns...? i would have done SOMETHING. it would certainly suck if this was the result of an accounting error with the storage company or something. "oooooohh, he DID pay his bill... mm, my bad."

how do these auctions work?? surely people dont just place bids on un-opened and un-inventoried storage units? did this guy not know he was buying a bunch of felonies?

call me the Tinfoil Man, but this story seems fishy.

[tango-papa]

...found one with a 1940's era Harley Davidson fully restored under a tarp in the back. She paid 500.00 dollars for the whole unit.

SCORE!
So, do you know how much they made selling the Harley?

[Iraqgunz]

Her husband kept it. I think he rides it on the weekends. But, they also found a coin jar with several hundred dollars in change, and some antique furniture and stuff. All in all they made really decent cash off the deal. I may actually look into this when I go home at the end of the year.

SCORE!
So, do you know how much they made selling the Harley?

[Ttwwaack]

Damn, I've got to find another FFL to do my transfers!

[SpartanArms]

While it is slightly disturbing that somewhere .gov/.mil people are selling off this stuff to whoever has the cash to buy, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. What really gets me is that a guy who has enough $$$ to buy/accumulate all this hardware can't afford/remember to pay his storage unit bill where all his illegal goodies are stashed! Somebody give this guy the window-licker of the year award.

I personally love the part of the story where they quote the U.S. Attorney as saying he will present evidence that Struve possessed "anti-government" material. WTF is anti-government material? Are we talking tin-foil hat crowd/conspiracy theorist literature or does he mean a Bible and a copy of the U.S. Constitution? Either one could be considered "anti-government" material by certain parties.

I also love the part where the reporter hypes the deadly Sten submachine guns. "Known for their high rate of fire -- upwards of 500 rds per minute." Maybe the reporter should have mentioned the less than stellar accuracy of said Sten guns, due to their firing from an open bolt! WTF good is 500 rpm if you can't hit anything with it. Journalism like this makes me wonder if most reporters even know which end of the weapon the bullets come out of...

[crob1]

The guy that won the auction should have kept his mouth shut!

[Avenger29]

The guy that won the auction should have kept his mouth shut!

As I was reading the article, I was like...damn, that could have been a REAL good day at the range and then some

[Macx]

In a fair and just world, 37 machine guns, 12 silencers would equal $9800 in tax stamps and the new owner could enjoy the products. Fun to think about.

[chadbag]

how do these auctions work?? surely people dont just place bids on un-opened and un-inventoried storage units? did this guy not know he was buying a bunch of felonies?

actually, at least in Utah, you do. My folks and I shared a storage unit for several years after we moved to Utah. I became good friends with the older couple that managed the place. One day while there (either paying the bill or helping them with a computer problem), I asked how the auctions ran.

They run a public notice that an auction will take place. At the appointed time, the door is opened but no one is allowed to enter or touch anything. You can only look from outside in. They are usually dark and deep so lots of stuff can be hidden in there you don't know about.

The storage people have not done an inventory or touched the stuff either.

There are probably details I don't remember but that was the gist of it

Chad

[chuckles]

actually, at least in Utah, you do. My folks and I shared a storage unit for several years after we moved to Utah. I became good friends with the older couple that managed the place. One day while there (either paying the bill or helping them with a computer problem), I asked how the auctions ran.

They run a public notice that an auction will take place. At the appointed time, the door is opened but no one is allowed to enter or touch anything. You can only look from outside in. They are usually dark and deep so lots of stuff can be hidden in there you don't know about.

The storage people have not done an inventory or touched the stuff either.

There are probably details I don't remember but that was the gist of it

Chad

I have seen many of these auctions. Sale prices I've seen range from $1 to $15000. Yes, you cannot go through the stuff prior to bidding and for every Harley or Gold bar story of success there are 500+ purchases of mostly garage sale junk that will barely pay the auction price. There are many people that do this for a living. Most have 2nd hand stores where they can sell or many also use ebay. Only rarely is something of significant value seen before the bidding starts and then the bids will shoot up rapidly. All sale have to be closed in cash at time of sale and removed from the premises within 48Hours. Not a fun thing to witness. The only person that really wins is the auctioneer because he gets 25% plus a set fee, usually $50, of the bid price off the top. It is considered a losing situation by Storage people and the folks losing their stuff. I have seen some people bid and buy their own stuff at a significantly lower price than was owed though. Something must have really gone wrong with this guy to make him miss
2+ months of payments.