Montco police notice trend: More illegal weapons seized every day – NBC10 Philadelphia

Montgomery County police find illegal, untraceable and modified weapons every day in the hands of people who are not legally allowed to own such weapons.

In the last two weeks alone, police say they have found several loaded weapons during routine patrols. In some cases, the weapons had been modified to fire faster and hold far more ammunition than what police officers carry.

“Unfortunately, we are now taking these weapons off the streets almost every day,” said Lieutenant Steven Fink.

One Sunday morning, an Abington police officer spotted a car with dark tinted windows and a fake license plate. When the officer approached the car, it drove away without the officer pursuing it.

However, the driver caused an accident in nearby Cheltenham Township.

There were three young men in the car, all under the age of 21, and they left behind a backpack with three loaded weapons in it, police said.

“All young men under the age of 21, the legal age to carry a firearm,” Fink said. “All three of these handguns were found in this backpack. As you can see, they were loaded at the time and had extended magazines.”

Some of the guns found by police had their serial numbers scratched off or were ghost guns that could not be traced. Some even had additions attached.

Fink explained that a weapon with an extended magazine and a fully automatic switch is capable of firing 30 rounds in about two seconds.

In all cases, police believe the weapons were in the hands of criminals and were found during minor traffic violations.

“We’re going to continue to stop these cars … you see what a minor violation can become,” Fink said.

Once the weapons are processed, they are checked against a national database, allowing investigators to learn much more about the weapons and their whereabouts.

Just two weeks ago, officers discovered a gun found in a bathroom at a store in Abington Township.

“The gun found in the Abington store was used in two murders and four shootings in Philadelphia,” Fink said.

While police can trace the origin of some weapons and the crimes in which they were used, further investigation is needed to find the people who used them.

To find these people, the weapons were examined for DNA and other evidence.