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03/02/93
Cult's arsenal may be limited only by bankroll; `If you've got the money, you can get the guns,' expert says
By Todd Copilevitz / The Dallas Morning News
WACO-Firearms experts said Monday that the only thing limiting the size and extent of the Branch Davidian arsenal is the amount of money the cult had to spend on weapons.
"If you've got the money, you can get the guns,' said Don McLean, senior editor of Soldier of Fortune magazine, which specializes in covering military topics.
Federal agents worked Monday to determine what kind of firepower they faced in a two-day standoff with the religious cult headed by David Koresh. A deadly shootout on Sunday provided part of the answer.
"We can't say absolutely what's in there,' said Sharon Wheeler, spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. "But from the holes in our vehicles and helicopters, we know it was some pretty powerful ammunition.
"Obviously, they had bigger guns than we did.'
Throughout the day Monday, ATF agents, mindful of the casualties
suffered in Sunday's gunfight, prepared for combat more in keeping with the Persian Gulf war than a Texas drug raid.
Among the weapons rumored to be in the hands of Branch Davidian members were "thousands' of military assault rifles such as U.S.-made AR-15s and Chinese-made AK-47s.
The arsenal includes .50-caliber machine guns, explosives, 9mm handguns and other weapons, former cult members said. Somewhere in the vast compound, Mr. Koresh was even rumored to have a 50mm howitzer.
The threat of that weapon alone may be the reason authorities have readied 10 Bradley armored personnel carriers for any future assault on the Davidian compound.
Firearms experts said that was not an overreaction.
"If they're up against a .50-caliber, then they need the thickest
armor they can find,' said Mr. McLean. "That monster could blow lead through an armored truck without the bullet ever slowing down.'
In some Waco-area gun shops, the question was not what Mr. Koresh might have packed in his arsenal, but how big was his bankroll.
"If you know where to go and you got the bucks to spend, you can own any piece of military equipment you want,' said Mike, a Waco gun store owner who refused to give his last name.
Mike said that heavy weapons are not readily available in Waco. But in nearby Killeen, he said, black marketeers are rumored to sell everything from hand grenades to mortars.
"If you know the people to go to, buying an AR-15 is really a question of "How many do you need?' not "Can you get it?' ' he said.
Many of the weapons rumored to be in the hands of the Davidians could have come from military arsenals, Mr. McLean said.
"It's kind of frightening the things that are stolen from arsenals you would think as secure,' he said.
Making contact with the weapons black market doesn't take extensive connections, just a lot of money. "You're getting fairly close to the bottom feeders of society,' Mr. McLean said, referring to black marketeers. "These are people who only want money.'
In his gun store, semiautomatic AR-15s were available for $739.
AK-47 ammunition sold for $7.99 for 20 rounds.
A legal semiautomatic version of the AK-47 is sold in many states for $700 to $1,000. However, Mr. McLean said he has been told by Customs officials that more than 85,000 illegal fully automatic AK-47s have made their way into the United States from China.
"The Chinese don't give a damn about what the local laws are; they just want the money,' he said.
In 1934 the federal government banned unrestricted ownership of machine guns. Ever since, prospective owners are required to file extensive paperwork, pay more than $200 in application fees and pass a rigorous background check before having the right to shop for a machine gun.
Amassing ammunition, even for illegal weapons, would not be a problem, either, said Jim Gaskin of the Praco Pawn Shop. Gun stores throughout the country sell lead slugs for people who make their own ammunition.
"If they know what they're doing, and they're good at it, they could have been stockpiling ammunition for decades just waiting for a chance like yesterday,' Mr. Gaskin said.
Some of the other high-tech equipment that Mr. Koresh claims to have, such as scopes that allow him to see in the dark, would be far less difficult to obtain.
"The government shouldn't be surprised. They're the ones who are throwing this stuff away,' said Mr. McLean. He said that advertisers in his magazine routinely sell military-surplus Starlight scopes for about $1,400 each.
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