Thread: AZ County group soliciting $ to buy rifles for deputies

Pinal County group soliciting donations to buy rifles for deputies

Brian J. Pedersen Arizona Daily Star
August 2, 2010 8:59 am

A nonprofit organization formed to help raise money for Pinal County law enforcement agencies is soliciting the public to help buy weapons for the Sheriff's Department in its ongoing campaign against drug smugglers.

The Pinal County Justice Foundation says the Pinal County Sheriff's Office is in need of funding to purchase automatic rifles to "arm our first responders who are charged with protecting our citizens," according to a news release issued by the foundation.

The release notes Pinal deputies have been involved lately in an increased number of dangerous incidents with drug smugglers, including high-speed chases and shootouts, including the April incident when Dep. Louie Puroll was allegedly wounded by smugglers that he'd be tracking in the county's southwest deserts.

"These incidents show compelling evidence that Pinal County deputies need automatic rifles to not be out-gunned by drug and human smugglers," the release said.

Information about these tax-deductible donations can be found online at www.pinalcountyjusticefoundation.org or by calling 520-866-5133.

http://azstarnet.com/staff/brian-j-pede ... 03286.html

What happens to all the weaponry that is confiscated when Cartel Drug runners are captured in the desert?

You would think that those AK's etc. could be reissued to our law enforcement officers. Or does the ATF and DEA take those weapons and ship them back to Mexico??? Makes you wonder.

How sad our Enforcement Officers have to raise their own money to purchase automatic weapons.

Originally Posted by AZres

What happens to all the weaponry that is confiscated when Cartel Drug runners are captured in the desert?

You would think that those AK's etc. could be reissued to our law enforcement officers. Or does the ATF and DEA take those weapons and ship them back to Mexico??? Makes you wonder.

How sad our Enforcement Officers have to raise their own money to purchase automatic weapons.

AK 47s are communist made weapons. No U.S. military or law enforcement officers use them.

Pinal County Sheriff asks for donations to pay for deputy rifles
VideoPhoto
Posted: 6:50 PM
By: Corey Rangel

PINAL COUNTY, AZ - The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public to pay for assault rifles so its deputies are better armed against Mexican drug cartels.

Sheriff Paul Babeu said his deputies are outmanned and outgunned by violent criminals.

Now, Babeu wants to arm all of his deputies with semi-automatic rifles, saying his deputies have seen a growing number of violent encounters involving high speed chases and shootouts, including one in April where a group of drug smugglers are accused of shooting a deputy patrolling the desert.

“This is the weapon that they need to best protect themselves and to stop the threat continuing against the public,â€

Sr. Reporter: Semi-autos, not automatics, requested for Pinal's border "war"

Tim Steller
August 4, 2010 12:55 pm
Matt York / The Associated Press

A customer looks at Arizona-made AR-15 rifles at a Mesa shooting range in Mesa. The Pinal County Sheriff's Department is seeking donations to buy semi-automatic AR-15s made in Mesa. .

..Earlier this week the Pinal County Sheriff's Department put out a press release (copied below) announcing that a local foundation is raising money to buy automatic rifles for its deputies.

"The Pinal County Justice Foundation is seeking public assistance to assist our Sheriff’s Deputies with the war against the Mexican Drug Cartel members and their affiliates," says the first sentence of the press release, put out by sheriff's department spokesman Tim Gaffney. (My emphasis on the word "war.")

Later in the announcement, Gaffney writes: "Pinal County Deputies need automatic rifles to NOT be out-gunned by Drug and Human Smugglers." The foundation's announcement of the fundraiser also refers to "automatic rifles."

But a couple of sentences later, Sheriff Paul Babeu is quoted as saying they need the money to buy "semi-automatic rifles."

(A semi-automatic firearm fires only one bullet per trigger pull but reloads automatically and can be fired in quick succession; an automatic weapon fires repeatedly when the trigger is pulled, until the trigger is released.)

I emailed with Gaffney yesterday, and he clarified that the agency would buy semi-automatics with the money raised (from an Arizona manufacturer, according to the foundation's announcement).

In that exchange, I asked him about his written justifications for the request: "Dangerous incidents have increased through the past few years and are now escalating to a point where Deputies are involved in high speed vehicle pursuits, shoot outs between deputies and smugglers, incidents of ambush, as well as the deputy who was injured in a shooting."

I asked Gaffney how many ambushes and shootouts Pinal deputies have engaged in since Babeu became sheriff. The answer is one -- Deputy Louis Puroll's confrontation with apparent drug smugglers in April.

Gaffney also explained that deputies now are sometimes sent into smuggling corridors to find dead or lost illegal immigrants, armed only with their holstered handguns. They'll be better protected with the rifles, he said.

The appeal has been picked up around the country. Among the places it's appearing is on a variety of militia websites, where Babeu has apparently sent the appeals. Here's one announcement at the "anti-Socialist, anti-New World Order" website The Regulators Vigilance Committee.

Here's the text of Monday's announcement:

August 2nd, 2010

Pinal County Justice Foundation is Seeking Public Help to Purchase Rifles for Deputies

The Pinal County Justice Foundation is seeking public assistance to assist our Sheriff’s Deputies with the war against the Mexican Drug Cartel members and their affiliates. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is in need of funding to purchase rifles to arm our first responders who are charged with protecting our citizens. Dangerous incidents have increased through the past few years and are now escalating to a point where Deputies are involved in high speed vehicle pursuits, shoot outs between deputies and smugglers, incidents of ambush, as well as the deputy who was injured in a shooting.

These incidents show compelling evidence that Pinal County Deputies need automatic rifles to NOT be out-gunned by Drug and Human Smugglers.

Sheriff Paul Babeu stated, “My deputies are outgunned and we are outmanned. We need help to raise money to buy Arizona made semi-automatic rifles to fight this threat against our citizens.â€