More on Guns Stolen From Tornado-Damaged Minneapolis

TwinCities.com also is reporting on the stolen guns that belonged to Scott Steben, a collector and World War II re-enactor from Minneapolis.

This story provides more details, but also offers a bit of confusion on the types of firearms, and frankly it is this sort of misinformation that is rampant in the media:

“The missing weapons are an auto-ordnance, 1911, 45 pistol and a 9mm MP-40 semi-auto machine gun, said owner Scott Steben. The machine gun is a federally regulated weapon, and is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.”

Technically it should be “.45 pistol,” but perhaps the style guide for TwinCities.com doesn’t explain gun calibers. This is a small nitpick, but what is not is the passage about the “9mm MP-40 semi-auto machine gun.” Is this really a semi-automatic or not? If it is a “federally regulated weapon” we can understand why the owner would need to have it registered with the proper transfer stamp, but how is the firearm “semi-auto,” as in semi-automatic – a fact that would most certainly make this NOT a machine gun. Of course the size of the gun, and the barrel length are also an issue – and thus could make it a Class 3 firearm, but if it is only semi-auto then it wouldn’t actually be a machine gun.

Other reports noted this was blank firing only. So there is clearly some confusion on this one – no doubt because the authors of these stories don’t understand firearms.

While we still wish Mr. Steben the best of luck in recovering his items, we wish that it was made clear the status of the MP-40 so as to avoid media misinformation.

Blank Firing Guns Stolen

If the people recovering from tornadoes didn’t have enough to worry about, one resident of Minneapolis was robbed of his historic firearms. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that Scott Steben returned home – only to be robbed a short time later. The paper noted:

“When he returned shortly after midnight, the back door was kicked open and the guns, which had been in boxes, were gone.”

According to the paper, the items included:

“…a 45-caliber automatic pistol and a German sub-machine gun,” and both “are props for historical displays and war re-enactments and have been adapted to shoot blanks.”

We wish Mr. Steben the best of luck in recovering his items.

Man Defends Home From Teen Gunman

 

Jonathan Stevens defended himself and his wife from an attempted robbery Friday night. The couple was watching a movie in their South Knox County, Tennessee home when their pet pit bulls started barking. Stevens grabbed his pistol and went outside to investigate. He saw someone kneeling behind a car pointing a gun at him. Read more