82 lines
3.5 KiB
Plaintext
82 lines
3.5 KiB
Plaintext
LOS ANGELES - For nearly 40 years, Mercy Crusade Inc. has earned
|
|
accolades as a tireless advocate of animals.
|
|
|
|
Now, however, reports indicate it stockpiled more than $100,000
|
|
worth of weapons. Records show that group members bought or
|
|
ordered at least 34 guns in the past year, including several
|
|
rifles such the AR-15, a cousin of the military M-16.
|
|
|
|
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is holding 12
|
|
Heckler & Koch SP89 pistols seized from the group's leader last
|
|
year, and agents are investigating why an animal welfare group
|
|
would need such powerful weapons, the Los Angeles Times has
|
|
reported. The guns were among the 34 ordered in the past year.
|
|
|
|
The 9mm semiautomatics are on the federal list of banned assault
|
|
weapons, but it is not illegal to own one manufactured before the
|
|
ban. "They're the Rolls-Royces of handguns," said Kim Ratcliffe,
|
|
administrative manager of Gun Heaven, a Los Angeles weapons shop.
|
|
|
|
"It's hard to understand why they have so many guns," said
|
|
Madeline Bernstein, executive director of the Los Angeles Society
|
|
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
|
|
|
|
State and federal officials both have launched investigations
|
|
into the organization's activities; no charges have been filed.
|
|
Ownership of the guns apparently violates no state, local, or
|
|
federal law.
|
|
|
|
Mercy Crusade's leader is James McCourt, an associate professor
|
|
of economics at the University of La Verne.
|
|
|
|
McCourt has said he bought the guns for the group's 12 humane
|
|
officers, unpaid and unregulated volunteers who wear uniforms and
|
|
badges and have powers of investigation and arrest in animal
|
|
abuse cases.
|
|
|
|
A little-known 80-year-old state law allows animal welfare groups
|
|
to appoint such officers with a judge's approval.
|
|
|
|
McCourt, who also teaches at Pepperdine University, has told the
|
|
Times the guns were needed for his officers for training,
|
|
protection during investigations, and to gain respect from other
|
|
law enforcement agencies.
|
|
|
|
McCourt did not respond to repeated Associated Press requests for
|
|
an interview. No one else at Mercy Crusade will discuss their
|
|
activities.
|
|
|
|
He said he also wanted his officers to be well-armed in case they
|
|
ever again are sent to protect animal shelters and clinics during
|
|
events such as the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
|
|
|
|
Law enforcement agencies declined to comment on Mercy Crusade's
|
|
gun purchases, saying they would not discuss the case while it
|
|
was under investigation.
|
|
|
|
SPCA officers get 20 hours of training on the handling of
|
|
animals, 40 hours on state animal welfare laws and 54 hours of
|
|
peace officer training, and they must qualify on a shooting
|
|
range, Bernstein said.
|
|
|
|
The only firearms the Los Angeles SPCA has are .38-caliber
|
|
handguns for each of their five humane officers, a couple of
|
|
shotguns and a couple of tranquilizer dart guns, she said.
|
|
|
|
Bernstein said no SPCA officer has ever fired his or her weapon,
|
|
but she doesn't know about other animal welfare officers.
|
|
|
|
She said the officers need protection. "Suppose we have a search
|
|
warrant that allows us to kick in the door of a place where we
|
|
suspect a dog fight is taking place," Bernstein said.
|
|
|
|
State officials are investigating whether Mercy Crusade bought
|
|
the weapons with funds given by donors who presumed their money
|
|
would go to protect animals. Jim Cordi, lead lawyer for the
|
|
attorney general's Charitable Trust section in Los Angeles,
|
|
declined to discuss details of the investigation.
|
|
|
|
McCourt has said no money specifically raised for the group's
|
|
other efforts such as spaying and neutering programs were used
|
|
for the gun purchases.
|