On Wednesday, Jamikko Foster, 27, and Eduardo Limon, 28, were charged with stealing firearms from the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. The two Las Vegas men worked as forklift drivers during the world's largest firearms trade show, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The men stole so many items that the spreadsheet spanned two pages. The pair stole 65 firearms from four companies: Remington Arms, LKCI, Blaser USA and Legacy Sports International, the Review-Journal reported.
Specifically, the two stole:
• Remington machine guns, rifles and pistols
• Denel Land Systems machine guns
• Mauser rifles
• Glock pistols
• Sauer & Sohn rifles
• Advanced Armament silencers.
The reason the men were caught is because the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the hosts of SHOT Show, require all manufacturers to remove firing pins from weapons displayed during the show, meaning they're inoperable.
The Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were made aware of the situation on a Wednesday and alerted local Federal Firearm Licensees (FFLs) to “be attentive for any individuals seeking gunsmithing services or, more specifically, firing pins.”
The next day, the owner of Gun Shop Las Vegas in Henderson alerted the ATF about a customer interaction from the day before. Foster, Limon and a woman purchased a shotgun and magazines and asked about firing pins for an AR-15.
According to the complaint, the gun store's associate explained the firing pin had to be replaced during cleaning. The store owner said it appeared “the individuals were unfamiliar and/or new to firearms.” One of the men allegedly told the he worked at SHOT Show.
An ATF agent spotted Foster’s black Chevrolet Impala, the same one from the gun store, at a nearby apartment complex. When agents searched Foster and Limon's homes they found the stolen firearms, despite neither one of them having any guns registered to them.
NSSF provided Townhall with the following statement about the situation:
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Las Vegas Field Office, the U.S. Attorney’s office and Las Vegas metro police deserve great credit for the manner in which they conducted their joint investigation, quickly arresting and charging two individuals allegedly responsible for the theft of multiple firearms a day after the SHOT Show had concluded. All firearms that are on display during the trade show are required to be inoperable, a factor that proved helpful in the apprehension of the alleged perpetrators. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we will have no additional comment at this time.
The two men face federal charges of possession of a stolen firearm and possession of an unregistered firearm.