CALIFORNIA, USA — Authorities in California’s agricultural heartland weren’t looking for a military assault rifle when they went to investigate a domestic assault case, but they found one.
It was one of 26 AK-74s stolen a decade ago from Fort Irwin, an Army base in the Mojave Desert.
The guns were among the at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms that an Associated Press investigation found were lost or stolen over the last decade.
The investigation also found that military weapons including assault rifles and heavy machine guns have been lost or stolen from bases in California. At least 111 guns disappeared or were recovered in California between 2010 and 2019.
Intended for war, some guns ended up on America’s streets. Army pistols, for example, were used in violent crimes including shootings and robbery.
The Pentagon and armed services note that missing firearms are a tiny fraction of the military’s stockpile. While 17 of those AK-74s stolen from Fort Irwin have been recovered, some in the hands of street gang members, nine remain missing.
For the full AP story, click HERE.
ABC10: Watch, Download, Read
WATCH MORE: Lawmakers to push back on overturning of California's assault weapons ban
Governor Newsom is expected to take action to appeal the judge's decision on the three-decade old ban.