The Gist: Two Clayton County men, Anthony Maseda and Erik Arreola-Torres, have been sentenced to prison after converting semi-automatic firearms into machine guns and selling them out of a local residence.
The operation came to a head when Arreola-Torres fired a machine gun at federal agents and local law enforcement during the execution of a search warrant.
What Happened?: According to federal prosecutors, over a three-month period in early 2022, Maseda, a previously convicted felon, and Arreola-Torres operated a firearm and machine gun trafficking scheme from a home in Jonesboro. Maseda imported illegal “switches” from China to convert firearms into fully automatic machineguns, which were then advertised and sold through a public Instagram account.
During the execution of a search warrant on March 3, 2022, prosecutors say Arreola-Torres opened fire on special agents and police officers from within the home. Despite firing dozens of rounds, no one was injured.
Maseda and Arreola-Torres were subsequently arrested, with law enforcement discovering a cache of firearms and drug paraphernalia within the residence.
By The Numbers:
- 6 fully automatic machineguns found in the residence
- 4 additional switches for converting semi-automatics into machine guns
- 5 other firearms discovered
- Plus, a significant amount of ammunition, firearm parts, bulletproof body armor, marijuana and digital scales
What’s Next?: Maseda and Arreola-Torres have been sentenced to nine and ten years respectively, followed by three years of supervised release.
Gun Violence:
According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks gun-related incidents in the United States, there were:
In 2020:
- 43,551 total gun-related incidents, including:
- 19,379 gun-related deaths
- 39,707 gun-related injuries
- 612 mass shootings (defined as an incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the…
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