In a startling incident that raises questions about the safety of short-term rentals like Airbnb, police in Minnesota stumbled upon a cache of 11 firearms, some converted into machine guns, at a party hosted in one of these properties.
Officers were initially on the trail of a 17-year-old suspected of credit card theft. They traced the teenager to an Airbnb in the Maple Grove area, thanks to his use of stolen credit cards at a Target store in Shoreview, Minnesota. The cards had been taken less than an hour earlier from a man’s work truck.
The initial theft had left the victim $577 poorer, with additional unauthorized transactions totaling $275 also attempted. Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin revealed that the suspect had been located at a “booze-filled” party.
Upon arrival, the officers learned that the Airbnb party was already in violation of multiple rental rules. These included exceeding the 10-person occupancy limit and a ban on possessing weapons. The party had more than 50 attendees, aged between 15 and 21.
The police then shut down the gathering, but not before making a startling discovery. Inside the property, officers found a trove of firearms concealed in various parts of the house.
“Airbnb turned Machinegunbnb,” is how Martin described the scenario. Unbelievably, some of the firearms were found hidden in food wrappers, board game boxes, and even within the walls of the residence.
What alarmed the authorities even further was that these were not ordinary firearms. Some of them had been altered with “switches,” or “auto sears,” that turned them into machine guns.
According to an official release, these modified weapons are “capable of firing 33 rounds of automatic fire in less than two seconds.”
RELATED: Teens Charged with Murder of Retired Police Chief Laugh, Smile in Court – Then It Gets Worse
Commenting on the shocking discovery, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher stated, “We always expect a couple, but we were shocked by the number.”
Adding another layer of concern, Martin revealed that several party attendees were part of a group with known enemies, referring to them as “opps.”
Given the severity of the situation, the laws could be harsh for those caught in possession of these modified firearms. Both state and federal laws stipulate that possession of automatic weapons could result in a 5- to 10-year sentence. It remains unclear if the minors present will be tried as adults.
As for the next steps, authorities plan to test-fire the confiscated weapons. They will enter the resultant data into a national database called the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network.
This will help them find out if these weapons have been used in any unsolved crimes. Martin emphasized the positive impact of this intervention, stating, “The best part is we got 11 guns off the street that won’t shoot somebody, kill somebody you know, or be used for robbery or anything else.”
Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook that the alleged credit card thief “went from five-star Airbnb accommodations to the county jail.”
The episode puts short-term property rental owners on notice. It is critical for them to ensure stringent checks on their renters to prevent their properties from becoming hotbeds for illegal activities.
We Stand With Israel: Click Here To Find Out How To Help
