Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

LONG BEACH, California – A joint operation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) and the California Department of Justice (CALDOJ) led to the seizure of seven firearms, with four being machine guns yesterday at a convicted felon’s residence.

The Los Angeles Field Division received intelligence from ATF’s Salt Lake City field office that a local man was making online purchases of Glock Auto Switches - devices used to convert semiautomatic Glock pistols to machine guns.

Yesterday, ATF, LBPD and CALDOJ personnel served a search warrant on the residence of William McMurray, 48. His residence was on the 2000 block of San Francisco Street, Long Beach, California

Firearms seized from the residence included: AK-type 7.62x39 mm machine gun, AR-type 5.56 mm machine gun, Sten-type 9 mm machine gun, Glock-type 9mm machine gun, Glock-type 9 mm pistol, Glock-type pistol frame made from a receiver blank, and AR-type receiver made from a receiver blank. Among the other items seized at the residence were various large capacity magazines, ammunition, a tactical vest, and firearm manufacturing materials.

McMurray was arrested and charges filed include: California Penal Code Section 30605(a) possession of an assault weapon, California Penal Code Section 29800 (a)(1) felon in possession of a firearm, and California Penal Code Section 33215 possession of a short-barreled rifle. The suspect’s bail was set at $35,000.

In 2002, McMurray was found guilty of CA PC 245(a), assault with a deadly weapon, a firearm, and sentenced to eight years prison and 36 months supervised release.  Based on his conviction McMurray is not permitted under federal or California state law, to buy, possess, or sell a firearm.

McMurray was a subject in the CALDOJ Armed Prohibited Persons System (APPS) database. California is the first and only state to have established an automated system for tracking firearm owners who fall into a prohibited status. The APPS database is maintained and used by CALDOJ to identify California residents whom previously procured a firearm but later became prohibited from possessing a firearm because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffered from serious mental illness.

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