US military guns lost stolen from North Carolina bases

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Military weapons including assault rifles and a light machine gun have been lost or stolen from bases in North Carolina.

An Associated Press investigation into firearms missing from the U.S. armed services shows at least 56 guns disappeared or were recovered in North Carolina from 2010 through 2019.

Installations included Fort Bragg and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, which has had several high-profile busts.

Intended for war, some guns ended up on America’s streets.

An Army pistol stolen from Bragg in 2016 ended up in New York state, where investigators linked it to four shootings after recovering it. Authorities found another pistol stolen from Bragg at a parking lot shooting in Durham, as well as a pistol stolen from Lejeune during a cocaine bust in Baltimore.

The weapons are among at least 1,900 U.S. military firearms that AP learned were unaccounted for during the last decade.

Military officials say missing firearms are a tiny fraction of their stockpile, and note that some are recovered.

Copyright 2021, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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