California authorities provided an update on weapons used in the Monterey Park mass shooting, where a shooter fired into a crowd of people at a dance studio during Lunar New Year celebrations Saturday night, leaving 12 dead and several injured.
During a press conference Wednesday night, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said two weapons recovered near the Star Dance Ballroom Studio in Monterey Park, California included a 9mm MAC-10 semi-automatic. from the Cobray Company and a Norinco 7.62 x 25mm pistol.
The MAC-10 gun was the primary weapon used to carry out the shooting, as suspect Huu Can Tran, 72, is believed to have stood at the gate and fired 42 rounds, killing 11 people.
The weapon also had a modification to its trigger, although it is unclear if the weapon was modified to be fully automatic. It is being tested by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Luna said.
11 MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA, SHOOTING VICTIMS IDENTIFIED BY CORONER
FBI agents walk near a shooting scene in Monterey Park, California, on Sunday, January 22, 2023.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A photo of the weapon that was shown during the press conference appeared to show a silencer or suppressor attached to its barrel. The accessory appeared to have cloth or other material wrapped around the barrel.
It’s generally illegal to own a MAC-10 in California, which has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the US, especially on “assault weapons.” However, a Californian is allowed to legally possess a gun that is later prohibited.
Luna did not specify when he obtained the gun or whether its possession was illegal.
The sheriff also said the gun had a 30-round magazine and that the shooter swapped magazines at some point during his assault. High-capacity magazines, defined by California law as anything that holds more than 10 rounds, are illegal in the state.
This combination image created with photos provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a male suspect allegedly involved in a shooting on Saturday, January 21, 2023, in Monterey Park, California.
(Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
Police cordon off the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, on Sunday, January 22.
(AP/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, at podium, briefs the media outside the Civic Center in Monterey Park, Calif., on Sunday, January 22, 2023.
(AP Photo/Damián Dovarganes)
A magazine change in the gun can happen in seconds, a firearms expert in the state of California told Fox News Digital.
A resident can, similar to a prohibited weapon, legally keep in his possession any high-capacity magazine if it was obtained before January 1, 2000, Reuters reported.
FIRST VICTIMS IDENTIFIED AFTER MASS SHOOTING IN MONTEREY PARK, CALIFORNIA
After his assault, police said the shooter fled the ballroom and used the Norinco, which was properly registered, to take his own life.
Capt. Andrew Meyer of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau said police have video of the interior of the dance studio, but its graphic content will not be released at this time.
Investigators also obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect’s home, where they found a .308 caliber Savage Arms bolt-action rifle and hundreds of ammunition.
Yolanda Gallegos, 72, prays for the victims who died in a shooting outside Star Dance Studio in Monterey Park, California, on Monday, January 23.
(AP/Jae C. Hong)
A woman writes a message on a wooden heart bearing the name of a victim at a vigil in front of Monterey Park City Hall, a few blocks from the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, Tuesday night, Jan. 24, 2023, in Monterey Park, California.
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
A family gathers at a memorial outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, in Monterey Park, California. .
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
The rifle is considered a hunting sporting rifle and is legal in the state. The abundance of ammunition is also legal and common throughout California.
During the news conference, Luna said the suspected gunman had not been to the Star Ballroom in the last five years and that no connection to the victims was immediately clear.
The suspect was arrested in 1997 for illegal possession of a firearm, Luna said. He is Vietnamese and previously lived in China and Hong Kong. A motorcycle was also placed on the scene by the suspected shooter sometime before the shooting. Police believe this may have been staged as a getaway vehicle.
A police car is seen near the scene of a deadly shooting on January 22, 2023, in Monterey Park, California.
(Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The victims who were killed on Saturday night have been identified as Valentino Alvero, 68, Hong Jian, 62, Yu Kao, 72, Lilian Li, 63, Ming Wei Ma, 72, My Nhan, 65, Diana Tom, 72, Muoi Ung, 67, Chia Yau, 76, Wen Yu, 64, and Xiujuan Yu, 57.
The US Constitution recognizes that Americans have a fundamental right to own firearms, and the US Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld this right.
