One man's home arsenal added up to 553 guns

The tip that came into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was simple: Someone suspected that a criminal in Southern California was illegally in possession of “a large arsenal of firearms.”

What, exactly, constituted a large arsenal in this case? Sheriff’s deputies soon discovered the answer. A team of investigators arrived at a home in Agua Dulce, an unincorporated area about 32km northeast of Santa Clarita, and searched the property. From there, they seized 432 guns.

Deputies also arrested 60-yearold Manuel Fernandez for being a criminal in possession of firearms and ammunition. But the trove of guns inside that home in Agua Dulce was just part of Fernandez’s stash, authorities said.

As they searched the first residence, investigators obtained a second search warrant for another home about a mile away. There, deputies seized 30 more guns that illegally belonged to someone the sheriff’s department described only as “a female associate.” Charges against the woman are pending, officials said.

Finally, investigators returned to the first house. Sweeping the home again, deputies found and took 91 more guns hidden throughout the house.

In total, deputies seized 553 guns — rifles, shotguns and pistols — from Fernandez and his associate, authorities said.

A worldwide survey of firearm ownership worldwide found that there are more guns than people in the United States. A separate Harvard-Northeastern study published in 2016 found that about 3 per cent of American adults own half the nation’s firearms.