Suspect Who Stockpiled More Than 1,000 Firearms in Mansion May Face Federal Charges

A man arrested with more than 1,000 guns inside the Bel-Air mansion where he lived may face federal charges for selling firearms without a license, according to law-enforcement officials. Girard Damien Saenz, 57 years old, used an obscure federal license intended for collectors of antique firearms to build up his massive collection, these officials said. Investigators are also going through the guns to find out if Mr. Saenz broke California laws by failing to register what the state defines as assault weapons, including AR-15-style rifles, one of the officials said.

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The gun bust, one of the largest in Los Angeles police history, drew national attention for the number of weapons involved and the fact that it took place in one of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods. Mr. Saenz was living in a mansion owned by Cynthia Beck, a Los Angeles real-estate investor, law-enforcement officials said. Ms. Beck, who has three children with Gordon Getty, the billionaire son of the late oil baron J. Paul Getty, and Mr. Saenz own several properties around Los Angeles together. Photos of the raid showed huge piles of revolvers, rifles and shotguns, some of which appeared to be antiques, as well as modern AR-style rifles.

The curio and relic license that Mr. Saenz possessed is issued by the federal government for antique firearm collectors. It streamlines the purchases of historic or novel guns and would have allowed Mr. Saenz to avoid California regulations including a 10-day waiting period and a minimum 30-day span between purchases of handguns, according to the law-enforcement officials.

There are currently 52,000 such licenses that are active in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. By contrast, 17.2 million Americans had concealed carry permits in 2018, according to the Crime Prevention Research Center. A curio and relic license doesn’t allow an individual to sell or manufacture guns. Law-enforcement officials allege Mr. Saenz was doing both. It has become increasingly common in recent years for private individuals to build guns, with many parts now available online.

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/bel-air-gun-raid-suspect-may-face-federal-charges-11557841102 (paid subscription)