Bombers’ ‘four’ firearms included a BB gun

It has been reported elsewhere that the M-4 carbine was one that was in possession of one of the LEOs on the scene, and mistakenly attributed to the two terrorists.

When the New York Times reported Sunday about the “four firearms” recovered by authorities investigating the Tsarnaev brothers, suspected of setting off the Boston Marathon bombs, the newspaper described them as an M-4 carbine, two handguns and a BB gun.

It would come as a surprise to firearms experts, especially anyone located west of the Mississippi River, that a BB gun is a “firearm.” BB guns do not use gun powder, but air, which is why they are also called "airguns."

This does not reduce the severity of the crimes allegedly committed by Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, ranging from homicide on down, but for the newspaper to call this a “small arsenal” reinforces the notion among gun rights activists that the press will focus on and sensationalize the “gun connection” in covering this crime. See the criminal complaint here.

An M-4 carbine is an “assault weapon” under Massachusetts statute, and it is banned.

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