This week Phoenix Police tweeted about some weapons that were found in someone’s backyard when they were planting a tree.
Included in the picture are what appears to be a short barrel AR-15 (looks about 11.5″ to me), a Galil in 5.56, a Micro Uzi, and a Mac 10/11.
It’s hard to tell, but the AR-15 appears to be semi auto.
The guns were hidden in a duffel bag and buried for what I would guess would have to be for several years, maybe even more than a decade or more. That is just my uneducated guess based on the condition of the weapons, the designs of the weapons, the furniture and magazines shown in the picture.
Despite dry conditions in Arizona, compared to most other places, the guns didn’t resist rust as well as I would have hoped. Something to keep in mind if you ever plan on storing weapons away for a rainy day (so to speak).
It’s important to recognize that dry places like the American Southwest are generally much kinder to firearms than most other parts of the United States. However, you need to go to greater lengths to protect your firearms out in the elements for extended period of time as these were.
It’s difficult to know the origin of the weapons, if they were used in a crime, if they belonged to a gang or cartel, or even if they were simply buried away by someone with no criminal intent. In my not so professional opinion, I would guess one of the former. That’s just a hunch though.