Man with a million bullets in home charged

NORCO - A man who authorities described as a survivalist after investigators found a cache of weapons and ammunitions at his burning home has been arrested and jailed, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said Saturday.

Thomas Lee McKiernan, 62, of Norco was arrested on suspicion of possession of assault weapons, possession of illegal ammunition, and possession of explosives, according to the sheriff's department.

McKiernan, who had been held since Thursday for a mental evaluation, remained at the Robert Presley Detention Center. His bail is currently set for $100,000 and he is scheduled to appear in Riverside Superior Court on Tuesday, according to his booking information.

The only illegal items investigators have identified so far are five assault rifles, several high-capacity magazines and the 60 pounds of gunpowder, they said. It is illegal to possess more than one pound of gunpowder, Gutierrez said.

McKiernan is a retired machinist who was identified as the home's owner by neighbors and property records.

Sheriff's investigators also found stashes of food and water.

Authorities said they found more than 125 rifles and handguns, about a million rounds of ammunition and 60 pounds of gunpowder in McKiernan's home on the 1800 block of Pali Drive. They said they also discovered a tunnel beneath the garage on Friday.

Fire crews discovered an eight-foot deep tunnel 30 feet from the middle of the garage to a spot beneath the main house. Local and federal officers pulled three barrels out of the tunnel using hooks and poles, said Norco Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank deBoer. They contained rice, water and cooking oil.

On Friday, investigators removed weapons from the kitchen, living room and bedrooms. They also found to safes with reinforcing chain that they have yet to open.

Two-thirds of the driveway leading to McKiernan's modest, shingle-roofed home was filled with ordnance. Cardboard boxes and green metal, military-style containers of ammunition were stacked next to canisters and cookie tins packed with gunpowder.

The ammunition ranged from .22 caliber bullets for small arms to .30 caliber rounds used in high-powered military rifles."

Wow. Finally someone with more ordnance than me. And the poor bastard is in jail.

UPDATE

Lesson learned.

I did a dumb thing. Posted the above story over at Glock Talk, and instead of READING what the link provided, the contrarians are naysaying the fact that CA. has limits on various forms of munitions, despite the fact that a man is in jail.

This is why I rarely frequent the horrendous know-it-all gunboards. Getting the word out remains important, but thats the last time I try to educate children about the adult world. For the people too damned ignorant or lazy to do your own research, guess what? I'm not your daddy, and so low a quotient of attention to detail disgusts me.

There. Now I feel better after being an ass in trying to offer REALITY to dolts.