Dorm room rifle factory: A student at New York University was arrested on illegal weapons charges after he turned his dorm room into a air rifle manufacturing factory.
Bernard Goal, 20, was arrested when maintenance personnel found two realistic looking air rifles on his bed, reported the New York Post.
Officers searched his room and found four other Airsoft weapons that looked like AK-47s and other rifles.
“These are just Airsofts. This is no big deal. I modify them and make them look real. I sell them online to customers’ specifications,” he told police, according to prosecutors, reported the New York Daily News.
Goal allegedly purchased parts of the weapons online and sold them for as much as $500 each.
He was arrested on Monday by New York City Police Department officers, charging him with six misdemeanor counts for selling replica firearms and air rifles.
“It’s very scary to know there were guns one floor below me. I had no idea,” a co-worker told the Post. “But knowing Bernard I’m not scared.” The person said that he is easygoing and a good worker.
Another student told the New York Daily News they were surprised.
“I don’t know anybody who’s selling guns or anything — especially guns — out of my dorm. I was very surprised by that,” Abbey Sadeckas, 21, was quoted as saying.
The incident prompted the university to send out an e-mail about the perils of owning or dealing firearms on campus.
“[I]n this day and age, especially given recent events at Virginia Tech and Newtown, Conn., the University will respond swiftly to protect the safety of our community when there is even a possibility of gun involvement... An arrest was made in this case; we expect the Police Department to finish its investigation soon, and to be able to reopen the room later today,” said NYU’s Vice President for Global Security and Crisis Management, according to the Village Voice.
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