Stephen Paddock amassed a total of 42 firearms, police say, 23 of which were found in his Las Vegas hotel room
An Australian relative of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock has revealed that he has seen the ‘well-stocked gun room’ inside his Mesquite house in Las Vegas.
‘Like you and I might have a theatre room or a hobby room or a man cave — it was a case of ‘that’s my gun room’,’ the man told The Australian on Monday.
Speaking to the media through a closed screen door, he added that he thought the guns were not recently purchased.
The man described the ‘gun room’ as ‘well-stocked’, but refused to go into any further details.
However, he did say that America needed to reconsider its gun laws, and called the massacre ‘ a terrible tragedy’.
An Aussie relative of Stephen Paddock told media that the massacre was a terrible tragedy’
The man, who had visited Paddock’s house, said that he had a very ‘well-stocked’ gun room
The relative said that his thoughts when he saw the room during the visit in the past couple of years were about understanding how guns were seen in the US: ‘OK, you’ve just got to keep things safe.’
He said that he was ‘totally against weapons’, but added that he had an army background.
‘Having a history of having been in the military, you can’t get that many guns together and amass that sort of ammunition without some form of planning,’ he told the publication.
Paddock had amassed 42 firearms before carrying out his massacre, 23 of which were found inside the hotel room he used as his sniper nest.
The majority of those weapons were rifles, though at least one was a handgun.
Two rifles had been modified with tripods and scopes, greatly increasing their accuracy, and at least two had been modified to allow for something close to fully-automatic fire.
Thousands of rounds of ammunition were also found, ranging in caliber from .223 – similar to 5.56 rounds which are standard for NATO troops – to .308, which are typically used for hunting rifles.
The broken windows on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay show where Paddock shot from
While the exact extent of Paddock’s cache is not yet clear, we know it included:
1) Four DDM4 rifles, the LA Times reports. Manufactured by Daniel Defense, the rifle features a muzzle flash suppressor, making it harder to tell where the weapon is being fired from. It also has a freefloat rail allowing for a variety of attachments including scopes and grips to enhance stability. The rifle costs $1,900 if bought new
2) Three FN-15 rifles. Made by FN America, they also feature a muzzle flash suppressor and ‘H buffer system’, which reduces recoil and increases accuracy. FN-15 refers to a series of rifles, rather than a specific weapon, which range from smaller carbines to replicas of the military-issue M16. It is not known exactly which version was owned by Paddock. They range in price from $1,000 to $2,000, if bought new
3) At least one AK-47. A Russian-designed assault rifle, it was used by the country’s military from 1945 and is still used by armies and rebel groups around the world. Known for its simplicity and reliability, it fires 7.62x39mm rounds which makes it less accurate but more devastating than other semi-automatic rifles. It can retail for as little as $600
4) At least one Colt AR-15. This rifle is known as the most popular in America, with an estimated 8million in homes around the country. It is also gaining a dubious reputation as the weapon of choice for mass shooters, from movie theatre killer James Holmes to San Bernardino terrorist Omar Mateen
5) Two ‘bump stocks’. While not weapons in themselves, these stocks modify semi-automatic weapons allowing for something close to fully-automatic fire. They fit over the stock of a semi-auto rifle, and function by allowing the weapon to ‘bump’ back and forth as it is fired using the weapon’s recoil. Each bump brings the user’s finger down on the trigger, firing a round. This allows the user to fire up to 800 rounds per minute while skirting around regulations prohibiting fully-automatic weapons
Police say another 19 weapons were found at his $400,000 home in Mesquite, alongside explosive Tannerite, which is used to make explosive targets for practice.
Electronic devices were also found but they are still being examined to determine their purpose, police said. Thousands of round of ammunition were also inside.
Christopher Sullivan, a gun shop manager from Mesquite, said Paddock bought a handgun and two rifles within the last year after passing background checks.
Memorials and tributes have begun on the Vegas strip for the victims of Paddock’s massacre
Police also found ammonium nitrate in Paddock’s car, which is commonly used by terrorists to make explosives.
Paddock’s partner Ms Danley, who was abroad at the time of the massacre, will be questioned by police upon her return.
She will most likely be asked if she knew about the cache of weapons reportedly found inside the home she shared with Paddock.
Ms Danley was not in America at the time of the shooting, but was on holiday in the Philippines