Amazon customer receives gun instead of TV

A SIG716 rifle as seen on the company's website.

/ Sig Sauer

(CBS News) Seth Horvitz ordered a flat-panel TV through an Amazon.com third-party vendor, but when his package came in the mail, its contents shocked him.

Instead of a TV, the DCist.com blog reports Horvitz was surprised by a Sig Sauer SIG716, which is semi-automatic assault rifle. Horvitz said he immediately contacted the seller and reported the delivery to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Horvitz did the right thing because it would have been a crime for him to carry an assault rifle through the city to the United Parcel Service (UPS) store to ship it back to the Amazon seller.

It's not just that D.C. has tough gun laws - it's also against UPS' terms to ship automatic weapons. The company's terms state:

"UPS does not accept automatic weapons, including machine guns, for shipment."

A spokesperson for UPS declined to comment on Horvitz's claims or what method the company uses screens for potential violations.

The manufacturer Sig Sauer describes the weapon shipped to Horvitz as "the rifle of choice when you require the power of a larger caliber carbine."

A simple search of Amazon.com did not show results of the Sig Sauer SIG716, but there were several handguns for sale. It's worth noting that Amazon sellers are independent of the company - sellers ship products directly to buyers unless they sign up for the Amazon fulfillment service.

It is not clear whether or not the Amazon seller was licensed to sell or ship firearms through the mail. Amazon did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment a on the matter.

In light of recent shooting tragedies in Colorado and Wisconsin, unsolicited, and possibly illegal, firearms in the mail is a sensitive topic. The discourse over gun control has resurfaced among politicians and pundits, and The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued a statement specifically about the Amazon incident.

"It becomes emotional for gun-rights activists," Horvitz, who said his story has appeared on gun-rights blogs, told the DCist.

[tonyspdx]

The author of this article is a complete moron. Its completely wrong on all facts. Just tells me that CBS news is just as at fault.

[riverman520]

I find it highly suspicious that this should happen at a time when gun control freaks are screaming for banning guns, and the ability to make purchases for guns and ammon online. Really, what are the odds that this would be shipped to someone that would actually call the cops instead of selling the gun and pocketing the money?

[pepsicanman]

As with all News articles, It is NOT required to be CORRECT it just has to be the FIRST to hit the Airwaves................

[Larsen04]

The comments on this article show how deranged our gun culture has become. A guy orders a TV and he gets a weapon that kills people. And the readers' response is to complain about the distinction between automatic and semi-automatic. Seriously? Talk about missing the big picture. In the weeks after two mass killings? That's what you're worried about? In fact, the article correctly describes the SIG716 as a semi-automatic, but the UPS guidelines are actually unclear, as they do not seem to address semi-automatic weapons. The article says UPS guidelines do not allow the shipping of automatic weapons. Which is true. Okay, it's technically not an assault weapon. Anyone who thinks that's the salient point needs to take a few steps back.

[RioAguaNegra]

I see what you mean but the thing that is kind of obvious to me is why is the guy opening a package that obviously isn't his. He wouldn't have to worry about taking it anywhere if he hadn't opened it. I've been mailed a semi-auto rifle through UPS and it looks nothing like a flat screen television. I think what some folks are saying is that there may be more to this story than what is reported here.

[riverman520]

in reply to Rio, I have to agree. Also, isn't it against the law to open packages not addressed to you? If it was addressed to him, where would that shipper have gotten his address? Very fishy...

[Birdman04]

Oh heck, just an honest mistake. Thank gosh it wasn't sent by mistake to a certified lunatic with an attitude off his meds.

You just can't fix stupid. This should never have happened I don't give a rat's ass what anyone says. Hello! Anyone home?

[Birdman04]

Oh heck, just an honest mistake. Thank gosh it wasn't sent by mistake to a certified lunatic with an attitude off his meds.

You just can't fix stupid. This should never have happened I don't give a rat's ass what anyone says. Hello! Anyone home?

[meme-stryker]

With the endless media blitz on guns, I would think that everyone by now would know the difference between a semi-automatic and an automatic firearm, and that a reporter would do some serious fact-checking to avoid wrongly accusing UPS of a crime. Due to DC's unconstitutional firearms laws, it was proper for this individual to notify police so he wouldn't be wrongly accused of a felony. This just shows how a combination of ignorance and police-state mentality can end up spreading misinformation and hurting the reputation of a company that always tries to follow the rules. CBS really needs to vet its reporters better.

[dbrickner3]

Great comment!! East coast media is clueless.

[FoolKiller]

"UPS does not accept automatic weapons, including machine guns, for shipment." What part of "semi-automatic" does no one EVER understand???

[bobnjersey]

[What part of "semi-automatic" does no one EVER understand???]
-------------------------------------------------
i don't understand the 'automatic' part ... doesn't that mean that he next round is 'automatically' chambered from the mechanical actions of the firing of the previous round?

[realtimecoffee]

No different that a revolver in that case. Revolvers aren't assault rifles either. Deer rifles with scary looking parts.

[fatamericancow]

Writer does not understand difference between machine gun and semiautomatic rifle. Minimal research would be appreciated by this gun owner.

[formerlyluvnut]

Agreed. I HATE it also when they report on incidents without any clue as to the diff between pistols & revolvers, clips & magazines, etc etc etc. Yet they have journalism degrees. Sad.

[venusvegasvada]

The author seems to be confused on the huge difference between semi-auto and automatic firearms.

Some additional education on the subject for this person was in order. As a result, the story comes off as a bit half-baked because of it's attempt to make it sound as if an automatic machine gun was sent to someone who ordered a TV.

Nice try but that's not what happened.