Installation of Semi-Automatic Selector Switches
During our initial interview with the supervisory park ranger, he told us that he was "shocked" when the rifles arrived at MNP capable of firing fully automatic. He explained that in his previous experience in the 1990s, when new rifles were purchased they did not arrive capable of firing fully automatic because the selector switches had been changed at the factory to place the rifles permanently in semi-automatic mode. He said that once he became aware that MNP had received fully automatic rifles and determined that NPS policy prohibited them, he informed the park ranger/armorer, the second park ranger we interviewed, and the then-chief ranger. According to the supervisory park ranger, the then-chief ranger told him to obtain the parts required to convert the new rifles to semi-automatic so they would comply with the policy. Our investigation determined that the semi-automatic selector switches cost about $21 apiece.
The supervisory park ranger told us that MNP had placed two separate orders for the Colt M-4 Model R0977, with each order containing four to six rifles. He said that about 6 months after the first order was delivered, MNP purchased semi-automatic selector switches and converted that set of rifles to fire only in semi-automatic mode. He told us that he attempted to obtain approval to purchase selector switches for the remaining rifles from the deputy superintendent but was told that funds were not available. The supervisory park ranger said that the remaining rifles were not converted to semi-automatic until December 2013, after the new chief ranger arrived.
During a follow-up interview, the supervisory park ranger acknowledged that he withheld information during his initial interview and that his requests to the deputy superintendent to purchase semi-automatic selector switches for the rifles were always part of a larger list of items that he was requesting. The supervisory park ranger acknowledged that he did not inform the deputy superintendent of the importance of procuring new selector switches or that the rifles being carried by MNP rangers violated NPS policy. The supervisory park ranger said that he did not consider asking the park superintendent to buy the semi-automatic selector switches, because purchasing the selector switches was "not one of his priorities." The supervisory park ranger told us that the rangers had a "new toy" and he was "not in any hurry" to get the new rifles converted to semi-automatic to comply with NPS policy.
He acknowledged that he should not have ordered the rifles and, once they had arrived, he should have converted them to semi-automatic immediately. He said that he "failed as a supervisor" by not making the conversion of the rifles a higher priority, and he acknowledged that the purchase of the fully automatic rifles was a "bad decision."
The park ranger/armorer told us that he researched the Colt M-4 fully automatic Model R0977 and the semi-automatic Model LE6920 to determine which one could best replace the M-16 rifles at MNP. He told us that the process involved contacting Colt and requesting price quotes for both models. He said that when the rifles arrived at MNP, he prepared a weapons log for each rifle, which documented that a semi-automatic selector switch was needed. He said that as soon as the new rifles arrived, he told the supervisory park ranger that it was critical to purchase and install semi-automatic selector switches so the rifles would comply with NPS policy. The park ranger/armorer said that he had to tell the supervisory park ranger several times that new selector switches were needed, and the response from the supervisory park ranger was that funds were
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