The MNP superintendent told us that she heard in approximately August or September 2013 that the MNP park rangers were carrying fully automatic rifles. She believed that the supervisory park ranger was the acting chief ranger at the time. She did not address the issue with him because she did not trust him to correct the policy violation. She said that she reported the matter to the chief ranger as soon as he came on board in October 2013.
Rifle Selection and Purchase
During our first interview with the supervisory park ranger, he told us that around 2008 or 2009, MNP rangers were using "Vietnam era" M-16 rifles that were malfunctioning and dangerous to use, so he decided to request the purchase of new rifles to replace them. He said that he thought the former chief ranger at MNP (from December 2007 to May 2010) received approval from someone at FLETC to purchase the new rifles locally through the MNP contracting officer.
The supervisory park ranger told us that a park ranger recommended to him that MNP purchase the Colt M-4 Model R0977 fully automatic rifle because it met the military specification (mil-spec) requirements in NPS policy. The supervisory park ranger said that he passed on this recommendation to the then-chief ranger and that the contracting officer processed the rifles' procurement.
According to the supervisory park ranger, he was aware that NPS policy prohibited the use of fully automatic rifles by park rangers. He said that it was not his intent to violate NPS policy, and he assumed that his NPS supervisors had approved the purchase of the rifles.
During our interview with the former chief ranger, he told us that when he arrived at MNP, the supervisory park ranger was considered the primary property officer for the preserve and was responsible for managing and purchasing property, and upgrading equipment. The former chief ranger said that shortly after his arrival there were discussions about purchasing new rifles to replace the old Vietnam-era M-16s that park rangers were carrying on patrol. He asked the supervisory park ranger to provide a recommendation regarding which make and model rifle to purchase.
The park ranger named by the supervisory park ranger is a collateral duty armorer at MNP, and he told us that in 2008 he recommended the Model R0977 because it was the most economical choice and the only rifle that met the mil-spec requirements and the 14.5-inch barrel length criteria in NPS policy. He acknowledged that when he made the recommendation, he knew that NPS policy did not permit park rangers to carry fully automatic rifles. He also said that when he recommended the rifle, he told the supervisory park ranger that it would need to be converted to fire only in semi-automatic mode. The park ranger/armorer explained that changing the rifles' selector switches (the mechanism that permits firing either full- or semi-automatic) would make them semi-automatic. He also said that the supervisory park ranger knew that the Model R0977 was a fully automatic rifle, but the park ranger/armorer did not remember telling the former chief ranger or anyone else of that fact.
The former chief ranger (who was chief ranger when the purchase was made) said that he did not know how the Model R0977 was selected, and he did not know that it was a fully automatic rifle.
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