‘We are at an extreme disadvantage.’ Police sound alarm on 50-round drum magazines found in Capital City

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A routine traffic stop in Baker led to a narcotics and gun bust.

It happened on Wilson Street at around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31. But it’s not just the guns or drugs that have some law enforcement officers on edge.

“It has the overall ability to cause a lot of issues, a lot of damage, can cause a lot of casualties in a short period of time,” said Lt. Randolph Harrell, with the Baker Police Department.

The 50-round drum was also found in the possession of the man pulled over by police.

“This is the drum or the magazine, it’s just put into the magazine at the bottom, and then it’s ready to go,” said Lt. Harrell.

Lt. Harrell says sights like this are becoming all too common across not only Baker, but the entire the Capital Region.

“This is where we have the concern, because this only begets a situation to where a random act of violence is just a minute away,” he said.

Harrell says the legal and easy to attach high-capacity magazines on glocks or pistols, are also a concern from a public safety standpoint with officers on the street.

“We are at an extreme disadvantage. If the individual decides to turn one of these firearms on one of these officers on the street. So, it’s a major concern,” said the officer.

Law enforcement officers know what materials like this could do if it gets in the wrong hands.

“We get it. It’s a second amendment right and we promote that, but we just want to make sure that we keep this kind of ammunition and this type of firepower out of the hands of bad actors,” said Lt. Harrell.

The suspect who was arrested is Braxton Anderson.

He’s facing a number of charges including possession of drug paraphernalia, and illegal carrying of weapons in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.

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