Either the brass at Los Angeles PD know nothing about firearms,

or they're fully into the 'scare everybody about everything'. Tam pointed to Uncle who pointed to this:
Raids in Los Angeles this week that uncovered an extraordinary cache of illegal assault weapons were prompted in part by an increased use of high-powered weapons in San Fernando Valley shootings, police said.

Two men and one woman were arrested this week after authorities raided a downtown warehouse and several Los Angeles homes and seized 32 firearms, including semiautomatic rifles, high-caliber guns and ammunition for AK-47s.
As we've learned, when journalists in places like LA and far too many cops start talking about 'assault weapons' they sometimes mean a .22 rifle or a pump shotgun; and 'high-powered' seems to have a very flexible meaning. Which leads us to the "You have GOT to be shitting me!" moment of this piece:
Authorities have noticed an increase in high-caliber weapons in Los Angeles. One of the most startling incidents was when a Fabrique National 57, an assault pistol used to kill big game, was found in a victim's car by detectives investigating a double-homicide last year in North Hollywood.

"You use it on large lions, tigers and bears," said LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, commander of the Valley Bureau.
Snork. Urgle. Hehehehehehe, does this man do standup? Let's see, an 'assault pistol used to kill big game', hmmmm? Let's leave the 'assault pistol' idiocy out; I wonder if DC Moore has ever seen any of these animals up close? Maybe considered what it would take to kill one?

If you're not familiar with the 'so scary it causes pants-wetting just by being mentioned' 57, a brief(and I hope accurate) history: the Europeans wanted to develop an arm specifically for support troops(i.e., 'Troops you hope never actually engage in combat') and came up with the 5.7x28mm; it's a little bottleneck cartridge firing a dinky little bullet with, as I recall, ballistics very similar to the .22 Magnum. Yes, it will penetrate body armor IF you have the actual AP ammo, which has never been sold to anyone except military and LE(and if it's so horribly lethal and nasty, why does LE need it? Or is that like the 'bullet-spraying killing machines' that somehow are tamed when a minion of the state holds it?) Now, of the three critters named above, would you want to go after any of them with a somewhat hotted-up .22 Mag? I imagine you could do it. Once. After which the rather pissed-off critter will convert you to either mulch or droppings.

Then we get to some more of the meat(more like gristle) of the piece:
Authorities gathered information on gun suppliers during searches at homes of residents on parole and probation.
Let's see, if you're on parole that would indicate a felony conviction which means you can go to jail just for picking a gun up and looking at it; that's not working very well, apparently.
Undercover officers from LAPD's counterterrorism bureau then bought semi-automatic and fully automatic weapons from a dealer.
'Counterterrorism bureau? They couldn't send just plain undercover cops to do it? Damn.
Recent killings of four Oakland police officers gunned down by a parolee with a semi-automatic weapon has reignited cries for the federal government to reinstate a ban on assault weapons, which expired in 2004.
A parolee already violating the aforementioned law AND with, as I recall, an illegal gun, for which every honest citizen with a non-PC gun should be screwed over. Very helpful, that'll be.