Homeless man is accused of collecting submachine guns, silencers and handguns

Richard Cunningham was homeless. But he wasn’t gun-less, police allege.

Deputies found a cache of weapons at his Harbor City encampment, including: two fully operational submachine guns, four handguns, two makeshift silencers and numerous rounds of ammunition, according to Det. Mark Pope of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

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FOR THE RECORD: A previous version of this post referred to some of the weapons found as machine guns. They are submachine guns.

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Cunningham, 59, did not legally own the weapons, Pope said.

Cunningham, a convicted felon, was taken into custody on suspicion of weapons violations and arraigned Tuesday, Pope said. He is being held in lieu of $165,000 bail.

Deputies discovered the guns Saturday while patrolling near Doble Avenue and Lomita Boulevard. They found a homeless encampment on private property and went in to inspect it.

That’s when Cunningham stepped out of a tent. As deputies investigated the area, they found the trove of weapons, Pope said.

It is unclear how Cunningham came to possess the arsenal.

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