Police Discover 8 Cheap Handguns in Home

Investigators searching a Fullerton man’s home for drugs on Thursday morning discovered eight newly purchased .22-caliber handguns which they believe he planned to resell for about 10 times their value, police said.

Authorities booked Ignacio Banuelos, 44, and his wife, Rose Banuelos, 30, on suspicion of possessing cocaine and marijuana for sale, Fullerton Police Sgt. Bud Lathrop said. But they also plan to ask agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to look into the case for possible federal firearms violations, Lathrop said.

Police with a search warrant went to Banuelos’ home at 3505 W. Commonweath Ave. at 7:45 a.m. and discovered about an ounce of cocaine, a pound of marijuana, $4,000 in cash and nine handguns, including eight .22-caliber pistols police refer to as “Saturday night specials” because they are cheaply made and often used in criminal activity.

“Investigators found a lot of records that the guy was selling these heepy, cheapy guns,” Lathrop said, but detectives do not know who was buying the guns or how long Banuelos allegedly has been selling them.

Papers found at the home listed buyers’ first names and indicated Banuelos was selling the guns for “a couple hundred each,” Lathrop said. The guns normally sell for about $29 at gun shops, he said.

The only receipt for firearms in the house was for a .38-caliber handgun found on a table near Banuelos’ bed, Lathrop said.

Undercover officers had purchased “small quantities” of drugs from Banuelos prior to the search at his home, Lathrop said.

Banuelos, who is unemployed, and his wife are being held in the city jail pending arraignment early next week.