The New York Times explains
“A lot of firepower,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg mused as he paused to look at some of the 254 guns — large-caliber pistols and military-grade weapons modified to improve aim and avoid detection — that were bought by the police during the yearlong undercover investigation.
In a 264-page indictment announced on Monday, prosecutors said 19 people in two separate but loosely connected rings brought the guns to the city from North and South Carolina for one simple reason: they could buy low where regulations were loose and sell high on the city streets.
