White supremacist killed in shootout with California deputies

Buying a working gun theoretically takes some paperwork and background investigation, though workarounds are available in some states. Buying most gun parts (barrel, shoulder stock, etc.) is unrestricted: anyone can stroll into a store or buy those parts online. The main restricted part, the "receiver", is a machined piece of metal with holes drilled in it. Buying a completely made one is equivalent to buying a gun, but you can buy a partially made one and finish it yourself using fairly low tech shop tools.

TFA says that the guy was making illegal gun parts, so it's a decent guess that he was converting unfinished receivers to finished ones, then assembling guns around them and maybe selling them. That's why he had all those guns in his car.

/r/news Thread Parent Link - cnn.com