By Sam Wood
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Read the P1 News Report: Details emerge about Philly cop killers
PHILADELPHIA — It’s called the “poor man’s deer rifle.”
Inexpensive, deadly and fairly common, the gun used to kill a Philadelphia police officer Saturday was originally designed for the Soviet Army in the mid-1940s.
The SKS carbine — considered simple and rugged — weighs about 8.5 pounds and can be bought legally for as little as $179. Instructions for cleaning and routine maintenance can be found on YouTube.
Considered “idiot proof,” the SKS carbine became a favorite of hunters in the American South when hundreds of thousands of them flooded the surplus market in the 1980s, authorities said. It’s also becoming a favorite of Philadelphia criminals.
Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, 39, was in pursuit of a trio of bank robbers when one, armed with an SKS, shot and killed the 12-year veteran.
“Every gun tells a story,” said Tony Robbins of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “This one has its story, too.”
The SKS generally sells for less than $200 at legal gun shops and gun shows, said Robbins, assistant special agent in charge at the Philadelphia field office of the ATF.
“They’re very cheap, but very deadly,” Robbins said yesterday. “They’re also pretty intimidating. They have a lot of firepower. That’s why you’ll see them on the street.”
Federal agents have found the SKS is a favorite of drug dealers.
The gun used to kill Liczbinski was outfitted with a 30-cartridge magazine and fired a high-powered 7.62x39mm round that can pierce a bulletproof vest.
A box of 800 surplus rounds can be bought on the Internet for about $100.
Though unusual, “those rounds are out there,” Robbins said. “These knuckleheads had them.”
Howard Cain, a convicted felon, would have been prohibited from buying or owning any gun, Robbins said.
Robbins would not comment on how Cain came to possess the gun.
“We’re working on the origin of the gun,” Robbins said. “We have substantial leads.”
The SKS was designed for the Soviet infantry. The Red Army replaced the SKS with the AK-47. During the Cold War era, the Soviet Union shared design and manufacturing details of the SKS with its allies and the Chinese produced more than 8 million of them.
Copyright 2008 The Philadelphia Inquirer