Sniper rifle arrives at O’side couple’s home by mistake

Like many during the holiday season, Oceanside couple Joel and Anna Berman awaited packages to arrive on their doorstep. But something was off about one parcel they received on Dec. 14. It was too heavy.

Upon opening the rectangular box, which initially appeared to contain a keyboard, they discovered a high-powered, .50 caliber Barrett sniper rifle — a weapon capable of shooting through concrete walls and disabling armored vehicles.

“I don’t think this is going to fit me,” thought Joel, before immediately calling 911.

The $7,000 rifle was shipped from Arizona, and was intended for Gem Gunsmithing in Woodbourne, N.Y. Instead, someone had placed an incorrect shipping sticker on top of the original label, and the package was redirected to the Berman residence.

Joe Loccisano, owner of Gem Gunsmithing, said he ordered the gun for a customer who wanted to use it for their personal gun range, on a roughly 500-acre property.

“It’s a novelty,” Loccisano said about the rifle. He added that ammunition for the gun costs about $5 to $7 per shot, and that the firearm is more expensive than a run-of-the-mill rifle.

According to him, high-powered rifles such as the one accidentally sent to the Bermans are legal in New York State because they lack a pistol grip and are bolt-action and not semi-automatic.

The shipping sticker came off of a package containing a toy airplane the couple had ordered from Kohl’s for one of their granddaughters. Two days later, they received the correct package, although they had not requested for UPS or Kohl’s to resend it.

Nassau County police are currently investigating how the shipping mix-up occurred, and said they would be sending the rifle to its correct destination.

“This is a highly unusual incident, and we are investigating what may have happened in our network,” UPS Spokesman Dan McMackin said in a statement. He noted that although the shipping company does allow the shipment of firearms between licensed gun manufacturers and traders, “UPS puts responsibility with the shippers of regulated goods to follow the requirements for labeling and specific packaging.”