How many guns is enough? For the Santa Clara man accused of death threats against state Senator Leland Yee, the magic number is 26. Police discovered dozens of guns, thousands of bullets and a cache of high-capacity ammunition magazines after serving a search warrant at the home of 45-year-old Everett Basham. They also discovered a clipping from the San Jose Mercury News on Yee's efforts to restrict assault weapons, an issue which seems to have prompted the threats.
Authorities busted Basham after traced a menacing email sent to Yee's office in January stating that the anonymous sender was a trained Marine sniper prepared to lay in wait at Yee's office. NBC reports that even though the U.S. Marine Corps has no record of Basham, the email detailed the sender's military experience in terms of a preteen pwning n00bs in Gears of War:
"I own a Barret 50 caliber sniper rifle and can hit a spinal cord at 1.5 miles making a head become red mist,'' the email states. "I have 39 confirmed kills in afganistan (sic). Don't make me get to 40.''
The email went on to directly address Yee's proposed gun control legislation:
"If you succeed in passing a bill that bans AR15 weapons in California just know these things ..."
Basham has pleaded not guilty to the charges of possessing assault weapons, explosives and bomb-making materials, as well as to threatening Yee.
In a February statement, Yee reiterated his commitment to gun control in the face of the threats:
"I want to make it crystal clear these threats and any others will not deter me and my colleagues from addressing the critical issues surrounding gun violence ... This case is very troubling and only further demonstrates the need to address this epidemic."
