Authorities Find Illegal Firearms and Backyard Gun Range Near Long Island Schools

Authorities on Long Island say a Mineola homeowner quietly amassed an arsenal of illegal firearms and carved a homemade shooting range into his basement, just steps from nearby schools. The discovery of assault-style weapons, a ghost gun, and thousands of rounds of ammunition in a residential block packed with students has turned a local case into a stark warning about gaps in gun enforcement. Prosecutors now describe the house as a hidden gun lab whose proximity to classrooms magnified every risk.

Investigators and school communities are still grappling with what it means that live fire practice took place in a neighborhood where children walk to class. The episode has renewed attention on ghost guns, high capacity magazines, and the difficulty of spotting weapons stockpiles that grow inside otherwise ordinary homes.

Basement range hidden in a Mineola neighborhood

County investigators say the Mineola property looked unremarkable from the street, but inside, the basement held a 25 foot long makeshift shooting range that ran along a narrow corridor. Video from the scene shows spent rounds lodged in a long piece of wood that had been set up as a backstop, evidence that live ammunition had been fired repeatedly inside the home only a short walk from hundreds of students who attend nearby schools. A detailed look at the interior shared in a Long Island man report captured the improvised range and scattered shell casings that prosecutors say turned the basement into a private firing line.

Parents and officials say the geography is what alarms them most. The house sits in a dense neighborhood where teenagers stream past on their way to class, and prosecutors stressed that the shooting lane was only steps from two schools. Coverage of the search shows how the 25 foot setup hugged the basement wall, with a target area pressed against the foundation and little to contain a misfire beyond the makeshift backstop. In a separate account, officials described the same basement as a fully outfitted gun lab, with the Long Island homeowner accused of transforming the space into an area where shots could ring out while children were nearby.

Illegal weapons cache and ghost gun components

The range was only part of what investigators say they found. A search warrant executed at the Mineola address turned up a cache that included a Sig Sauer 320 9mm ghost gun, seven assault rifles, and a home assembled fully automatic MP5 style weapon, all attributed in charging documents to the resident identified as Chou. A local political report on the arraignment listed the Sig Sauer 320 and the seven rifles as part of a broader inventory that prosecutors say violated multiple state weapons statutes, and it emphasized that the guns were discovered after officers entered the home to execute the warrant on Chou’s property. The same account described how the Chou case involved not just completed firearms but also parts that could be used to build additional weapons.

Authorities also allegedly recovered 6,000 rounds of ammunition and several high capacity magazines that had been stashed in different rooms, including the bathroom, which raised further concerns about how casually the firepower was stored. In one detailed summary, Authorities were quoted as saying that the 6,000 rounds and magazines were found alongside tools and unfinished receivers that pointed to ongoing ghost gun construction. Social media footage of the evidence display showed tables crowded with long guns, the MP5 style weapon, and boxes of ammunition, which officials said illustrated how the basement had been turned into a production and testing site rather than a simple hobby corner.

Prosecutors, neighbors and school communities react

At a press conference, County DA Anne Donnelly called the setup in Minneola one of the most disturbing scenes her office had encountered, focusing in particular on the fact that a shooting range operated in a house that shared a block with schoolchildren. In a short video clip, County DA Anne described the firing lane in Minneola as a direct threat to the safety of students and staff who had no idea that live rounds were being fired nearby. She framed the case as a warning about how ghost guns and illegal assault weapons can be hidden in plain sight, and she praised the investigators who followed the trail of suspicious purchases that eventually led to the search warrant.

Neighbors interviewed outside the Mineola home expressed disbelief that a gun lab could operate so close to Chaminade High School, which was singled out in coverage that referred to the suspect as a Wild LI homeowner living just steps from the campus. A detailed account of the arrest noted that the basement gun lab sat near Chaminade High School, and that parents were stunned to learn that high powered rifles and thousands of rounds had been stockpiled within walking distance of school grounds. Local television coverage showed officers carrying long gun cases out of the home while nearby residents watched from the sidewalk, some of them saying that they had never suspected anything more than a computer repair business operating inside.

How investigators uncovered the gun lab

Prosecutors have said the Mineola investigation did not begin with a single dramatic incident but with a pattern of purchases that drew attention over time. According to one detailed narrative, the probe launched earlier this year after authorities noticed an escalating pattern of online orders for gun parts and ammunition linked to the address, which eventually prompted them to seek a warrant. Once they entered the home, officers discovered the basement range, the ghost gun, and the assault style rifles that were later displayed in evidence photos. A description of the search shared through a Gun cache report highlighted how the basement range was discovered only after officers moved past the main living areas and followed the soundproofing materials to the back of the house.

Law enforcement officials have also linked the Mineola case to broader concerns about ghost gun kits and parts that can be purchased without background checks. In one segment focused on the arrest, Homemade ghost gun components were shown alongside the completed Sig Sauer 320, with investigators explaining that the same tools could be used to assemble additional untraceable firearms. A separate local newscast framed the discovery as an example of how online marketplaces for unfinished receivers and parts can fuel hidden arsenals, particularly when combined with basement workshops like the one that turned up in Mineola.

Legal fallout and wider policy questions

The Mineola homeowner now faces a stack of weapons possession charges that reflect both the number and the type of guns seized. Prosecutors have stressed that multiple weapons in the home qualified as assault weapons under New York law, and that the presence of a Sig Sauer 320 ghost gun and a fully automatic MP5 style firearm elevated the severity of the case. A local television report on the arraignment noted that the Mineola home had multiple illegal weapons, including the ghost gun, assault weapons, and gun parts, and that the defendant was held on 250,000 dollars cash bail after prosecutors laid out the scope of the alleged arsenal. That same coverage, focused on the Mineola case, showed images of the seized weapons lined up on tables in the district attorney’s office.

Beyond the courtroom, the discovery has sharpened debate over how to monitor ghost gun parts and large ammunition purchases without sweeping up lawful gun owners. Commentators have pointed to the Mineola case as evidence that existing laws on assault weapons and high capacity magazines can only work if investigators have the tools to spot patterns like the 6,000 rounds and multiple rifles linked to this single address. A separate social media post labeled ILLEGAL WEAPONS ARREST showed how ILLEGAL stockpiles can grow behind closed doors, and it sparked calls from some residents for closer coordination between online platforms, local police, and school districts when unusual weapons related activity surfaces near campuses.