11 hidden and abandoned guns are now in the hands of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office after deputies busted a late-night party on Saturday in the 10700 block of 108^th Avenue North in Maple Grove.

Some of the guns were hidden in backpacks and purses. Others were hidden in unfinished walls, over furnaces, behind TVs and couches. One was hidden in a board game box and another in a McDonald’s bag.

Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin says several of the handguns had extended magazines and “auto sears,” also known as “switches,” which convert regular handguns into machine guns.

“Those allow a gun, which is a semi-automatic handgun, to fire fully automatic 33 rounds in two seconds,” explained Martin. “The sad part is that those switches can be made on a 3D printer. They can be ordered through the internet. They’re relatively inexpensive, and they’re easy to attach to the fire.”

Martin says it’s an ongoing issue they’re facing more and more on the street. 

Saturday’s raid started with a theft report. Authorities say someone broke into construction vehicles in Shoreview last week to steal credit cards. The suspects used the stolen credit cards at a couple of locations, both in Ramsey County and Anoka County. Law enforcement tracked the thieves to a Maple Grove Airbnb where there was a birthday party of attendees ages 15 to 21. 

About 50 people packed the home, which violates the Airbnb rental agreement that limited the number of guests to just ten people. 

“Basically, we told them, ‘party’s over, everybody’s got to leave, but when you leave, you’re going to get pat searched for weapons,'” said Martin.

The party of mainly teens left in a scurry, abandoning their guns. Martin says the juvenile suspected of stealing the credit cards was arrested and may have ties with multiple thefts in other counties.

“The bottom line is that there are 11 guns off the streets, seven of those that are fully automatic, and those are guns that aren’t going to kill someone or shoot someone,” said Martin. “So we’re very happy and we really appreciate the help of the agencies that assisted us.”

Authorities say some of the young suspects involved in the party have a history of carjacking and auto theft. 

Airbnb issued this statement to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS:

“Unauthorized and disruptive parties are banned on Airbnb, and our Safety team has removed the booking guest from the platform. We are supporting our Host, including through AirCover, and we stand ready to assist the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate.”