San Bernardino shooters tried to illegally modify rifle before rampage

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Landlord Doyle Miller, opens the doors and allows the media access inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A Quran sits in the living room.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A view inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Media reporters go in and out of the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A view of the kitchen inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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News reporters explore the personal photographs laid out on the bathroom sink inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A closet inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the media photograph the personal documents and paperwork laid out on the bed in the bedroom of the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A view inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

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A crawl space inside the Redlands townhome where Syed Rizwan Farook and Tafsheen Malik, suspects of the deadly the recent mass shootings in San Bernardino, lived

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

By Richard WintonStaff Writer

Dec. 4, 2015 4:37 PM PT

The husband and wife responsible for killing 14 people in a shooting in San Bernardino this week tried to illegally modify a semi-automatic rifle to turn it into a machine gun, federal authorities said Friday.

A Smith & Wesson M&P15 found with the couple after a gun battle with police Wednesday was altered in an attempt to enable the weapon to be fired automatically, said Meredith Davis, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Full coverage: San Bernardino shooting | Shooting updates

The modification is illegal under federal law, she said. Initial tests, she said, show that the modification did not work and the gun could not be fired automatically, Davis said. She said more tests were yet to be done.

A DPMS Model A-15 rifle also found with the couple after the shootout had been altered to accept a high-capacity magazine that is illegal under California law, she said.

The two weapons were purchased by someone other than the shooters, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, Davis said.

Federal agents have located the person who bought the rifles and plan to conduct an interview, Davis said. She declined to identify the person.

Authorities found two handguns -- a Llama 9 mm and a Springfield Armory 9 mm -- with the couple. They had more than 1,400 .223-caliber rounds and more than 200 9 mm rounds with them.

At the pair’s home in Redlands, investigators recovered a .22-caliber rifle, Davis said.

For more Southern California crime news, follow @lacrimes.

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