Arsenal found at Manchester-by-the-Sea home

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA, Mass. -- A Massachusetts man is under arrest for the stash of guns police found in his possession.

Authorities took Gregory Girard, 45, into custody Wednesday afternoon on weapons charges after apparently finding dozens of guns inside his Manchester-by-the-Sea home.

A judge in Salem District Court ordered Girard held for evaluation.

The arsenal included close to 20 weapons, including rifles, two handguns, two bayonet knives, flare guns, six pairs of handcuffs, as well as a pair of both kevlar vests and helmets.

Tear gas and pepper spray grenades were also allegedly discovered at Girard’s residence.

All the items were acquired by Girard within the last nine months, according to police.

“He was convinced that martial law was imminent,” said a prosecutor on Wednesday.

Authorities were tipped off by the suspect’s wife, a Cambridge psychiatrist, who told police that she was afraid to go home. She plans to file a restraining order.

“He made the following statements to her, ‘Don’t talk to people. Shoot them instead. It’s fine to shoot people in the head, because traitors deserve it,'” continued a prosecutor.

Girard rarely left the house, hoarded food and medication and warned those in adjoining apartments not to be alarmed by noises that sounded like gunfire, according to his neighbors.

He had even converted his third-story loft into a firing range, according to police.

Authorities will continue to catalog the arsenal to determine if any other laws have been broken.

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