Targets of criticism

AT LEAST 14 Pittsburgh Steelers participated in a shooting party with Pennsylvania State Police troopers at the Greensburg barracks, using state police ammunition and illegal assault weapons from the evidence room, sources say.

Although the gun-fun day was three years ago, someone recently began circulating photographs of the pistol-packing players among state troopers, prompting outraged calls for an outside investigation.

Critics contend it is proof of a pattern of state police ignoring or covering up misbehavior by superiors.

"It's a state police firing range used for state police to train. When we're there, it's downright military," said one state police official, who requested anonymity. "But at this event, it's chaos. Everybody's throwing contraband assault weapons around like they're toys; it's like they're having G.I. Joe tryouts. Not only is this totally unethical, but it's totally illegal."

Lt. Myra Taylor, spokeswoman for the state police, said the state cops routinely host community groups for firearms-safety instruction. She denied that the Steelers had used firearms from the evidence room or that state police had issued ammo.

"This was a good-faith gesture to ensure that they [Steelers] knew how to operate firearms safely," Taylor said. "We do this with a number of other community groups - Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, citizen police groups."

The photographs, a group of which were mailed anonymously to the Daily News, show the players using M-16s and assorted other rifles and handguns to shoot targets at the barracks' firing range while surrounded by smiling troopers, firearms instructors and barracks supervisors.

Aside from the liability land mines of allowing untrained civilians to blast away on a state police firing range, critics say, the photographs show state police supervisors used poor judgment in hosting the gun party:

* Three sources familiar with the event said some of the weapons wielded were confiscated illegal guns from state police evidence rooms.

However, Taylor said the firearms were "personal weapons owned by others," although she couldn't say who owned them. She also couldn't explain what appeared to be a state police property number or evidence tag visible on the magazine of one assault rifle a player holds in one photo.

Using firearms held for evidence could jeopardize cases and violates departmental policy forbidding anyone from using evidentiary items, sources said.