We did no wrong, says planner of shooting party

Yesterday, after the Daily News published photos of about 14 Pittsburgh Steelers horsing around with assault weapons at a Pennsylvania State Police firing range, the man who approved the event vehemently denied that participants had used contraband weapons from the evidence room.

"I'm telling you without fear of contradiction: That's not true," said Frank Monaco, a former state police major who's now police chief in Plum Borough. "I'd bet my house on it. I'd bet my pension on it."

But a state police official familiar with the event who requested anonymity maintained yesterday that the firearms were contraband weapons and that participants in the 2006 event at the Greensburg barracks used state police-issued ammunition, despite cost restrictions forbidding troopers to use extra ammo to improve firing proficiency.

Monaco, who wasn't at the shooting session, said the firearms belonged to off-duty troopers who had brought them to the range to teach players how to handle them safely.

As for the sticker on one assault rifle's magazine in one photo, he denied it was an evidence tag, but acknowledged it could be a state police property-identification sticker. That means it would be a department-issued firearm.

Civilians shooting at the range aren't permitted to use departmental firearms. But they would be allowed to view or hold them, Monaco said, and it's unclear in some photos whether the firearms are being used or just held.

"These are not videos; they're still images. It's impossible to tell," Monaco said.

As for the ammunition, he denied that participants used police-issued bullets, even though the range shelter that held the ammo and range gear stood open in some photos and what appeared to be state-issued ammo littered the ground.

"That ammunition is not solely proprietary to the state police. You can buy that stuff at any gun shop," Monaco said.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh press went bonkers yesterday over the allegations.

The Steelers have dominated headlines in recent weeks, with football training camp under way in Latrobe and recent rape allegations against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger has denied the charges, made in a civil lawsuit filed in Nevada.

Yesterday, Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett downplayed the firing-range incident, saying: "We are not aware of any violations of law or NFL policies in regard to the visit to the state police facilities three years ago."