A full auto legal question

[627PCFan]

Just bouncing this off everyone...ATF says a machine gun discharges more than one round with each pull of the trigger......

What if you welded the firing pin in place on the bolt on a Ruger Mark 2 pistol......a removed all trigger components of the gun.....by definition a gun has to have a trigger or firing device. Legalities of doing this?

 

[CoRoMo]

'any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can readily be restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, and any combination of parts from which a machinegun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. The term also includes any weapon deemed by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms as readily convertible to a machinegun under Chapter 53 (commencing with Section 5801) of Title 26 of the United States Code.'

The inclusion of 'the frame or receiver... any part designed... any combination of parts...' would surely cover it. After all, a frame does not have a trigger... yet.

 

[o Unforgiven o]

Just bouncing this off everyone...ATF says a machine gun discharges more than one round with each pull of the trigger......

What if you welded the firing pin in place on the bolt on a Ruger Mark 2 pistol......a removed all trigger components of the gun.....by definition a gun has to have a trigger or firing device. Legalities of doing this?

First, the ATF describes a machine gun as "automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger".

I am assuming what you mean is to lock the firing pin inside of the bolt with the tip exposed so that the semi automatic action will keep firing rounds "automatically". Since you have removed the trigger and it's components it is not by any action of a trigger that causes this which would appear legal. Sounds good on paper but I think this part may clear it up.

The term “machinegun” means any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, and any combination of parts from which a machinegun can be assembled

 

[Prince Yamato]

I can't remember the name of the case, but it would still be defined as a machinegun. Someone in the 1980s tried to skirt this law by selling slamfire Sten guns. The guns were set up like you describe. The ATF considered the triggerless Stens to be MGs.

 

[dogtown tom]

So what device or action "triggers" the initial shot?

Pulling back the bolt and letting it fly?

 

[bigfatdave]

Making a target pistol fire from an open bolt with no way to control it until the mag is empty would be an interesting experiment. I would enjoy watching from a distance ... through binoculars, perhaps.

In the practical sense, having a FP sticking out of the boltface would lead to feeding failures at best and out-of-battery detonations at worst, in addition to annoying the all-seeing all-knowing BATFE.

 

[dprice3844444]

Sputter GunFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Sputter Gun
Type Submachine gun
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service None
Used by None
Wars None
Production history
Designed ~
Produced ~1982-1985
Specifications
Barrel length 7.8 inches (197 mm)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cartridge 9x19mm Parabellum
Action Blowback-operated, Open bolt
Rate of fire ~500 round/min
Muzzle velocity 1,200 ft/s (365 m/s)
Effective range 50 yards (46 m)
Feed system 32 round detachable box magazine
The Sputter Gun was a modification of the British Sten Submachine Gun, designed to circumvent then-existing U.S. laws defining a machine gun. The Sputter Gun, lacking a trigger, was designed to fire multiple rounds upon release of the bolt, until all ammunition was expended. The Sputter Gun was, however, reclassified as a machine gun by the ATF.

Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Reclassification
3 See also
4 External links
5 References

[edit] BackgroundIn 1985, the ATF became aware that William M. York, doing business as York Arms Co., was selling a modified version of a Mk.II Sten that was capable of fully automatic fire. York advertised the gun as a weapon for those "who want the fun and excitement of owning and firing a fully automatic weapon without the government tax and red tape." The ATF instructed York to recall weapons already sold and issue refunds. This was unnecessary, however, as none had been sold.[1]

[edit] ReclassificationThe ATF originally defined a machine gun as any weapon capable of firing multiple rounds by a single trigger action. This was changed, in light of the Sputter Gun, to read[1]

The 'shoots automatically' definition covers weapons that will function automatically. The 'readily restorable' definition defines weapons which previously could shoot automatically but will not in their present condition. The 'designed' definition includes weapons which have not previously functioned as machineguns but possess specific machinegun design features which facilitate automatic fire by simple alteration or elimination of existing component parts.

[edit] See alsoGun politics in the United States
Firearm action
[edit] External linksSten oddities
[edit] References^ a b York v. Secretary of Treasury, 774 F.2d 417 (1985)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputter_Gun"
Categories: Submachine guns
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[PTK]

Yep, that's what I was going to mention - the bike handled "Sputter Gun" Sten.

 

[Motega]

You'll sit in jail while they sort it out.

 

[Husker_Fan]

A trigger isn't necessarily a curved piece of metal inside the guard, at least in the context of the statute. It is whatever the shooter engages to fire the weapon. Crank guns are ok, because the crank is the trigger and it must be continuously moved by the shooter. Hook up a motor with a switch to the crank and you have a machine gun because the electrical switch is the trigger and a single function of it results in multiple shots.

That's why the Akins Accellerator wound up being a MG, but a "Slide Stock" isn't.

 

[The Law]

The ATF dealt with this issue vis-a-vis miniguns. At first, they were not regulated since many had an electric switch, not a "trigger." They have since broadened the definition of a "trigger."

And that includes miniguns.

 

[Patriot1/3]

Alter the weapon then contact the ATF show a demo.

 

[dprice3844444]

submit the plans,never alter the weapon and show atf.your not a title 2 manufacturer

 

[kozak6]

The BATFE can redefine the word "trigger" to mean anything they want it to mean.

 

[ants]

So....

You fire your J.R. Spicer model FA22 (with 25 round magazine inserted) by pulling back the bolt by the handle and then... Letting go of the bolt handle.

So the bolt handle is your trigger.




Every machine in the world has something that initiates its action.
On a gun, whatever the part may look like, we call it the trigger.
Whether it looks like a traditional trigger or not, if it initiates the action it is the trigger.

Look at Browning machine guns with the paddle on the back.
Look at miniguns with an electric switch.
Look at WW I Vickers machine guns with the lever on top.
WW II fighter planes with the button on the joy stick.

It doesn't have to look like a trigger.
If it initiates firing, it's the trigger of a gun.
Your bolt handle will be your trigger.

 

[vcptech]

Just bouncing this off everyone...ATF says a machine gun discharges more than one round with each pull of the trigger......

What if you welded the firing pin in place on the bolt on a Ruger Mark 2 pistol......a removed all trigger components of the gun.....by definition a gun has to have a trigger or firing device. Legalities of doing this?

That would be considered a machine gun.
Not legal.
Vic

 

[kingcheese]

trigger is the thing that starts of the chain of events right?

when we ask what started something, we refer to something as being the triger?

so id say that what ever fires the gun, is always a trigger