A question about converting a thumb-hole stock

[femoralis]

Now, it is my understanding that semi-automatic rifles were equipped with thumbhole stocks to allow them to be imported under the and interpretation of the GCA 68... and then the ATF changed their minds and said those rifles that can take hicaps cannot be imported, even if they have a thumbhole stock, as they would not have a "sporting purpose."

I am aware that to make a non-sporting gun out of imported parts, it is necessary to add some US made parts to get the total imported part count down... I have always read about people adding US parts to make it legal to put a pistol grip on their imported thumbhole semi-autos (mak 90 and others).

It occured to me, however, that since the thumbhole hicap rifles are banned from importation due to being "nonsporting" because of the hicap feature, should it be necessary to add US parts to these rifles already owned in the country to convert them to pistol-grip configuration? I mean, they are classified as nonsporting and unimportable, so I'm not sure why adding another "nonsporting" feature would be banned, assuming the AW ban was complied with.

Does anyone have any knowledge about this issue? Are there flaws or knowlege missing in my thinking regarding the regs?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

If my ancient history is correct...

You're logic is fine. It's ATF's logic that is screwed.

A pre-89 AK rifle with a folding stock and other evil features can have as many evil features as you want to add. In 1989, the determined this was illegal for importation because it's not sporting. The manufacturers quickly noticed that ATF considered a receiver a firearm. So they manufactured the receiver in the US and brought in all other parts to complete the gun. In 1993, ATF closed that little loophole by implementing the "parts count" rules for determining domestic or imported assembly.

The manufacturers added the thumbhole stock and it became sporting again and they could import some AK variations.

In 1998, ATF decided the MAK with a thumbhole stock wasn't sporting. They were kind enough to grandfather those thumbhole MAKs already in circulation so people that owned them could keep them.

However, they couldn't be too nice, so they ruled that it was illegal to replace the thumbhole stock with a pistol grip stock on these grandfathered firearms because that configuration was illegal for importation during the time frame they allowed thumbhole stocks to be imported.

So, even though ATF now considers pistol grip stocks and thumbhole stocks to be the same thing, it is only the same thing when they wish it to be. Always isn't always. Never say Never. Identical means "pretty close".

 

[MiniZ]

should it be necessary to add US parts to these rifles already owned in the country to convert them to pistol-grip configuration?

It shouldn't be, but it is under the twisted set of laws governing this issue.