Deactivated Guns For Sale to Brits...Sad

[KBintheSLC]

The English have always had a problematic, and elitist aristocracy that loves to disarm their populous. Thats likely why no one takes them seriously.

 

[alistaire]

Slaves yearn for the trappings of freedom.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Don't the Brits weld a welding rod into the barrel to prevent it from chambering a round and grind away half of the bolt face (unseen portion) to deactivate it?

In the case of the M-16, wouldn't it be easy to install a fresh bolt and replace the barrel?

 

[Crunker1337]

Who knows? I always thought that they do it the way we do.

Anyway... what, exactly, does one do with a deactivated gun? It's one thing if it's got some history behind it, but dang...

 

[Acera]

Crunker1337 asked:

Anyway... what, exactly, does one do with a deactivated gun?

Well first you must admit you have a problem, then accept treatment. You will find that they cover this in the second session of the Mall Ninja Anonymous' 7 step recovery program. (or at least I have been told............not that I went or anything.)

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The deactivated guns are supposed to be "show pieces." They are for display but IMO what good is a gun you can't shoot?

It's just not right that they destroy beautiful guns like that, especially the old S&W revolvers! Just because they hate guns doesn't mean they should destroy them. Send them back to the evil USA where they were made and we'll take care of them... (before they deactivate them of course)

 

[Whats-his-name]

Anyway... what, exactly, does one do with a deactivated gun? It's one thing if it's got some history behind it, but dang...

If it has any history to it then it can be owned under Section 5 of the Firearms Act over here. However, getting certificated to own a section 5 firearm is not easy, and apart from the security side of things, is entirely dependent on the local police, most of whom are no educated enough about these things and can therefore take a very dim view.

This is the definition of deactivation from the wwww.dwsuk.org site. I haven't asked the owner's permission so hope he doesn't mind (if he does he can rightly shout at me). Everything here is copyright DWSUK.

Deactivation Standards

Deactivation standards differ between different types of weapon and also depending on when the deactivation was carried out. This reflects certain changes in the law. The following gives a general outline of the work carried out on the main categories of weapons during the deactivation process.

Pistols - current legislation requires that the barrel has a slot cut into it, the rifling is removed from the barrel apart from the last cm or so, a hardened pin or rod is welded in the chamber entrance, the locking lugs on barrels are ground away, the feed ramp is milled back, the frame rails are weakened, the ejector is ground back, the locking lugs inside the slide are ground down, the breech face is ground back and the firing pin is ground back or at times removed. Where deactivation has been done by a skilled professional, none of this work will be visible with the slide locked forward and very little of it with the slide locked back. Deactivated pistols have a full working action and can be fully field stripped. There are no major differences in pistols deactivated pre 1995 apart from the fact that some, but not all, do not have a pin welded in the barrel and they can therefore chamber inert rounds. However, it should be noted that even where this is the case, many of these pistols do not chamber inert rounds correctly because the feed ramp has been cut and the breech face provides no support for the round.

Revolvers - current legislation requires that revolvers have a hardened steel pin welded into the chamber entrance of the barrel, the barrel has the rifling removed as above, the cylinder has a large section milled out of the middle and a steel ring welded in place, the breech face is milled away and the firing pin is ground back or removed completely. Deactivated revolvers have a full working action and can be fully field stripped with the exception of the barrel. Pre 95 deactivated revolvers do differ from post 95 versions in that the cylinder chambers are left clear and will accept inert rounds.

Bolt Action Rifles - current legislation requires that the barrel is slotted for the majority of its covered length and has a hardened steel rod welded in the bore, the barrel is pinned and welded to the receiver, or the above slot is taken right through the receiver, the chamber entrance is pinned and welded or the barrel rod extends right to the chamber entrance, the bolt is cut back at around 45 degrees and the firing pin is ground back. There is no difference between post and pre 95 deactivation standards. Both types have full working actions and can be fully stripped apart from the barrel.

Pump Action Shotguns - current legislation requires that the barrel is slotted for the majority of its covered length and has a hardened steel bar welded in the bore, the barrel and magazine tube is pinned and welded to the receiver through the chamber entrance, the bolt is cut back at around 45 degrees and the firing pin is ground back. There is no difference between post and pre 95 deactivation standards. Both types have full working actions and can be fully stripped apart from the barrel.

Double Barrelled Shotguns - current legislation requires that the barrels are slotted for the majority of their covered length and have hardened steel bars welded in the bores, the breech faces are milled out and firing pins are ground back or removed. At times the extractor/ejector is also removed. There is no difference between post and pre 95 deactivation standards. Both types have full working actions and can be fully stripped.

Sub-machine Guns - there are significant differences between pre and post 1995 deactivated SMG. Post-95 deacts are generally welded solid, i.e. barrel is slotted and has a hard steel rod welded in, the barrel is pinned and welded to the receiver or the barrel slot passes into the receiver and the two are welded together, the chamber entrance is pinned and welded or the barrel rod extends into the chamber, the feed ramp is destroyed, the firing pin is destroyed, return and other springs are removed, the bolt (or a dummy replacement) is ground right back and welded to the receiver and or barrel in the closed position and the trigger mechanism is ground back or weakened and filled with weld. On some post-95 deacts the cocking handle can be moved (without moving the bolt) and the trigger or fire selector have limited movement. Pre-95 deacts have similar work done to the barrel and receiver, but the bolt (although ground back) is able to move to the rear. Additionally, the trigger mechanisms are left largely intact and the whole deactivated weapon is capable of a dry firing action. Pre-95 deacts are not capable of chambering inert rounds. They can be field stripped apart from the barrel.

Assault Rifles - the specifications are largely as for SMG. However, gas assemblies are also often removed from both pre and post 95 deacts. On some post 95 deacts the flash hiders are also pinned and welded in place.

Light Machine Guns - specifications for these are largely the same for pre and post 95 deacts and are similar to those for assault rifles. BOTH types have fully moving parts and can be fully field stripped apart from the barrel (and flash hiders on post 95 deacts). The definition of a LMG for the purposes of deactivation and proofing is that it has a bipod - normally, it would be expected that this it a factory fitted bipod (usually to the barrel or front furniture) and is not simply an add on.

Medium and Heavy Machine Guns - the work done on these is similar to a pre 95 SMG, Assault Rifle or LMG. They have fully moving parts and can be field stripped apart from the barrel.

Rocket Launchers, Mortars, etc. - these are generally deactivated with mostly if not fully moving parts. All of the usual work is done regarding slotting and filling the barrel, grinding back firing pins, etc.

Bolt Action Only Assault Rifles - despite the fact that these look like assault rifles, any weapon which has been designed and manufactured as bolt action only is subject to the deactivation standards for BAO and not that of assault rifles. This means that it may have fully moving parts. Hence, there are retailers offering M4 Carbines deactivated recently, but with fully moving parts. This is completely legal.

All of the weapons above, when deactivated should have clear proof house stamps and will be issued with a certificate. At times, as with any piece of paper, certificates do go missing. In this situation, it is still perfectly legal to sell, purchase and own a deactivated weapon as long as the proof markings are clearly visible and the item has not been altered to bring it 'out of proof'.


Other

Sound Suppressors - these are considered as firearms in their own right and as such are not legal for persons without the correct authority to own. They can be deactivated, but there is no set standard for how this should be done. Even if there were, there is no proofing process applicable to them. As a bare minimum in the deactivation of a silencer, the baffles would be removed and destroyed and a pin or rod permanently fixed into the bore.

Parts of Guns - there is no deactivation standard for parts of guns, e.g. barrels, receivers, frames, slides, bolts, trigger mechanisms, etc. There is some ambiguity in this area with regard to the law, but all of these items are considered restricted items.

If a magazine is supplied at time of deactivation which will then go onto the proofhouse, the lips are cut off. If the magazine is not supplied then it is not affected (a loophole of sorts but one that means that any type of magazine can be held legally).

Some gunsmiths do a good professional job of decativation by taken the time to disassemble the parts that need deactivating, while others just stick a grinder in ad hoc and make a pig's ear out of it (clearly some don't believe in doing the work they charge £80 [$150] for).

It must be expressed that it is the British authorities that do not like guns, or rather they don't like the law-abiding populace to have guns and thus lump us with the criminals (they effectively make no differentation!). I personally do not have any live firearm deactivated - I don't have the heart to do that. I only pick them up if they are already deactivated and only then if it's a truly good job and at the right price.

I'll re-edit later and post some pics for those who are able to stomach the sight of mutilation!

Cheers.

 

[emilianoksa]

Up to the First World War there were effectively no firearms laws in the UK.

Any man could purchase a weapon from a gunsmith without producing documentation, and with no questions asked.

At the end of the war, the British Establishment was afraid that millions of demobilised servicemen (who had been taught to shoot and had got used to killing people) returning to a country with a broken economy and poor work prospects, would prove a danger to the public ie. themselves.

That is when the long process of disarming the British people began, with one law following another for the rest of the century, restricting, and in some cases abolishing, the ownership of firearms by private citizens.

We elect politicians to be our servants, but, whenever they are given the chance, they will seek to become our masters.