Difference between AOW and zip gun?

[Gingerbreadman]

Is there a difference between certain AOW's (pen gun, for example) and a zip gun? (Thinking NFA here)

 

[taliv]

10 years?

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Nope. If it does not look like a conventional firearm, it is an AOW.

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

The term “any other weapon” means any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive, a pistol or revolver having a barrel with a smooth bore designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell, weapons with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading, and shall include any such weapon which may be readily restored to fire. Such term shall not include a pistol or a revolver having a rifled bore, or rifled bores, or weapons designed, made, or intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of firing fixed ammunition.

Aren't homebuilt firearms not intended for resale (zip guns) not subject to classification or tax?

 

[M2 Carbine]

Zip guns are what we made when I was a young teen.

Pen guns, etc, are more or less decent factory quality guns.

 

[Feanaro]

When you are haggling, it's "just a zip gun" and when you sell it, it's an "AOW," maybe? Like the distinction between fiddle and violin.

 

[Hkmp5sd]

Aren't homebuilt firearms not intended for resale (zip guns) not subject to classification or tax?

Nope. They are still subject to NFA specifications. To make an NFA firearm, even from scratch, you need to get a FORM 1 approval first.

 

[Zoogster]

Pen guns, etc, are more or less decent factory quality guns.

Considering some gun manufacturers have little more than a room with some hand tools, lathes, and drill presses, items little different than you find in some garages, what exactly is "factory quality"?

It is entirely subjective.

The main difference is craftmanship. Are you supporting superficial laws based on appearances?
That is little different than some firearms being called "assault weapons" that have cosmetic differences, and others being called "sporting arms" or some other nonsense.

If it chambers a round, fires, and does not unintentionaly subject anyone not targeted to harm it is a firearm to me.

Many single shot .22 pen guns are little more than a steel pen with a mechanism that hits the rim. The mechanisms are extremely simple and could be made by someone with hand tools in a short time.

The "zip gun" legal terminology was done by some well meaning ( I will assume) but naive people.

Many firearms of the past were made with "gun metal". Gun metal is a bronze of less strength than most unhardened steels of equal thickness.

The laws on zip guns should have been better thought out and included criteria for what is and what is not a zip gun. As it stands now it is essentialy the "saturday night special" law of personaly built firearms.