Does the ATF actually do this?

[Mooseman]

I've seen people warn elsewhere that if you admit you had a slam fire at the range the ATF might show up at your door and arrest you for having a machine gun. Does anyone know if this has actually ever happened?

Obviously I'm not talking about unregistered full auto, aow, sbr, sbs, etc. just plain jane weapon malfunctions.

I'm thinking this has to be more urban legend but I'm curious if anyone has links that could refute this.

 

[RP88]

The ATF just can't go on witch hunts. They have to pull stings and gather evidence. If it's just an honest slamfire that can be attributed to a malfunction, then don't worry. At the very worst you'll go through a major inconvenience, and they'll look like idiots. You will only have to worry if it is widely apparent that you were doing something to your gun that you should not have been doing.

 

[Mooseman]

After writing the last post I found the case of olafson while googling. Seems amazing that someone would be put in jail for that, unless there's other details I'm unaware of.

 

[Eightball]

unless there's other details I'm unaware of.

Keep googling, and you'll be amazed by some of the junk you find.

 

[RP88]

I'm assuming you're talking about the guy who lent his AR to his friend, whom pushed the selector all the way to the third position and let loose 'a few rounds consecutively'?

If you get towards the end and stop reading through GoA's side of the story, it becomes obvious what Olofson was trying to do. He did several modifications that clearly show what he was trying tomake an FA rifle, including installing a M16 selector and drilling a hole to accommodate some sort of seer. He was guilty. There was a whole THR circus show about people complaining about the ATF's testing, when it then became obvious that the ATF did not 'rig' the test. They used commercially available ammo, and went back and forth between the second and third selector position, and then said that it emptied the mag on the third position all three times. It's kind of hard to believe that people could somehow reasonably object to that, distrust of ATF withstanding, but there ya go. Don't go drilling special holes about the FCG and you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

 

[heviarti]

how about the poor schmuck with the short barrel/extended flash hider welded on... The one where they cut the welds out and put a big pipe wrench on the 'hider, then stuck him with unregistered SBR?

 

[.38 Special]

One of the details you may not have come across is the fact that Olafsen installed at least one select-fire part and several M16 parts, and apparently knew that moving the selector to the "burst" position would result in a burst.

Now, I don't think putting the man in jail served any real purpose -- and for that matter don't think there's any reason for machine guns to b as heavily regulated as they are -- but the "urban legends" stemming from this case have no real basis in reality.

<edit> I see RP88 already beat me to the punch...

 

[LiquidTension]

Me thinks ATF has enough history that the truthfulness of such tales as told in the OP would not alter anyone's opinion of that particular agency.

 

[heviarti]

I'm working on a letter to the politicians working on the ATF reform bill. I quoted Olofson as an example of bad test procedures, but I think I need a better example of some of the unrealistic hooey they do. Need a cite on the barrel thing too. As soon as I can email the letter to another user here so it can be posted (all 19k of text) I need to run it across the THR BS detector before I finalize and send it to the politicians.

 

[mgkdrgn]

Yes.

The ATF has hidden microphones and video cameras at all ranges and constantly monitors them for slam fires. They also have agents posted at every bar in the country listening for stories of slam fires.

Once they hear of one, they use their host of GPS enabled spy satellites to track the offending firearm via the secret RFID chip implanted in the receiver. Next thing you know, the SWAT team is kicking in your door.

I've seen people warn elsewhere that if you admit you had a slam fire at the range the ATF might show up at your door and arrest you for having a machine gun. Does anyone know if this has actually ever happened?

Obviously I'm not talking about unregistered full auto, aow, sbr, sbs, etc. just plain jane weapon malfunctions.

I'm thinking this has to be more urban legend but I'm curious if anyone has links that could refute this.

 

[Riss]

http://www.firearmscoalition.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=228&Itemid=63

 

[Deanimator]

The BATFE (ATF is NOT their name) has in the past created an OFFICIAL agency video on how to LIE UNDER OATH in criminal trials. There's pretty much nothing they WOULDN'T do.

Whether they actually HAVE is subject to the normal rules of factual proof and disproof.

 

[deaconkharma]

heviarti

for a more reasonable and fully informed argument why not use the 10/22 stock that allowed the whole firearm to reciprocate to SIMULATE F/A.
The ATF said it was ok in a letter and then rescinded later.
The real problem with the ATF is that they try to ban ingenuity. They can't stand that someone can get over on them by following the exact wording of their determinations. The problem with them is that they are constantly moving the goal post on their specifically worded decisions. Thus their own decisions are constantly in flux and therein lies the grab. If your freedom or livelihood depends on the whim and "decision of the day" folks get a little miffed.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/26/260011/na-ban-of-device-by-atf-triggers-inventors-ire/

 

[Art Eatman]

While the OP had a reasonable question, there's no definitive answer. Bashing BATFE is a waste of bandwidth.