Registering my fingers
Can you spot the machine gun in this picture:
Look close. It’s the shoe string. Notice the metal tab? It contains a serial number. That is a post 1986 dealer machine gun registered in the NFA’s NFRTR database as a machine gun. It was subject to significant paperwork and made by a special occupational taxpayer.
Someone once asked the ATF if such a device was a machine gun. They said it was. So, some smart ass made and registered one. It works similarly to bump firing except it uses the charging handle of the Mini 14 (instead of the guns recoil) to which it is attached to reactivate the trigger once it has been reset. In short, pull the key ring for full-auto fire.
Similarly, I’m pondering writing a letter to the ATF to ask them if I should have my finger registered because I know how to bump fire a semi-automatic rifle.
February 25th, 2006 at 12:56 am
“Similarly, I’m pondering writing a letter to the ATF to ask them if I should have my finger registered because I know how to bump fire a semi-automatic rifle.”
Jesus H. Tap-Dancing Christ, do NOT give them any bright ideas…
February 25th, 2006 at 2:02 am
Well as long as it’s your middle finger, I think is OK. (Heh)
February 25th, 2006 at 10:03 am
My hands are already registered as lethal weapons. At least that is what I tell the kids.
I am with Jay on this, don’t give them any ideas. If I have to start paying class III fees I am going to give them the finger. Methaphorically of course, no chop chop for me.
February 25th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
Don’t forget Ruby Ridge and Waco–those who might have had “illegal” weapons were made examples for our admonition.
February 25th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
I had an M1911A1 go all full auto on me at the range once. It was slam firing due to a mis-aligned hammer spring (my fault, I put it back together wrong). No one noticed, I think because it really did sound like one long boom. My point is I was very concered some fool might rat me out and I get a ‘visit’ from a bad uncle. Nothing ever came of it except it was a really scary way to learn that lesson once and for all.
February 26th, 2006 at 4:15 pm
I think you should.
February 27th, 2006 at 1:00 am
Fodder, you were right to worry.
JPFO has a video of a field test where a BATFE agent shows that a citizen has illegally modified his FAL to be a machine gun.
It was slam firing, and only with some types of ammo, and only sometimes, but this guy was positive it was a machine gun.
On the video everybody involved with the field test (BATman and the defense) took the weapon apart to inspect it for machine gun parts. Well, the BATman attempted to take it apart. He wasn’t sure how.
Turns out the firing pin spring was so old that it had shrunk far enough to allow the slam fires. BATman didn’t like that explanation, and came up with something else which the defense shows on the video is an absurd claim.
March 20th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
[…] It’s not necessary to put it in a machine shop for a random number of hours when a key ring and a shoestring will convert an M1A to automatic fire. Seems rather arbitrary to me and the shoestring method would work on a number of other weapons too. I can also convert my AR-15s to full-auto fire with a few hours in a machine shop. Looks to me like the ATF is wrong on this one. But, more importantly, this creates case law to classify a whole host of rifles as potentially being NFA weapons or machine guns. […]
June 5th, 2006 at 10:15 am
[…] A while back, I told you about the legally registered shoestring that was a machine gun. In case you wanted to know, the ATF has a policy for demilling registered shoe strings: “It is unlawful for anyone to make, possess, or transfer a machinegun which is not registered in accordance with the provisions of the NFA. Since we are unable to establish that the submitted sample was manufactured and transferred in accordance with the provisions of the NFA and 922(o), we are unable to return it to you, as submitted. However, we can return your shoe string without the loops. […]
January 9th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
[…] So, is a simple spring now a machine gun? Wouldn’t surprise me since a shoestring is. […]
April 25th, 2007 at 9:19 am
[…] sort of device? A shoestring? A […]
July 11th, 2007 at 9:18 am
[…] of being made fun of for ruling that the shoestring pictured above is a machine gun, the ATF (without any prompting whatsoever) issued a retraction that basically says a part that is […]