Navy Master at Arms Convicted of NFA/GCA violations

Every variety of machine gun parts kit has been imported into this country at different times and in different quantities. As was already stated, the “destruction” standards used to be less strict for imported firearms, You used to be able to get single cut VZ58s with intact trunnions too. Single cut MGs are becoming scarce but they’re not uncommon.
Except if you believe the AFT, all single cuts are illegal and needed to be upgraded to the diagonal torch cuts as soon as their interpretation changed.
 
When it comes to the MG42, lots of them came back as war souvenirs and were never registered as NFA items. Some were single saw cut way back in the day. Some missed the amnesty period for registration (or the owners/heirs said "screw it") and were single saw cut as that was one of the "destruction" methods back in the day. At one point just cross-drilling the chamber, or welding the bolt face and welding a rod into the barrel, were enough.

It wasn't until the 1990s that double torch cut became the standard.
 
Sound like he was guilty of “constructive possession” for the launcher…
 
So much bullshit here. I tiled two bathrooms, a kitchen and a patio with a wet saw that I purchased from Floor & Decor years ago. Sold it to a friend after the job was completed. My wife owns a Ruger 10/22 that we both fire more than any other of our guns. There are plenty of online instructions about how to fit them with suppressors, convert to full auto fire, etc. I am sure that ATF technicians could easily turn a plain vanilla 10/22 into a suppressed full auto monster. They have the tools and know-how; I don't.
We better watch out if we have black iron pipes in the house, the ATF will claim that we're manufacturing illegal guns. This story is ridiculous, someone had an axe to grind and decided to bone that sailor hard.
 
This story is ridiculous, someone had an axe to grind and decided to bone that sailor hard.
Possible, but my bet is it was one of ATF's informants that was on the hook due to some pending charges and they were having the informant "work those off" by producing cases. If the informant didn't bring in cases they would levy the charges against the informant. Once again, Remember Randy Weaver.
 
I get the whole maybe-it-was-a-bring-bak thing. But bringing back an MG42?? In your duffel bag??? LOL.

My issue is - the FFL that sold it - no problem. The "CI" who asked to have it brokered to him - no problem. Somehow the guy that SEEMS like he was just helping someone out? FPMITA Prison.
 
But he followed the same guidance most people have been under.

He bought both parts as independent transactions on different days. He 4473'd the trigger group/frame per federal law at an FFL.

He placed that trigger group and frame in a safe in one part of his house.

He purchased a barrel assembly and placed it into a different safe in a different part of his house.

He submitted his form 3 and awaited the approval and stamp.

It seems to me that he was doing everything within the law as he understood it. He had no intent to violate any laws.

We all know that intent to violate the law is a key part of a federal prosecution, as was established in the FBI report regarding the Clinton email servers.

This whole case does not pass the sniff test as relates to how the AFT got to where they were.
 
I get the whole maybe-it-was-a-bring-bak thing. But bringing back an MG42?? In your duffel bag??? LOL.

My issue is - the FFL that sold it - no problem. The "CI" who asked to have it brokered to him - no problem. Somehow the guy that SEEMS like he was just helping someone out? FPMITA Prison.
There is another issue. All the folks who have single cuts that they thought were compliant and higher value due to the greater number of usable parts just lost a metric f***ton of value overnight!
 
Possible, but my bet is it was one of ATF's informants that was on the hook due to some pending charges and they were having the informant "work those off" by producing cases. If the informant didn't bring in cases they would levy the charges against the informant. Once again, Remember Randy Weaver.
There is a thread on ARF about it and the CI actually outed himself. It’s kind of hysterical.

CI had been racked up by ATF a few times.
 
There is another issue. All the folks who have single cuts that they thought were compliant and higher value due to the greater number of usable parts just lost a metric f***ton of value overnight!
Single cuts, multiple cuts, torch cuts, blow the whole damn thing up? The truth is that weapons like the MG 42 were designed for easy manufacture. Most of the parts were stamped and spot-welded. All a semi-competent machinist needs to do is carve out a receiver. The rest of the gun are just legal kits. I have yet to hear of any Crips, Bloods, Latin Kings or other lowlife scum gang members running belts of 7.92x57 through an MG 42 during a drive-by or school shooting. Way too large and unwieldy, with an almost uncontrollable rate of fire unless used by a highly trained machine gunner.
 
Sound like he was guilty of “constructive possession” for the launcher…
Do you have chlorine bleach in your house? Do you have ammonia-based cleaning products?

Congratulations, you're guilty of constructive possession of a chemical weapon.

 
Really? Complying with the law and planning to expand to NFA items in the future is playing stupid games?

I had more to say, but it isn’t very nice. So I’ll just say I hope you reconsider your 2A perspective.

The AFT was extremely disingenuous with everything they presented to the jury. The one thing that could have convicted him was the single-cut MG42 receiver, which is no longer a valid de-milling technique, but was in the past and could easily be chocked up to the AFT’s never-stable policies being confusing.
There is no law when government gets involved.
 
I get the whole maybe-it-was-a-bring-bak thing. But bringing back an MG42?? In your duffel bag??? LOL.

Why not? If I had been there, I would have brought back as many guns as I could fit into the duffel bag, and left my personal belongings behind.

Hell, if this country hadn't drifted so far from what the Founders intended, I'd be able to "bring back" an MG 42 on my next trip to Home Depot.
 
I get the whole maybe-it-was-a-bring-bak thing. But bringing back an MG42?? In your duffel bag??? LOL.

My issue is - the FFL that sold it - no problem. The "CI" who asked to have it brokered to him - no problem. Somehow the guy that SEEMS like he was just helping someone out? FPMITA Prison.
What FFL? None of this has involved a firearm. A single cut MG inside the US is destroyed. Multiple torch cuts are only required for imported MG (or rifle) parts kits. The only regulated part is the receiver and it is no longer a firearm in this case. There is zero consistency in ATF regs across different firearm platforms. For example, a full auto HK trigger group is completely legal to possess. It is the responsibility of the owner (anyone, not just an 07FFL) to neuter it to SA only function before attaching it to a functioning upper.
 
What FFL? None of this has involved a firearm. A single cut MG inside the US is destroyed. Multiple torch cuts are only required for imported MG (or rifle) parts kits. The only regulated part is the receiver and it is no longer a firearm in this case. There is zero consistency in ATF regs across different firearm platforms. For example, a full auto HK trigger group is completely legal to possess. It is the responsibility of the owner (anyone, not just an 07FFL) to neuter it to SA only function before attaching it to a functioning upper.
Actually, some of it did involve a firearm.

The 40mm trigger group/receiver was technically a "firearm" according to the AFT.
 
Actually, some of it did involve a firearm.

The 40mm trigger group/receiver was technically a "firearm" according to the AFT.
Didn't indicate exactly what type of 40mm it was (M79, M203, MK19, Milkor MGL, etc). Lots of them out there, foreign and domestic.
 
It's pretty pathetic to prosecute a guy who has a stamp form in process.... [rolleyes] now anyone who wants to build something has to have most of the "thing" be unfindable, I'm sure that was their intent all along. 😡
 
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