What exactly is the argument that leads to the conclusion they should be abolished?
Are you saying that the airguns cannot be easily converted into real handguns? Or that it shouldn’t matter if they can or not?
Because the 2nd argument seems to be one about the law, which is a congressional function. The 1st argument may be true — it is clear they were able to modify the guns to fire real bullets, but I can’t tell from the description if either gun conversions were trivial enough to fall under the applicable law.
If I had to judge from the description, I would say the 1st sounds like it could be easy, since it seemed to just involve a replacement part. The 2nd included drilling holes, and replacing multiple parts, and it seems that at some point you could convert anything into a gun, if you just kept replacing parts until it worked.
I had to ban a neighbor’s kid from bringing his airsoft gun into my house, because my he and my son used it for a parody suicide video (these are where one kid tries to kill themselves, but is so inept they end up killing their friend who is helping them).
We don’t have guns in our house, but I still thought my son was smart enough not to point a gun at his own head and pull the trigger, even though it was only an airsoft gun. But it sure looked like a real gun.
Are you saying that the airguns cannot be easily converted into real handguns? Or that it shouldn’t matter if they can or not?
The author of the article states: "What I'd love even more is to watch while Melson takes his life in his own hands and actually SHOOTS one of these ATF-modified Airsofts while holding it. Odds of Melson becoming an ex-Grinch? Substantial, I should think." (emphasis mine)
To put it more bluntly, assuming one could actually make these modifications (dubious at best), the actual firing of said modified airsoft gun would instantly send the shooter into Eternity. For an agency with oversight over firearms, they display a shocking lack of firearm knowledge. Anyone buying that such modifications are possible are equally ignorant of firearms, although their ignorance is not likely to lead to my incarceration.
Here's ATF's theory: The particular AirSoft gun in question has a lower receiver that is the same dimensions as an AR15-M16 lower. It can accept a genuine AR15 upper, and with lots of modifications accept a magazine, trigger group, hammer group, etc., to make a functioning lower.
The lower is the 'controlled' item because it is the piece with the serial number. If you're prohibited from purchasing a firearm (due to felony conviction, etc.,) you cannot buy an AR15 lower.
But you can buy an upper, since it's not the 'controlled' item. You can also buy an AirSoft gun.
So, some criminal somewhere might get the bright idea to buy an AR15 upper, an AirSoft lower, and make himself an otherwise unobtainable rifle.
Not that said criminal couldn't simply buy or steal such a weapon...