Free Republic

Very few people are prosecuted for the illegal possession of silencers/suppressors in the United States. One of the problems in understanding the U.S. criminal justice system is records are dispersed. Records are kept in many different formats, and not easily searchable or sortable by offense. There are both federal and state crimes. The data is not all digitized. When it is, it is not all in searchable databases available to the public.In an academic paper, Criminal Use of Firearm Silencers, written by Paul Clark and published in 2007, the number of prosecutions appears to be very low. From westerncriminogy.org:Perhaps a...

JK Armament Solvent Traps In the first two parts of this on home made silencers series, I wrote of how we arrived at the current situation, historically, and what exists today, in terms of the technology and legal system, for individuals to make their own silencers utilizing the ATF Form 1. Because of the tremendous bureaucratic and monetary infringements imposed by the National Firearms Act (NFA), very few form 1's (required to legally make your own silencer, short-barreled rifle, or shotgun) were processed as late as 1990. In the year 1990, only thirty years ago, a total of 399 Form...

Legally available parts which can be machined into an effective silencer 80% silencers are legal in the United States.  In a society built on individual liberty, with checks and balances on government power, it is difficult to effectively ban a simple item. 80% silencers are collections of partly machined parts, sold for other purposes, which can be made into a silencer with a bit of effort by a hobbyist.  They are the analog of 80% receivers for hobbyists to make their own guns. How did we come to the situation where people are not allowed to purchase a simple...

Opinion: Why The Reverse Paradox Tube is NOT a Firearms Silencer In the previous article about the reverse paradox tube, there was a comment that the BATFE might consider the tube to be a silencer.Legally, the reverse paradox tube is not a silencer. The law is clear, and there is considerable precedent as to why this is so.The definition of a silencer, in the law, is in 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(3): (24)  The terms “firearm silencer” and “firearm muffler” mean any device for silencing, muffling, or diminishing the report of a portable firearm, including any combination of parts, designed or...

LPublic Document Case heading, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten Many Second Amendment supporters have heard of the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. It went into effect on 26 June, 1934.  It was the first national gun law to have a substantially limiting effect. It was the first federal statute challenged in the Supreme Court on the basis of the Second Amendment, in United States v. Miller. The story of that challenge may be read, in short form, on an AmmoLand News article from 2013.Far fewer people are familiar with the National Firearms Act of 1938. The NFA of...

This ebook is the entirety of the National Firearms Act and Hearings, in a digitized 166 pages, from the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, starting on Monday, 16 April, 1934. It is available from Google at no charge as an ebook. The Hearings of the National Firearms Act of 1934 provide an immensely valuable resource in understanding the intentions of the law.  It provides a good look at how the intricacies and provisions of the first really significant Federal Firearms law concerning individuals, came to be. The book is the official record of the hearings in the...

$200 tax stamps are legally required to own most NFA-regulated items, such as suppressors. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)The 1934 law that regulates many of the cooler items in the gun world, the National Firearms Act and its associated taxes raises many questions. Here are some answers. HOW DID THE NFA MAKE IT INTO LAW? Introduced into the 73rd Congress on May 28, 1934, as H.R. 9741 by U.S. Rep. Robert “Bob” Doughton, a North Carolina Democrat, the legislation sailed through Capitol Hill in less than a month. For historical perspective, the country was amid the Great Depression and lawmakers in the...

The mass murder in Dayton Ohio appears to have started with the killing of the perpetrator's sister and the wounding of her boyfriend. Several rampage murders have started with the killing of relatives. Ideologically motivated rampage murders seldom do.  Images of the firearm used have been released by the Dayton Police Department.The firearm appears to be a pistol customized from an Anderson AM-15 lower receiver and other parts, including a blade arm brace. The AM-15 is not a typo. The AM stands for Anderson Manufacturing. The AM-15 was ordered from Texas, online, and delivered to a local Ohio federal...

In 2019, Arkansas passed gun law reform for silencers, other NFA items, and cut concealed handgun permit fees in half. The State of Arkansas has passed a significant reform of suppressor law and state law regarding National Firearms Act firearms generally. SB 400 passed the Senate on 6 March 2019, 29 to 6.  It passed the House on the 13th of March 2019, 75 to 12. It was signed into law by Governor Hutchinson on March 19, 2019.Four legislators were prominent in leading the fight to pass SB 400 and reform Arkansas gun laws. In the Senate, they were Senators...

What can President Trump accomplish in the wake of the 2018 mid-term elections, with respect to the Second Amendment? The Democrats, with the aid of their colleagues in the media, have managed to take control of the House of Representatives.At the same time, the Republicans have gained seats in the Senate, cementing their control there, especially with the retirement of Senator Jeff Flake and the death of John McCain. Given the new reality, Donald Trump's presidency has gained some potential and lost some potential.The losses are real. They mean little legislation will be passed.  I do not expect any...

Do you need a quick shorty shotgun for close quarter firepower? Have a look at Mossberg Shockwave. You’re not gonna need a tax stamp or special approvals to get this short barrel with a high-capacity pump action shotgun. But you’ll need more ammo. The Shockwave is technically a "firearm" (Class 3/NFA) due to its 14-inch barrel that shoots a 12 gauge load. Shockwave also incorporates the "bird's-head" style grip in place of the shoulder stock. Youtuber Hickok45 had a chance to do some plinking with this awesome shotgun. So, what seemingly looks like an NFA shotgun is actually classified as...

Folks it's not often that we get a firearm that we’re excited about, and that we feel like falls in an innovative category. Let’s face it: Everybody’s making an AR-15, a lot of people are making 1911s, and a lot of people are not making striker-fire handguns. This particular weapon, and we’re gonna call it a weapon, we’re gonna call it a firearm, because it’s not a shotgun even though it resembles one. What we’re gonna be doing is, we’re gonna do a review on this thing, because it classifies by the ATF’s definition as a firearm. Again, it’s not...

When is a shotgun not a shotgun, according to U.S. gun laws? When it’s the incredible Fostech Origin 12 SBV “Firearm.” New for 2017, the Origin 12 SBV will not be restricted by the expected gun control laws, because it’s technically not a shotgun. It doesn’t have to be registered because of the fact that it is not intended to be fired from the shoulder. Gun control laws in general are absolutely a waste of time. Case in point: the absolutely brilliant Fostech Origin 12 SBV “Firearm.” Lets take a closer look at this interesting weapon prototype. At first look...

Two days after an attacker opened fire on concert goers in Las Vegas, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc) announced he was shelving legislation to deregulate suppressors. -snip- Ryan has now shelved the Hearing Protection Act, which was introduced into Congress on January 9; it is the legislation containing suppressor deregulation. The Act does not legalize suppressors–as they are already legal–rather, it removes the burdensome process for acquiring them and erases the federal tax that must be paid in order to receive permission to posses one. House Speaker Paul Ryan says NRA-backed bill to ease regulations on gun silencers is shelved...

For the first time since the National Firearms Act (NFA) was created in 1934, civilians can enjoy suppressed shooting in all 50 states with SilencerCo’s latest innovation: the integrally suppressed Maxim 50 muzzleloader. In addition, this product can be purchased right now on the web with no regulation (no 4473, no tax stamp, no photographs or fingerprints) at store.silencerco.com and be shipped immediately to the purchaser with few exceptions*. Residents in the 42 states that allow civilian ownership of silencers have to pay a $200 tax, fill out forms, send in photos, submit to fingerprinting, and wait months for the...

Gun ads have changed with the times. Political correctness is certainly not the name of the game in these classic pieces of gun marketing. It was just plain old fashion advertising back in the day. Hammer the hammer? Lawyers wouldn’t come within a football field of this one. Of course, hammering on a vintage revolver probably is a bad idea anyway…Oh no, that guy is teaching his son how to hunt, you say? Where are their iphones, video games and couch? Well, buddy, this is how a father is supposed to raise his son to be a man, not a...

The BATFE ruling that firearms that are more than 26 inches in length, but are not manufactured to be fired from the shoulder, are neither pistols or shotguns or rifles, but merely “firearms” has resulted in a new type of defensive firearm.The Remington Tac 14 is now available and has suggested retail price of $443.05. Store prices will likely be in the $400 range.These type of firearms have been produced by small manufacturers for years. Two years ago, I predicted that the major manufacturers would come on board, if the small manufacturers proved popular.At that time, I had not...

Are you a fan of redesigning weapons? Let's re-phrase that, are you a fan of shouldering a pistol stabilizing brace? Such as the Sig Brace LoopHole. According to one open letter from BATFE just post SHOT Show 2015, those two were one in the same. Now, 72 hours before the 2017 NRA Annual Meeting, we can all breathe a sigh of relief: It’s not really considered a redesign, shifting the gun’s weight up the distance of your arm to peer down the sights. Here's a short excerpt of that letter: "These items are intended to improve accuracy by using the...

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz signed on as a co-sponsor to the Hearing Protection Act days before he’s scheduled to speak at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention, where the bill is expected to be a major talking point. The proposed measure has so far gained 14 co-sponsors, all Republicans, in the U.S. Senate and a related measure in the House has gained 137 co-sponsors, including three Democrats. This legislative session is the second round for the bill. When it was proposed in the Senate in 2015, it gained only three sponsors. While the Texas senator was not one of them,...

The Black Aces FIREARM is what the ATF calls it. The "firearm" by Black Aces Tactical has all the characteristics of a short shotgun, without the name. It shoots 2 3/4" shotgun shells, uses a pump for cycling, and even leaves a big hole in whatever it shoots. But the ATF's own wording was used to design a firearms that cannot be called a shotgun, an SBS, an SBR, a pistol, an AOW. If you still didn't get that, this firearm is not a shotgun, it is not a short-barrel shotgun, it's not a short-barrel rifle, it's not a short-barrel...