Right.
But the sear and whatever parts that make the rifle automatic or semi-automatic are in the lower. What a dilemma for the ATF! May their suffering never end!
Thats irrelevant. Many guns these days are controlled electronically and actually have no sears. They are kept from firing by electronic means. . . And the triggers are in a cockpit somewhere many feet away from the actual firing mechanisms. How do you define a rail gun under the law? Where are those parts in that projectile system? It is entirely possible to build a small capacitor driven, hand-held rail gun that could impel a projectile fast enough to kill. Practical? Someday, most likely yes. Today, not so much.
Hold on, Mr. Burglar, while I plug in, charge up, and load my railgun. . . Itll take about fifty seconds or so and please dont mind the high pitch whining sound. . . and would you mind standing over there, please, aiming is a bit tricky.WHACK!!!
THUD!DANG IT, HON! I woulda got him. Whyd you have to hit him with a rolling pin while he was a laughing his dang fool head off? I had this...
I once designed a firing mechanism for a Science Fiction story I was writing that fired a bullet and rifle mechanism that was based on the early 1970s Daisy caseless ammunition system where the propellant was house in a hollow base of the projectile. The propellant was ignited by the firing of a CO2 (or more efficient) laser beam from the breach which also burned the barrel clean with each shot. It could use a binary fuel that was perfectly safe away from the ignition system, and was sealed until the laser burned through the seal.