Classifying Your Firearms into Oblivion (JPFO Joins Akins Accelerator Fight)

In 2003, Akins Group Inc. developed the Akins Accelerator, a bumpfire stock for a Ruger 10/22 that can produce about 650 rounds/minute. The company received classification letters from the BATFE agreeing that the stock was not a firearm and therefore unregulated.

Akins performed approximately 18 months of testing, built injection molds based on the results, and began offering the Accelerator to the public in December of 2006.

True to form, the BATFE suddenly decided that the plastic stock was in fact a machine gun. The considerable time, effort, and of course money Akins invested into the project has been rendered essentially useless. You can read the entire saga at http://www.firefaster.com/documentation.html .

As our regular readers are aware, this isn't the first time that the BATFE has changed its mind on a classification. Our "Boot the BATFE" page at http://www.jpfo.org/bootbatfe.htm has several ATF Reconsideration letters listed.

It's important to realize what this really means. The ATF tells a manufacturer that a particular product is legal and acceptable. Based on this, the manufacturer invests large sums of money to produce the product, and even begins distributing the product. AFTER the money is spent, AFTER the inventory has been built, AFTER customers have purchased the product, the BATFE says, "Oops, just kidding. It's illegal."

Now the manufacturer has wasted valuable capital and his customers are in possession of products that could get them fined or jailed! All because the BATFE changed its mind.

The BATFE is declaring by fiat that this product or that is "illegal". There's no legislation involved. No Congressional hearings. No oversight at all. Just a bureaucrat stating, "Yeah, this is illegal." Your only recourse is to beg them to reconsider again (and how likely is that?)

If the BATFE is reclassifying plastic rifle stocks to be machine guns, what's to stop them from reclassifying semi-autos as machine guns? After all, your semi-auto has "characteristics and features of a machine gun" (the BATFE's favorite phrase lately). And if a _shoelace_ can be classified a machine gun (yes, really! http://www.jpfo.org/shoestring.jpg), then why not?

Here is yet more proof -- as if we didn't have enough -- that the BATFE is an unelected rogue agency run amok. It is a law unto itself; as many people have found, merely criticizing it can result in dire consequences.

If you haven't yet supported the making of our film The Gang -- a film with the express goal of helping to abolish the BATFE and end all federal control and regulation of firearms --, why not? We MUST bring down Leviathan now, before our right to keep and bear arms is a faded memory. Go to www.jpfo.org/thegang.htm or www.thegangmovie.com for more information.

Permission is granted to reproduce this alert in full, so long as the following JPFO contact information is included:

Here's the latest home rule 'assault weapons ban' passed under the table in Cook County. Daley and his his toadies at work.

06-O-50
ORDINANCE
Sponsored by
THE HONORABLE LARRY SUFFREDIN, COUNTY COMMISSIONER
Co-Sponsored by
THE HONORABLE JOHN P. DALEY AND JOAN PATRICIA MURPHY
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

Amendment to the
“Cook County DEADLY WEAPONS DEALER CONTROL Ordinance”

WHEREAS, the Federal assault weapons ban, of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, as amended, 18 USC Sec. 921 et seq. expired on September 13, 2004; and

WHEREAS, the County Board desires to (1) amend Ordinance 93-O-37, as amended by Ordinance 93-O-46 and Ordinance 99-O-27, Article I, Section 1-2 by striking and deleting language in section 1-2; and (2) amend Ordinance 93-O-37, as amended by Ordinance 93-O-46 and Ordinance 99-O-27, Article VI, by deleting and adding language as stricken through and underlined below.

NOW, THEREFORE, PURSUANT TO THE HOME RULE AUTHORITY OF THE COOK COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, AS VESTED IN IT BY THE ILLINOIS CONSTITUTION OF 1970, HEREBY AMEND PORTIONS OF THE ORDINANCE, AS FOLLOWS:

ARTICLE I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 1-2 Applicability.

(a) This article shall control the licensing of all firearms dealers within Cook County except in home rule municipalities which have a separate municipal ordinance specifically regulating the licensing of firearms dealers.

(b) Pursuant to Article VII, Section 6(c) of the 1970 Constitution of the State of Illinois, if this article conflicts with an ordinance of a home rule municipality, the municipal ordinance shall prevail within its jurisdiction.

ARTICLE VI. ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN

Section 6-1 Definitions.

As used in Article VI of this Ordinance, the following terms shall have the following meaning:

(a) “Assault weapon” means:

(1) A semiautomatic rifle that has the capacity to accept a large capacity magazine detachable or otherwise and one or more of the following:

(A) Only a pistol grip without a stock attached;

(B) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

(C) A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(D) A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel; or

(E) A muzzle brake or muzzle compensator;

(2) A semiautomatic pistol or any semi-automatic rifle that has a fixed magazine, that has the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition;

(3) A semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and has one or more of the following:

(A) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

(B) A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(C) A shroud attached to the barrel, or that partially or completely encircles the barrel, allowing the bearer to hold the firearm with the non-trigger hand without being burned, but excluding a slide that encloses the barrel;

(D) A muzzle brake or muzzle compensator; or

(E) The capacity to accept a detachable magazine at some location outside of the pistol grip.

(4) A semiautomatic shotgun that has one or more of the following:

(A) Only a pistol grip without a stock attached;

(B) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that can be held by the non-trigger hand;

(C) A folding, telescoping or thumbhole stock;

(D) A fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; or

(E) An ability to accept a detachable magazine;

(5) Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

(6) Conversion kit, part or combination of parts, from which an assault weapon can be assembled if those parts are in the possession or under the control of the same person;

(7) Shall include, but not be limited to, the assault weapons models identified as follows:

(A) The following rifles or copies or duplicates thereof:

(i) AK, AKM, AKS, AK-47, AK-74, ARM, MAK90, Misr, NHM 90, NHM 91, SA 85, SA 93, VEPR;

(ii) AR-10;

(iii) AR-15, Bushmaster XM15, Armalite M15, or Olympic Arms PCR;

(iv) AR70;

(v) Calico Liberty;

(vi) Dragunov SVD Sniper Rifle or Dragunov SVU;

(vii) Fabrique National FN/FAL, FN/LAR, or FNC;

(viii) Hi-Point Carbine;

(ix) HK-91, HK-93, HK-94, or HK-PSG-1;

(x) Kel-Tec Sub Rifle;

(xi) Saiga;

(xii) SAR-8, SAR-4800;

(xiii) SKS with detachable magazine;

(xiv) SLG 95;

(xv) SLR 95 or 96;

(xvi) Steyr AUG;

(xvii) Sturm, Ruger Mini-14;

(xviii) Tavor;

(xix) Thompson 1927, Thompson M1, or Thompson 1927 Commando; or

(xx) Uzi, Galil and Uzi Sporter, Galil Sporter, or Galil Sniper Rifle (Galatz).

(B) The following pistols or copies or duplicates thereof:

(i) Calico M-110;

(ii) MAC-10, MAC-11, or MPA3;

(iii) Olympic Arms OA;

(iv) TEC-9, TEC-DC9, TEC-22 Scorpion, or AB-10; or

(v) Uzi.

(C) The following shotguns or copies or duplicates thereof:

(i) Armscor 30 BG;

(ii) SPAS 12 or LAW 12;

(iii) Striker 12; or

(iv) Streetsweeper.

(b) “Assault weapon” does not include any firearm that has been made permanently inoperable, or satisfies the definition of “antique firearm,” stated in this Ordinance, or weapons designed for Olympic target shooting events.

(c) “Detachable magazine” means any ammunition feeding device, the function of which is to deliver one or more ammunition cartridges into the firing chamber, which can be removed from the firearm without the use of any tool, including a bullet or ammunition cartridge.

(d) “Large capacity magazine” means any ammunition feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds, but shall not be construed to include the following:

(1) A feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than 10 rounds.

(2) A 22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device.

(3) A tubular magazine that is contained in a lever-action firearm.

(e) “Muzzle brake“ means a device attached to the muzzle of a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to reduce recoil.

(f) “Muzzle compensator” means a device attached to the muzzle of a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to control muzzle movement.

Section 6-2 Assault weapons and large capacity magazines - Sale prohibited - Exceptions.

(a) No person shall manufacture, sell, offer or display for sale, give, lend, transfer ownership of, acquire or possess any assault weapon or large capacity magazine. This subsection shall not apply to:

(1) the sale or transfer to, or possession by any officer, agent, or employee of Cook County or any other municipality or state or of the United States, members of the armed forces of the United States; or the organized militia of this or any other state; or peace officers to the extent that any such person named in this subsection is otherwise authorized to acquire or possess an assault weapon and/or large capacity magazine and does so while acting within the scope of his or her duties;

(2) transportation of assault weapons or large capacity magazine if such weapons are broken down and in a non-functioning state and are not immediately accessible to any person.

(b) Any assault weapon or large capacity magazine possessed, sold or transferred in violation of subsection (a) of this section is hereby declared to be contraband and shall be seized and disposed of in accordance with the provisions of Section 6-2 of this Ordinance.

(c) Any person found in violation of this section shall be sentenced to not more than six months imprisonment or fined not less than $500.00 and not more than $1,000.00, or both.

(d) Any person who, prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this Ordinance, was legally in possession of an assault weapon or large capacity magazine prohibited by this section shall have 90 days from the effective date of the ordinance to do any of the following without being subject to prosecution hereunder:

(1) To remove the assault weapon or large capacity magazine from within the limits of the County of Cook; or

(2) To modify the assault weapon or large capacity magazine either to render it permanently inoperable or to permanently make it a device no longer defined as an assault weapon or large capacity magazine; or

(3) To surrender the assault weapon or large capacity magazine to the Sheriff or his designee for disposal as provided below.

Section 6-3 Destruction of weapons confiscated.

Whenever any firearm or large capacity magazine is surrendered or confiscated pursuant to the terms of this Ordinance, the Sheriff shall ascertain whether such firearm is needed as evidence in any matter.

If such firearm or large capacity magazine is not required for evidence it shall be destroyed at the direction of the Sheriff. A record of the date and method of destruction an inventory or the firearm or large capacity magazine so destroyed shall be maintained.

Approved and adopted this 14th day of November 2006.

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