Around Half A Million 'Ghost Guns' On California's Streets

www.kmjnow.com ^ | March 3, 2015 | Unknown

[Joe Brower]

"WTF is a ghost gun?"

A firearm used by ghosts, I guess. As we here all know, the freedom-haters love their pejoratives, so 'ghost gun' goes in right alongside 'saturday night special', 'pocket rocket' and, of course, our favorite -- 'assault weapons'.

"Ghost gun". Oooooh, scary. BAN IT!

I would wager that California would have less of these to worry about (if they are indeed even worthy of such) if they didn't nurture a culture that tends to favor inner-city black drug gangs, millions of illegal aliens, and other societal ills.

[vette6387]

“BTW...WTF is a ghost gun?”

You will need to ask CA State Senator Leland Yee (RATChink, SF) who is awaiting trial on gun-running. He was all wrapped around the axle about “ghost guns” all the while he was trafficking in them with his buddy from the SF Tongs, “Shrimp Boy” Chow.

http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2014/03/one-of-californias-strongest-gun.html

[faithhopecharity]

...”the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed...”

[unread]

"Well I'm curious. Is this a machine gun?"

Actually...I believe it to be a "sub-machine gun"...

It fires a pistol round (.45) and is thereby classified as such... (?) Maybe...

:)

[unread]

And only a "machine gun" if it fires multiple shots with one pull of the trigger....

Otherwise, "semiautomatic" would be the proper term for it....

[cyberstoic]

Technically that is a sub-machine gun. It fires pistol ammo, not rifle cartridges.

[usurper]

I’ve lived in SoCal for a decades and have never heard of a machine gun being used in a crime.

Well guys in the North Hollywood shootout had full auto weapons.

I don't know why anyone (even criminals) would want a ghost gun. Simple possession of a weapon with a missing or altered serial number is a felony even if you never used it.

Also, who knows if the gun has been used in a previous crime that could then be pined on you.

[Robert357]

This can't be, as California has all kinds of gun control laws. You mean people are not following the laws to control firearms? (/sarcasm)

[DCBryan1]

Well I'm curious. Is this a machinegun?

According to my Form 4 for my M1928A1 Savage, and my Form 3 for my M1921AC, yes, it is.

Title 2 NFA classifies them as AOW, DD, SBS, SBR, or MG. I know there are different names for types of MGs, but on our forms, we don't put anything but "machinegun".

Not Auto sear, Not lightning link, not belt fed, not sub-machinegun, not heavy MG, not crew-operated, not pre-machinegun, not light machinegun, not electrically fired (minigun), not manually fired (Hotchkiss and some gatlings), not bump fire (atkins, etc) not select fire rifle, not full auto rifle.

Simply MACHINEGUN.

[DCBryan1]

Automatic rifle is NOT a machine gun.

According to Federal law it is. Field and Stream, SWAT, NRA, SOF mags....not so much. Pay close attention to the bold/underlined part below:

Here is the instructions from my Form 4.

Part 4. Description of Firearm (Complete items a through h)
a. Name and Address of Manufacturer and/or Importer of Firearm
b. Type of Firearm (See instruction 1c)

Definitions

a. National Firearms Act (NFA). Title 26, United States Code, Chapter 53. The implementing regulations are found in Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 479.
b. Gun Control Act (GCA). Title 18, United States Code, Chapter 44. The implementing regulations are found in Title 27, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 478.
c. Firearm. The term “firearm” means:

(1) a shotgun having a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length;
(2) a weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 18 inches in length;
(3) a rifle having a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length;
(4) a weapon made from a rifle if such weapon as modified has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length;
(5) any other weapon as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 5845(e);
(6) A MACHINEGUN;
(7) a muffler or silencer for any firearm whether or not such firearm is included within this definition; and
(8) a destructive device.

[DoughtyOne]

Well there you have it.

That’s reason enough to outlaw handguns. Law abiding citizens are under acute threat from people having these weapons. Disarm them, and they’ll be safe.

This Democratic moment brought to you by: DoughtyOne, always here to help...

[PLMerite]

"No, an “automatic rifle” IS a machine gun. A semi-automatic rifle is NOT a machine gun."

You mean like this "Browning Automatic Rifle?"

[Travis McGee]

The latest statist meme pushing national registration.

[Notthemomma]

I own one of those. It's semi-automatic, not automatic, and it's my favorite 30-06 hunting rifle. Bulls-eye 2 out of 3 times at 100 yards, and 3rd shot just outside that. Deadly on pigs. Although I think you're showing a newer version, with the BOSS attachment on the muzzle (Ballistic Optimizing Shooting System), which I don't have.

Browning calls it the “BAR High-Power Rifle.” Here's the manual: http://www.browning.com/content/dam/browning/support/owners-manuals/bar-om-s.pdf
Oh dear, the very front page of the manual says “Semi-Automatic.” tch tch, shame on them for being so clear.

Here is the actual BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1918_Browning_Automatic_Rifle

The one you've shown is commonly called a BAR, but the “A” in the BAR is for AUTOLOADING. I suspect it's been called BAR by Browning to play on the image of the real BAR, and has some of the same basic receiver styling. Just a business move, likely, IMHO.

Browning also made a nice BAR 22 (22-caliber), again autoloading (semi-automatic), not automatic.

The fine German firearms maker, Heckler & Koch, calls its semi-automatic rifles “self-loading” instead, but I suppose even that could be (purposely) misconstrued as well.

What a shame that we end up having to have this same discussion over and over and over. None is so blind as he that will not see.

[tet68]

All of my Ghost guns were lost in a Ghost canoe accident.
Hit a Ghost log and down they went into the Ghostly water.

[Notthemomma]

Trick question.

The appearance is not what makes it a machine-gun, the function is.

That Thompson is available as a semi-automatic model and as a non-firing replica, so I'd have to see what this one is to answer that question.

See, that's where the stupid anti-gun laws fall right now. If a semi-automatic firearm of any caliber has a bayonet, or a receiver pistol grip, or a forehand grip, or a flash suppressor, or an evil scary “large-capacity” magazine, or a tripod, or a collapsable stock, etc., then it's commonly considered by liberal politicians and mainstream media as an “assault weapon” and must be criminalized and banned, but if the exact same gun (receiver and barrel) has a hunting type stock and “small capacity” magazine inserted, and no bayonet, etc., then it's not an “assault weapon.” The truth is that the weapon is no more powerful than its “evil-looking” twin.

See the second image in this link: http://imgur.com/gallery/Q9OIM
That's the venerable Ruger 10-22 semi-automatic 22-caliber hunting rifle with standard wood stock, perhaps the most popular small game rifle in the USA, but dress it up with some accessories or special stocks (”pimp my rifle”) to look like an evil black rifle, and whoa, it's an assault weapon!