Why am I not surprised...DC's version of the Keystone Cops...
Posted on 02/26/2010 5:53:38 AM PST by Sasparilla
United States Customs seized 30 M4 look alike Airsoft rifles, pictured left, in Tacoma. The Feds claim they can be easily be converted to actually shoot full automatic with live ammunition. BATFE says that parts could be switched out quickly to allow them to fire live ammunition. This is sure to cause huge differences of opinion over whether the Airsoft gun can actually be easily converted to actually fire 5.56mm ammunition on full automatic.
These toy rifles look like M4’s. They do not have the bright orange tips to show they are toys. BATFE Agents say that they feel like and weigh approximately the same as a real M4. They apparently have been available for sale in the USA under the brand name TTI M4 CQBR (WE Tech) Gas Blow Back Airsoft Rifle.
The seized toy guns were labeled as “Toys and Parts” and came from a Taiwan manufacturer. They were designed to shoot Airsoft pellets and had no serial numbers. Of course, toys normally don’t have them. They do look very realistic and they accept detachable Airsoft M4 lookalike magazines, and the user can load the toy with Airsoft pellets.
The government claims that the shipment arrived without the proper shipping documents. They entered the country in October, and there has been an ongoing investigation.
Here’s the sales ad product description for the Toy Rifle that sells for about $400.00 in the USA.
"The WE M4 CQBR Gas Blowback Airsoft Rifle from WE TTI is the...
(Excerpt) Read more at secondamendmentfreedom.blogspot.com ...
Probably. After all, you used to need a Law degree to get into the FBI (might still need one), and the DEA didn't need any loose cannons on deck, so where were the kitten-stompers going to go? But then Ruby Ridge happened and Waco started under his watch, too. Grandstand get funding show-op turned sour.
Only if it was made before 1986 if you are not either a dealer or Law enforcement. When you consider what limiting the number of arms out there has done to the price of transferrable Class III arms, $200.00 does indeed seem a "paltry" fee.
I have some experience with AR-15 lowers and I would have to say that if the dimensions are the same as an AR-15 lower then the BATF probably has a pretty good case. It almost looks like you could switch out the airsoft upper for a real upper and have a functioning firearm.
I’ve known guys that even did that with expensive industrial capital equipment. The other advantage/disadvantage is the new item never gets added to the asset list.
Yes and no. New ones cannot be manufactured nor imported. Even if it were feasible to convert these, the BATFags would still not have a point, as it is physically possible to convert the civilian equivalent of a select fire military weapon to full auto, and even BATFE admits those are still legal (and certainly much more feasible to convert than one of these plastic toys).
Why am I not surprised...DC's version of the Keystone Cops...
Oh, yeah, I remember that. The FBI guys said something like "If you mix dirty water and clean water, you get dirty water". Apparently, however, the solution isn't to GET RID of the dirty water, but to concentrate it to greater dirtiness and get some more of it. D'oh!
I’ll second that emotion.
Yes, FOPA was also known as McClure-Volkmer. The machine gun provision was a last minute amendment, and was so poorly written that if it was not enforced "as intended" rather than as written, it would have no affect at all.
Except that there is an electric motor in the lower, to power the pellets, and they have no hammer other mechanism for setting off a live round.
So no, it wouldn't work.
It might work, just not quite that way.
Having just built up 3 ARs, I’m guessing BATFE’s concern is someone taking the fire control parts out of the toy and putting them in a real AR.
I’m somewhat familiar with what M-16 internals look like, and the toy’s internals look more like those than they do an AR. Wish I had a Bushmaster catalog with me - I could verify it.
Make them demonstated doing it in front of the judge.
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