To make the airsoft receiver function just like an AR-15’s, Gonnuscio said, “All you have to do is drill one hole.”And once that's out of the way, the rest is even easier. The AR-15 receiver is the only part of the semi-automatic rifle that is given a serial number, and is the only part that is regulated. All the remaining parts of the real thing can be purchased by anyone – any kid, criminal or terrorist.
The cost of buying the Taiwan-made airsoft gun and all the parts needed to convert it to an AR-15 comes to roughly $1,100 -- more than the cost of some real AR-15s. But someone who can’t clear a background check or has been refused a gun for any other reason could use this method to make his own lethal weapon, Gonnuscio said.
That could be a legitimate beef.
That could be a legitimate beef.
Only if owning an AR-15 were illegal.
And, it’s not...
I am surprised that an airsoft gun would have the same fire control parts as a real gun (hammer, trigger etc) since most of them use a piston in an air cylinder to puff out the plastic balls. I’m not sure how a hammer striking the face of the bolt would make an airsoft pellet come out of the barrel. I once had an airsoft MP5, and the trigger was just an electric switch that started a motor. There were no parts inside even remotely resembling those of a real gun.