[oe_254]

I am a little new to this, so I apologize if this is a stupid question.

I constantly see ads for parts kits minus receivers, for uzis, m-16, ak-47 and various other weapons. I know that some of these, can not be legally assembled into a weapon, unless it is done by someone with a manufacturing license. Are there any weapons, pre ban or post ban that can be legally assembled by a regular person, into a working firearm? The reason I ask this. I was looking at an ad on a website that sells the parts kits. On all of the ads, it said that the parts kits were for repair or replacement only. But it had an ad for an M1 garand, and it had not such disclaimer. Is there something about an m1 garand, that it can be assembled into a firearm by a regular person?

Thanks in advance.

[captain eddie]

First of all, it is not a stupid question; it is in fact one of the most confusing legal issues one could find (the BATFE did that on purpose, but that's another story). You mention that some ads say " for parts or replacement only"; that actually only applies to the importer, after the importer sells it, it can be assembled like any other parts kit. However, It IS illegal to build a post-ban assault rifle or pistol. An assault rifle is defined as haveing three of any combination of the following: pistol grip, folding stock, grenade launcher, flashhider, bayonet lug, high capacity detachable magazine (more than 10 rounds) and a threaded barrel. Also, if the parts kit was imported, the completed gun must contain no more than 10 imported parts. This means you must replace perfectly servicable parts with American made parts of possibly lesser quality. On an FAL, for instance, you must have 7 US made parts, because the rifle is defined by the BATFE as having 17 parts. In reality the gun has many more parts than 17, but oh, well. The M1 Garand is not an assault rifle, there for the laws do not effect it. The Garand does not have a pistol grip nor a high-capacity detachable mag, and it is not imported but rather made in the USA. No licence is neccesary to assemble a non-NFA firearm. So if you do build a gun, just be sure that you have the right number of US parts and that your firearm does not have more than two of the features considered to define an assault rifle. Also regarding the UZI, make sure if you build a carbine that the barrel is more than 16 inches long. Hope this answered your question- Captian Eddie

[chester2756]

captain eddie, on Jun 9 2003, 11:04 AM, said:

First of all, it is not a stupid question; it is in fact one of the most confusing legal issues one could find (the BATFE did that on purpose, but that's another story). You mention that some ads say " for  parts or replacement only"; that actually only applies to the importer, after the importer sells it, it can be assembled like any other parts kit. However, It IS illegal to build a post-ban assault rifle or pistol. An assault rifle is defined as haveing three of any combination of the following: pistol grip, folding stock, grenade launcher, flashhider, bayonet lug, high capacity detachable magazine (more than 10 rounds) and a threaded barrel. Also, if the parts kit was imported, the completed gun must contain no more than 10 imported parts. This means you must replace perfectly servicable parts with American made parts of possibly lesser quality. On an FAL, for instance, you must have 7 US made parts, because the rifle is defined by the BATFE as having 17 parts. In reality the gun has many more parts than 17, but oh, well. The M1 Garand is not an assault rifle, there for the laws do not effect it. The Garand does not have a pistol grip nor a high-capacity detachable mag, and it is not imported but rather made in the USA. No licence is neccesary to assemble a non-NFA firearm. So if you do build a gun, just be sure that you have the right number of US parts and that your firearm does not have more than two of the features considered to define an assault rifle. Also regarding the UZI, make sure if you build a carbine that the barrel is more than 16 inches long. Hope this answered your question- Captian Eddie

So now that the AWB has expired does the weapon still have to have us made parts

[marco529]

Building guns for your own use is legal nomatter what - it's when you intend to sell them that the ATF gets upset - they want thier cut !

[SBHShooter]

Whoa, this whole thread is a necro-fest.