6 ms·

The worry about this being a new avenue for "ghost-guns" is absurd. All you need for a gun is some metal pipe from a hardware store. These "downloadable guns" w

The worry about this being a new avenue for "ghost-guns" is absurd. All you need for a gun is some metal pipe from a hardware store. These "downloadable guns" would be about as effective. Plus it's perfectly legal to make your own firearm from readily available parts. And it's not like the fed tracks guns anyway, so what's new? The debate on this issue seems to be centered around the fact that these plans are downloadable online, which I think is silly since Google happily provides you with most of what you need already: https://patents.google.com/patent/US984519A https://patents.google.com/patent/US984519A https://patents.google.com/patent/US6279258 https://patents.google.com/patent/US6279258 https://patents.google.com/patent/US4539889A https://patents.google.com/patent/US4539889A https://patents.google.com/patent/US5827992A https://patents.google.com/patent/US5827992A

kozikow 8y ago
> make your own firearm from readily available parts I am not a legal expert and it's not a legal advice, but in case of a bolt-action rifle, I think the action is still legally treated as a firearm. So you can buy most parts without hassle (barrel, trigger, stock), but you need to go through the FFL to buy the action. Reference: https://www.brownells.com/aspx/general/faqdetail.aspx?fid=1083 https://www.brownells.com/aspx/general/faqdetail.aspx?fid=10...
- dark_glass 8y ago
  To be a firearm dealer you need an FFL license, but there are no federal laws against making your own firearm (as long as it is not restricted by the ATF, such as select fire, or destructive device or something). States may have their own laws against firearm manufacturing.
- asdsa5325 8y ago
  Yes- but if you make the part that is legally the gun yourself, it's fine. Anyone is allowed to manufacture a gun, as long as they don't sell it. If you want to sell it, you'd need a license.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - burfog 8y ago
    You can still sell it. You just can't be producing guns for sale. There are limits to how many you can sell and when you can sell them, beyond which the federal government will presume that you are producing the guns for sale.
  - kozikow 8y ago
    So it seems it was already fairly easy and legal to build and own a very high-quality firearm with general attention-grabbing features mentioned in the article? Not a legal advice or suggesting you should do so: 1. CNC the Remington 700 action: https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/making-remington-700-action-179971/ https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/making-rem... . This is the hard part and would probably need a week of dedicated work... 2. Buy barrel, trigger and stock. 3. Everything mostly just fits into the action, so assembly is just like putting lego pieces together.
    - heypete 8y ago
      I've purchased unregulated 80% lower receivers (they're only legally "a gun" if more than 80% of the machining work is complete. At or below 80%, they're just considered a chunk of metal.) and machined them using nothing more than a woodworking router, a hand drill, a jig, and a vise in about 30-45 minutes. The jig is the most expensive part, costing about $160 or so, but once you have it there's no wear parts and you can use the jig to build as many as you want.

kozikow 8y ago

> make your own firearm from readily available parts I am not a legal expert and it's not a legal advice, but in case of a bolt-action rifle, I think the action is still legally treated as a firearm. So you can buy most parts without hassle (barrel, trigger, stock), but you need to go through the FFL to buy the action. Reference: https://www.brownells.com/aspx/general/faqdetail.aspx?fid=1083 https://www.brownells.com/aspx/general/faqdetail.aspx?fid=10...

dark_glass 8y ago
To be a firearm dealer you need an FFL license, but there are no federal laws against making your own firearm (as long as it is not restricted by the ATF, such as select fire, or destructive device or something). States may have their own laws against firearm manufacturing.
asdsa5325 8y ago
Yes- but if you make the part that is legally the gun yourself, it's fine. Anyone is allowed to manufacture a gun, as long as they don't sell it. If you want to sell it, you'd need a license.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- burfog 8y ago
  You can still sell it. You just can't be producing guns for sale. There are limits to how many you can sell and when you can sell them, beyond which the federal government will presume that you are producing the guns for sale.
- kozikow 8y ago
  So it seems it was already fairly easy and legal to build and own a very high-quality firearm with general attention-grabbing features mentioned in the article? Not a legal advice or suggesting you should do so: 1. CNC the Remington 700 action: https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/making-remington-700-action-179971/ https://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/gunsmithing/making-rem... . This is the hard part and would probably need a week of dedicated work... 2. Buy barrel, trigger and stock. 3. Everything mostly just fits into the action, so assembly is just like putting lego pieces together.
  - heypete 8y ago
    I've purchased unregulated 80% lower receivers (they're only legally "a gun" if more than 80% of the machining work is complete. At or below 80%, they're just considered a chunk of metal.) and machined them using nothing more than a woodworking router, a hand drill, a jig, and a vise in about 30-45 minutes. The jig is the most expensive part, costing about $160 or so, but once you have it there's no wear parts and you can use the jig to build as many as you want.