Firearms Articles

January 20, 2012

Masterpiece Arms Suppressor announced at Shot Show

Masterpiece Arms, manufacturer of Semi Automatic SMG Pistols and Carbines and Subcompact Conceal Carry Semi Auto Pistols, is expanding their product offering to include 3 new 22 LR Sound Suppressors starting at less $249.99.

These are low-cost suppressors but no data on sound suppression has been released intentionally They state:

As a relative newcomer to the suppressor market, one of the challenging decisions is whether or not to publish decibel reduction data. One of the things we have learned, as with many industries where technical data may tend to provide a false representation of the quality of a product, is that an appropriate level of skepticism to the reported db data provided by many suppressor manufacturers exists.

January 18, 2012

Bonnie and Clyde Thompson Machine Gun up for Auction

by David M. Goldman

This historic Tommy Gun is believed to have been owned and used by the outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. The seller’s great-grandfather, who was in law enforcement at the time, was given the gun by another peace officer who had seized the weapon after a raid on the pair in Joplin, Missouri in April of 1933.

Just months previous to the raid, Bonnie & Clyde kidnapped a police officer by the name of Thomas Persell. Persell recounted the events of the abduction for the Springfield Daily News and the Joplin Globe, mentioning each time the “Tommy Gun” Mrs. Parker proudly held.

The raid occurred at the height of the duo’s crime rampage that cut a wide swath across middle American during the Great Depression. The raid did not produce any arrests. The two had a knack for being one step ahead of law enforcement, but it did yield a cache of weapons, plus a camera. The guns have been in the family of Mark Lairmore and his sisters, the sellers, from Springfield, MO., ever since the unknown Depression-era police officer gave them to their great-grandfather.

January 17, 2012

H & K Briefcase Machine Gun

by David M. Goldman

In the NFATCA booth, Jeff was showing one of his H&K Briefcase guns in full auto. Current price on these which are pre 86 transferable is around 20K. If you are looking for the briefcase alone to add a semi automatic, you will need a $5 AOW tax stamp and around $2000 for the case alone.

January 17, 2012

KelTec’s new threaded 22 PMR-30

by David M. Goldman

KelTec showed several new guns at the Shot Show Today. They included a new version of their PMR-30 which is a light weight, full size pistol chambered for the flat-shooting .22 Magnum cartridge (.22WMR). The PMR-30 operates on a unique hybrid blow back / locked-breech system. This operation system allows for the use of a wide variety of ammunition as it seamlessly adjusts between locked breach and blow back operation, depending on the pressure of the cartridge. It uses a double stack magazine of a new design that holds 30 rounds and fits completely in the grip of the pistol. The trigger is a crisp single action with an over-travel stop. The manual safety is a thumb activated ambidextrous safety lever (up for SAFE, down for FIRE). The slide locks back after the last shot and a manual slide lock lever is also provided. The light, crisp trigger pull and fiber optic sights make the PMR-30 ideal for target shooting and hunting small game.

January 17, 2012

ATF arrests 49 for Violations including possession of SBS

by David M. Goldman

Several Atlanta residents were recently sentenced to serve time after being convicted on varying federal firearms and narcotic related charges, according to information received from agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). These sentences are a result of an ATF initiated undercover operation, called ATL Blaze. Undercover agents, placed themselves in positions ultimately putting the word out that they were interested in buying firearms and drugs from the criminal element. The case yielded 257 handguns, 60 rifles, 46 shotguns, and 10 short-barreled sawed-off shotguns taken off the streets of Atlanta. Forty-nine defendants were indicted on charges ranging from conspiring to commit a home robbery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful dealing in firearms without a license, possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute, and aggravated identity theft. The case was investigated by ATF Atlanta Field Division in conjunction with the Atlanta Police Department (APD).

January 9, 2012

New NICS Appeal Process & Information being Gathered by the FBI

by David M. Goldman

Another huge benefit of using a properly designed gun trust is that you can maintain your privacy. While NICS checks are being done in most cases on NFA firearms, they are only being done on the person who is involved with the transaction in much the same way as they are with a Corporation or LLC. A properly prepared Gun Trust will not allow a prohibited person to be a valid trustee of the trust and any actions they take are void as if they never took place.

Still there are many people that are very concerned about their privacy and do not want their finger prints or photos sent along with a Form 4 or Form 1 application. A gun trust can be structured in such a way as to allow for the complete privacy of those who would otherwise be hesitant to purchase Title II firearms because of a loss of privacy that some believe attached with such transactions.

(NOTE – A GUN TRUST SHOULD NEVER BE USED BY A PROHIBITED PERSON, AND OUR GUN TRUST CAN NOT BE USED TO MAKE A PROHIBITED PERSON A TRUSTEE)

January 2, 2012

Shoes for Guns – New Years Resolution

by David M. Goldman

I was talking with my wife this weekend and we were discussing things we wanted to change in the upcoming year. While it was not really a New Years Resolutions our topic of conversation drifted to shoes and guns, while my wife thought I had to many guns, I thought she had to many shoes. Of course neither of us could come to an agreement, but we did agree that if she got more shoes, I could get an equal number of guns. Still thinking she had to many shoes, I hope she doubles the size of her collection this year. Not sure if this will work with anyone else, but it seems to be worth a try.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year and my wife buys a lot of shoes.

P.S. if you have any extra 6.5 woman’s shoes please send them as used guns seem like they would be part of the deal.

December 22, 2011

State of Residence Revised by ATF

by David M. Goldman

Today, the ATF revised it’s definition of State of Residence and residency requirements.

The Gun Control Act (GCA) generally prohibits any person from transferring firearms to any unlicensed person who they know or have reasonable cause to believe does not reside in the State in which the transferor resides. See 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(5).

27 C.F.R. 478.11 defines the term “State of residence” differently for U.S. citizens and aliens. A U.S. citizen’s State of residence is the State in which he or she is present with the intention of making a home; while an alien is considered a resident of a State if he or she has resided in that State for a period of at least 90 days prior to the date of transfer with the intention of making a home.

November 28, 2011

Scottsdale Gun Club and Holiday Cards with Machine Guns

by David M. Goldman

The Scottsdale Gun Club is inviting families and their children to pose for pictures with Santa Claus – and a high-powered firearm. The photos are $5 for club members and $10 for non-members. Their website states “Santa’s Back With His Bag Of Goodies. Get Your Holiday Picture With Santa & His Machine Guns!”

November 27, 2011

Silencers and Hearing Damage from Shooting Sports

by David M. Goldman

American Hunter Magazine, received by more than a million subscribers, recently had an article on the benefits of suppressors in relation to hearing. The NRAILA has posted an online version of the has an article on their website.

The article discusses the unfair portrayals by Hollywood to show silencers as tools of criminals and assassins. In reality thousands of law-abiding citizens use silencers to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sound produced by guns. Not only do silencers not make guns silent but they rarely are used by criminals. In Europe suppressors are actively encouraged. They are called “moderators” and are just another accessory for firearms that are widely available and encouraged.

Today only 11 states prohibit the possession of silencers while purchasing them in many of the states where they are permitted can be difficult or impossible unless one chooses to use a Gun Trust Lawyer® to form a NFA Trust or a business entity.