Quote History Quoted:
in a word no.
Marking requirements[edit]
The law also required that all newly manufactured firearms produced by licensed manufacturers in the United States and imported into the United States bear a serial number. Firearms manufactured prior to the Gun Control Act and firearms manufactured by non-FFLs remain exempt from the serial number requirement. Defacement or removal of the serial number (if present) is a felony offense.
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Quoted:
Is it legal to buff out the importers mark on a pistol,
in a word no.
Marking requirements[edit]
The law also required that all newly manufactured firearms produced by licensed manufacturers in the United States and imported into the United States bear a serial number. Firearms manufactured prior to the Gun Control Act and firearms manufactured by non-FFLs remain exempt from the serial number requirement. Defacement or removal of the serial number (if present) is a felony offense.
The importer's mark has nothing to do with the serial number, which is illegal to remove. Most imported milsurp rifles have the import mark on the barrel, once purchased from the importer/dealer, barrels can be swapped out by the gun owner or gunsmith of his choosing with ones with no import mark without any violation of the ATF. Many imported milsurp handguns have the import mark on the slide, there is no violation of the law to replace slides with other slides that have no markings. As long as the serial number on the frame or receiver is not removed or altered, I don't see where the ATF forbids the removal of the mark by the guns legal owner, or his gunsmith.
Just my opinion.
Just to clarify; the above mentioned ATF regs are for NFA firearms, and for persons involved in the manufacturing, sales, and purchasing of NFA firearms.
There are two kinds of firearms under U.S. (federal) law, title 1 firearms and title 2. Title 1 firearms are long guns (rifles and shotguns), handguns, and firearm frames or receivers. Most NFA weapons are also title 1 firearms. Title 2 weapons are NFA weapons. Title 2 of the 1968 Gun Control Act is the National Firearms Act (codified at 26 U.S.C. sec. 5801 et seq.), hence NFA. Title 1 is generally called the Gun Control Act, (18 U.S.C. sec. 921 et seq.). NFA weapons are also sometimes called class 3 weapons, because a class 3 SOT is needed to deal in NFA weapons.
These weapons may also be further regulated by states or localities, and while these weapons can be legally owned under federal law, some states and localities further regulate ownership or prohibit it. The NFA Branch of ATF administers the taxation of the guns, and the registration of them in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.
NFA weapons are: machine guns, sound suppressors (a.k.a. silencers), short barreled shotguns, short barreled rifles, destructive devices and "any other weapons".
I do not believe that the OP's Hi-Power falls under the NFA classification.
However, I am expressing my opinion only and not providing legal advice or a legal interpretation of the code.