I'm too fricking lazy to do a search, but surely this has been routinely discussed in this Forum.

I am of the opinion that, with the sunsetting of the Assault Weapon Ban of 1994, the current state of AK affairs is simply this.....

We are back to that era, post Import Ban of 1989, in which, while certain 'non-sporting' weapons cannot be legally imported into this country, once these 'non-sporting' weapons come into this country, then they may be altered into any possible configuration that the end-user desires.

Recall when Yugo underfolders were imported by Mitchell Arms with huge plastic 'thumbhole' stocks that completely covered the underfolding stock?

They came in with the pistol grip packed alongside the 'altered' weapon, with the certain knowledge that the weapon would ultimately be returned to its underfolding, pistol-gripped condition.

Is that still the legal situation?

Or has something changed? Maybe an ATF ruling, or something?

Any opinions or information will be much appreciated.

Eric The(Inquisitive)Hun

You can't make a foreign AK into a 'non-importable' configuration.

So, you have to play the parts game, and replace enough foreign countable parts with US manufactured parts, so that the AK becomes, in essence, an American firearm.  Once you have the foreign parts down to no more than 10 parts, it ceases to be an imported firearm and you can then do whatever you want to it (within all the other firearm laws).

Quoted: You can't make a foreign AK into a 'non-importable' configuration.

So, we're still stuck with the 'numbers game', eh?

When did that become the way things are?

Rats!

Eric The('Rats!',ISay)Hun

Yeah it sucks.  And is completely stupid as well.  I have three Romanian kits and three AMD65 kits, and I will have to spend $60 just in slant brakes and $90 in AMD brakes to have them all assembled.  I am seriously considering buying one US slant brake, and getting some plastic thread protectors for the other ones and only attaching the brake to the one I'm going to shoot.  The AMDs I will have to buy because of the SBR regulations.

www.atf.treas.gov/regulations/27cfr178.html

Search for "Sec. 178.39" in the document.


16 countable parts in an AK

Quoted: They came in with the pistol grip packed alongside the 'altered' weapon, with the certain knowledge that the weapon would ultimately be returned to its underfolding, pistol-gripped condition. Eric The(Inquisitive)Hun

IMO the parts count rules came about in order to further restrict the above mentioned practice.  I wrote the FTB with similar questions related to assembling an AK type rifle.  Bottom line is that if you want to build an AK in the US in an un-importable configuration (read non-sporting) then it must not contain more than ten countable imported parts.  Hope that helps.

Sudboy

As I recall from a thread about this recently, there is a five year statute of limitations on the 922 ruling.  So, if you illegally assemble one, keep the proof of the date that you did it, and hide it for 5 years, then you can keep it that way.

Of course that would be illegal and I wouldn't recommend doing it!  Not to mention that if you ever took it apart for cleaning, you'd probably have to wait another 5 years after reassembly.

Thanks for all the info, one and all!



Eric The(Pleased,AsAlways,EvenIfTheNewsIsNotSoGreat)Hun