Quoted: 18 USC section 922(v) has a grandfather clause for semiautomatic assault rifles that were legally owned prior to 09-14-94. So if these rifles date to May 1994 they are grandfathered, unless of course the police department illegally owned them at the time.
BTW, this is the part of the thread were someone says "hey but they are post 89", then I say what the heck are you talking about? So if you are going to post that, then please be specific and site law or regulation before declaring these rifles illegal to own, thanks you and have a nice day.
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In 1989 there was a ban of the importation of certain rifles that were deemed to not have "sporting purposes" i.e it had a bayonet lug, folding/telescoping stock, separate pistol grip, grenade launcher, ability to accept a bayonet, flash suppressors, bipod grenade launcher or night sights. That's why you see some rifles with thumbhole stocks. By converting the pistol grip to a thumbhole stock and removing the other features the rifles could still be brought into the US, until the 94 ban. So a straight HK 93 that may have been legally purchased by a police department after 1989 would not apparently not be legal for civilian ownership.
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"Other federal laws affecting "assault weapons" and other semi-automatic firearms
18 U.S.C. 925(d)(3), imposed by the GCA and later amended, requires the Treasury Secretary to approve for importation any firearm that is "generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes . . . ," with certain exceptions. BATF has regulatory authority to interpret what that language means. In early 1989, following a crime committed with an imported semi-automatic rifle, President Bush ordered BATF to suspend the importation of 43 makes and models of foreign-made semi-automatic rifles (all previously approved for importation) and to review their eligibility for importation. BATF later stated that the rifles were no longer eligible for importation due to their having a folding or telescoping stock, a pistol grip separate from the stock, a bayonet lug, a flash suppressor, etc. BATF found insignificant the fact that such rifles have been used for a half century in formal target shooting competitions, such as the NRA National Championships and the Civilian Marksmanship Program National Matches (the latter conducted under the auspices of the federal government until 1996, on a private basis since). Later, manufacturers and importers removed the attachments from their rifles and BATF approved the modified rifles for importation. In 1998, President Clinton ordered BATF to suspend the importation of about 50 makes and models of modified rifles. Treasury and BATF later co-issued a report finding that the rifles were ineligible for importation because they could use preexisting "large capacity" ammunition magazines."
www.nraila.org/FactSheets.asp?FormMode=Detail&ID=80