Here's some info on the Vollmer AUG's. Pretty interesting to see how it all went down.
The Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas Brady, acting through
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms ("BATF"), imposed a
temporary ban on the importation of various semi-automatic rifles,
including the Steyr AUG-SA. At that time, GSI held valid BATF
permits for the importation of Steyr AUG-SA rifles and had already
remitted payment to the manufacturer for over 1,000 rifles. When
the Steyr AUG-SA rifles arrived in the United States, however, they
were seized by the United States Customs Service.
GSI filed suit against the Secretary of the Treasury in the
Northern District of Alabama, seeking to enjoin the government from
interfering with the delivery of the firearms. The district court
granted the injunctions. Gun South, Inc. v. Brady, 711 F. Supp.
1054 (N.D. Ala. 1989). On appeal, the United States Court of
Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court's
order, finding that BATF was acting within its authority in
imposing the temporary import ban. Gun South, Inc. v. Brady, 877
F.2d 858 (11th Cir. 1989).
Following the Eleventh Circuit's decision, the import ban on
Steyr AUG-SA rifles became permanent. The ban bars private parties
from importing Steyr AUG-SA rifles. Government agencies such as
the National Guard remain free to import the rifles for their
official use. 18 U.S.C. section 925(a)(1). Once a government
agency lawfully imports a firearm under section 925(a)(1), the
agency is not required to retain the firearm for any specific
period of time, and the agency remains free to resell it to third
parties.
In the summer of 1990, Nevius saw a GSI advertisement in the
Shotgun News, offering Steyr AUG-SA rifles for sale to law
enforcement personnel at a price of $ 1,380. He also saw F. J.
Vollmer's advertisement, which stated that it would pay $ 2,200 for
new Steyr AUG-SA rifles. Nevius then contacted GSI and confirmed
that as a military officer he was eligible to purchase a Steyr AUG-
SA rifle.
Nevius obtained an information packet from GSI setting forth
formats for the various documents required to accompany a purchase
order. Nevius prepared the necessary correspondence on his
National Guard unit's stationery to purchase two Steyr AUG-SA
rifles, including a signed statement that the firearms were being
purchased in connection with his official duties and not for the
purpose of resale. He then obtained the required supervisory
certification from a superior officer and ordered the rifles using
funds from his savings account. Upon receiving the rifles, Nevius
took them to F. J. Vollmer and sold them.
A few weeks later, Nevius put together a second transaction,
again for two rifles. Nevius asked Sergeant James McCabe, one of
his subordinates, to sign the necessary purchase order. Nevius
signed the supervisory certification himself and again withdrew
money from his savings account to finance the purchase.
Several months later, Nevius arranged another purchase, this
time for eight rifles. Because there was a limit of two rifles per
purchaser, Nevius approached four subordinates to sign the purchase
orders. All four agreed and signed statements that the firearms
were being purchased in connection with their official duties and
not for resale. In exchange for their signatures, Nevius agreed to
pay each of them either $ 100 or $ 200. (Tr. 345). To finance the
transaction, Nevius borrowed money from the First National Bank of
Taylorville, using an automobile as collateral.
Over the next seven months, Nevius put together the
documentation for five more transactions, following the same
format. In all, Nevius acquired a total of 60 Steyr AUG-SA assault
rifles and 11 Steyr AUG-SA rifle components known as special
receivers. The receivers were classified as assault rifles and
were also subject to the ban. All the assault rifles and
receivers, save one Steyr AUG-SA rifle that Nevius retained for his
personal collection, were delivered to F. J. Vollmer.
In the final transaction, Nevius ordered fourteen rifles.
After Nevius picked up the packages at the United Parcel Service
("UPS") office, he was approached by BATF agents. The agents
questioned him first at the UPS office and then at his home. They
seized the rifles and receivers just delivered as well as the Steyr
AUG-SA rifle from Nevius' personal collection.