Posted: 2/9/2008 1:40:00 PM EDT
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For the ATF it is only a firearm if it uses a self-contained metallic cartridge to expel a projectile with an explosion. Black powder guns are not firearms. BB guns are not firearms. Flamethrowers are not firearms. Crossbows are not firearms. Spearguns are not firearms. Paintball guns are not firearms. Rail guns are not firearms. Boeing's Airborne Laser is not a firearm. Muzzleloading bowling ball launchers are not firearms. It only gets confusing when they start including explosive devices in their laws. Grenades, flashbangs, .40 caliber Glocks that sort of thing. |
To the best of my knowledge, the cap does not actually propel the BB, and caps are not required in order to be able to fire BB's. Asahi made a replica of a Remington 700 (IIRC) a long time ago that did use a cap to propel a BB. Some smart guys devised a way to convert the replica rifle to fire real cartridges. It was promptly classified as a firearm and banned from importation. Edit: I watched the videos closer, and it appears these guns use a two-piece cartridge (I saw a gap between two halves of the case) and it actually uses an electrically-powered piston system to fire the BB's. The caps are just for sound effects. Also, the caps are notoriously hard to get in the US (lack of availability). |
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According to ATF, anything that uses an explosive charge to propel a projectile is a firearm. The one single exception they allow to this rule is that they currently aren't pursuing potato cannons. Back in the day, Tasers used to have a pair of electrically-fired powder charges to fire the darts--but the ATF laid down the law on their azz, and so Taser had to switch to pressurized-air cartridges. ~ |