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Posted: 12/19/2007 5:34:42 AM EDT
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The comments posted at the bottom of the article by the anti's are pretty inane. They haven't figured out that if all gov't agencies run roughshod over the public like the BATF does, innovation and industry in this country will come to a screeching halt. Pasco Marksman's Invention Leads Him To Ruin By Christian Wade of The Tampa Tribune Published: December 18, 2007 HUDSON - It was a simple idea, with big potential. For years, marksmen have been using a technique called bump firing, shooting a semiautomatic rifle from the hip and allowing the weapon's recoil to pull the trigger. With federal regulations keeping fully automatic weapons out of their hands, it was one of the few ways for firearm enthusiasts to enjoy the thrill of firing a machine gun. If there was only a way to simulate that action, Bill Akins wondered, by creating a device that mechanized the recoil resistance to fire more rapid, and accurate, bursts of bullets. Thus, the Akins Accelerator was born. Akins, 54, is an expert marksman, ex-Marine, Elvis impersonator, seventh-generation Floridian and member of the National Rifle Association. The Hudson man spent nearly a decade designing his Accelerator. He got a patent for his invention. Then he poured his life savings into marketing and producing it for distribution. In the era of gun control laws, the device promised to revolutionize target shooting. "They were selling like hotcakes," Akins said. "We were truly amazed by the response." That was until the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives banned the Accelerator — two years after approving it. To the ATF, the mechanism is an illegal converter kit that, if it fell into the wrong hands, could turn a run-of the-mill target rifle into a 700-round-per-minute killing machine. Under the threat of imprisonment, officials ordered Akins to cease production, turn over the recoil springs from his existing stock and hand over his customer list. And they didn't give him a dime in return. More than five years later, Akins is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. His business partner has severed ties with his company. His investors have bailed. He has a warehouse in Oregon filled with more than $750,000 worth of useless stock. His reputation has been sullied by trade publications that once praised his invention. He can't afford to hire a lawyer to challenge the ATF's ruling. "They've destroyed my dream," Akins said. "Eleven years of my life, gone like that." ATF officials stand behind their decision to outlaw the Akins Accelerator. Drew Wade, an agency spokesman in Washington, said the ATF initially approved the device after test firing a prototype that Akins sent them in 2003. Records indicate the prototype malfunctioned when it was tested and analyzed by a senior technician from the ATF's Firearms Technology Branch, according to Wade. But the agency approved the Accelerator anyway, saying in a letter that it did not meet the criteria for a machine gun and, as a concept, was allowable under federal law. "FTB has concluded that your submitted device is not designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun," Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officials wrote in a letter dated Aug. 23, 2005. Wade said the agency reversed its position after someone who bought a fully functioning Accelerator requested another test firing. And this time, he said, the mechanism worked. Shortly after, federal regulators issued a new ruling: The Akins Accelerator is prohibited under the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968. The stop-production order came in an ATF letter dated Nov. 22, 2006. Besides mailing in all recoil springs in stock and his customer list, the agency demanded Akins send an affidavit to each customer to account for all the devices sold. The recipients had to sign the document and return it to the ATF with the removed springs. Akins also refunded his customers' money. Wade wouldn't comment on Akins' contention that the ATF erred in its decision-making. "That's the bottom line is that we believe it's a machine gun," the spokesman said. "End of story." Akins questions that rationale. He cites sections of the 1968 gun control act that define a machine gun as a "weapon that, activated by the single pull of the trigger, initiates an automatic firing cycle which continues until either the finger is released or the ammunition supply is exhausted." "That's not what the Akins Accelerator does," he said. "It isn't a gun. It isn't a machine gun. It's an accessory; that's all it is. These guys are making it up as they go along." Officials from the NRA and the National Sports Shooting Association, chief advocates for gun ownership in the country, weren't willing to comment on Akins' dilemma. "We just don't know enough about it," said Ted Novin, the shooting association's president. Before he patented the Accelerator, Akins did his homework. He consulted lawyers such as James H. Jeffries III, who represented the NRA in high-profile lawsuits against the federal government, and sought a legal opinion from the ATF's Firearms Technology Branch. They all felt that it was permissible under federal law. "I wouldn't have invested millions of dollars on this if I knew it wasn't legal," Akins said. Bringing his product to the marketplace, he established the Akins Group Inc., took out bank loans and a second mortgage on his home to fund production and began advertising in Shotgun News and other firearms publications. The Accelerators, made of injection molded plastic, sold for about $1,000 apiece. They came in a small box with tools and instructions on how to attach the device to a semiautomatic rifle. Similar to a Hellfire — which attaches to the trigger guard and already is on the market — the Accelerator was based on the practice of bump firing, or shooting a semiautomatic rifle from the hip and allowing the weapon's recoil to pull the trigger. Once the trigger is pulled, the Accelerator's spring mechanism takes over and the trigger reverberates at high speed, using recoil resistance to imitate automatic fire. Most of the Accelerators were made for a Ruger 10/22, but Akins intended to make them for other rifles. Overnight, the buzz about the Accelerator spread across the Internet. "This thing is cool," one buyer gushed in a sporting chat room. "I can't believe it's legal." But in 2006, several months after full production began, the ATF reversed its original ruling, outlawing the device and leaving Akins with a worthless product. Akins wrote to the ATF, asking for clarification. What followed was a flurry of vague and often contradictory correspondence that never fully explained why the federal regulators changed their position, Akins said. "I wanted to explode," he recalled. "I started calling everyone I know, looking for help." The NRA understood his dilemma, a spokesman told him, but didn't have a dog in the fight. He turned to pro-gun Republicans in the state Legislature and Congress. Staff members promised someone would look into it. "They said they couldn't do anything," Akins said. "Their hands are tied." At the very least, he hoped to recover some of the money — his own and investors — which he estimates at several million dollars. "I don't understand how the federal government could come into my life like this, destroy my business and not offer compensation," Akins said. "We did everything by the books." The man behind the Akins Accelerator has toured the country impersonating Elvis onstage. He and his wife, Jeannie, live in a modest home, on 2 acres along a winding road, in a rural corner of west Pasco County where you still can see the stars at night. "I haven't made a lot of money over the years," Akins said. "But I've done alright for myself." He considers himself a patriot and a rugged individualist, in the Jeffersonian tradition. He is an unflinching defender of the Second Amendment and a 30-year member of the NRA who learned to appreciate guns as a kid hunting rabbits in rural Florida. He joined the Marine Corps at the height of the Vietnam War. He has voted Republican his entire life, twice for George W. Bush. And he loves his country. "I was brought up to believe in America, in the principles of right and wrong" Akins said. "My boyhood heroes were John Wayne and Roy Rogers. I was a child of the 1950s." That's why his ongoing feud with the federal government and the lack of backup for his cause have shaken him to the core. He cites the Ruby Ridge shootings and the Branch Davidian siege by ATF agents in Waco, Texas, as examples of how that government crushes dissent. He wonders if they will come for him, too. "They're a bunch of jack-booted thugs," he fumed. "I wonder what they would they do if I just showed up at the ATF offices with my rifle in hand? What would they do? Kill me?" He also said he feels betrayed by the pro-gun lobby. A few weeks ago, the NRA sent him a membership renewal. Akins stared at the one-page letter for a while. He sighed. "I couldn't bring myself to renew it," he said. "What's the point, right?" |
PSH, of course they dont, you dont need one of those things to hunt! lol, jk jk  I'm sure they just dont want the legal hassle of supporting him when it really wouldnt win them anything in the long run. I'm sure thats the justification they used.BTW wherent there rumors that Ruger pressured the BATFE for this revised ruling? |
Here is Mr Akins reply to the article on the Tribune's website.
Oops, next post down as well. 
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Ruger had no direct role in the reclassification ruling, and AFAIK no indirect role, either. When BATFE tested the prototype, it worked poorly or not at all, and IMHO they wrote it off as another Hellfire type device that would see little sales or effectiveness. Sure, they said, build and sell it. Then the Accelerator went into production and the videos, glowing reviews, etc. went viral on the internet. Yes, the BATFE knows how to surf. I expect there were some interesting emails and memos going up and down the agency food chain. It prolly did not help that internet posters were openly mocking and taunting BATFE about it. Everyone with a stick just had to poke the tiger. But before BATFE could come up with a way to do it on their own, one well-known owner with no connection to Ruger -- in an act for which he has been vilified -- sent Tech Branch his own personal Accelerator production model, with a request that BATFE confirm it was legal to own. And that gave BATFE the opening it needed to reclassify the Accelerator as an MG, via a creative rewriting of legal definitions. 
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I'm pretty certain that the initial prototype was with an SKS not a 10/22 which probably added to the ATFs frustrations 
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I bought one. It was fun for a while, but I ended up returning it for a refund before the ATF renigged. It was a very clever design, which was perfect for the 10/22 because of the way the barrel attaches to the receiver.... made the device easy to install. However... the stock was a bit flimsy. It felt like it was delicate. I sent mine back. Thank God, I sent mine back. As far as I know, no refunds went out after the ATF renigged. I don't blame The Akins Group... I'm sure the legal fees were huge. |
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+1 What stupidass shit-for-brains did that? |
A guy named Eric Larson I understand now. Read this thread by Mr Akins himself: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=652118 |
The Akins Accelerator is essentially an auto sear, which just happens to fit outside the gun rather than to drop inside it. 26 USC 5845(b) defines "machine gun" as any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person. On November 1, 1981, by ATF Ruling 81-4, ATF declared that they consider these items {AR15 Drop-In Auto Sears} to be machine guns in themselves, as they were "a combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a weapon to shoot automatically more than one shot". In particular, ATF claimed that "the single addition of this auto sear to certain AR15-type semi-automatic rifles, manufactured with M16 internal components already installed, will convert such rifles into machine guns." Thus, by ATF's logic, the Akins Accelerator constitutes a combination of parts designed and intended for use in converting a Ruger 10/22 carbine to shoot automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The single addition of the Akins Accelerator to the Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic carbine will convert such carbines into machine guns. I do not endorse ATF's position, but I can see its logic. Morever, as I recently stated in another post, public policy dictated that ATF find a way, using existing laws and prior rulings, to prevent more machine guns from coming into existence. There was no way ATF was going to let this (Akins Accelerator) happen and continue on to other weapons (SKS). OK, flame suit on... |
As I said when it first came up, I think this is where the line is. On one side of the line is bumpfiring, where you're doing it, on the other hand is a machinegun, where the mechanism is doing it. The Accelerator is right on the line and could go either way, I think. In the original SKS submitted, it's possible that the mechanism was not as sensitive. Meanwhile, when reviewing the completed assembly, it became obvious (well, obvious enough to make a ruling) that the stock is "pulling" the trigger rather than the person, or something... Anyway, he got approval on an idea, but didn't seem to submit a completed product to them before going into mass production. It's an expensive mistake to make. |
but they took back the shoestring ruling didn't they? Is that not the same? |
Practical application. Look at the RDIAS. That was not a MG until it worked and sold in large numbers. Same with Open Bolt Semis. BMF Activator, Hellfire, etc. do not work well so they are ignored. ShoeLace MGs are not practical either. The AA worked. It was adaptable to other weapons. No way, no how could they let an accurate, controllable, gun able to shoot 1500 RPM on the market. It was inevitable. I wish I could have made book on this getting overturned in Vegas. I would be rich. Want another prediction? The days of the Trust/Corp not requiring a CLEO/BGCheck for NFA are numbered. |
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The operative statement is "single function of the trigger." His device does not fire multiple rounds without multiple "functions" of the trigger. It ain't rocket surgery and anyone who thinks otherwise is being intellectually dishonest. I don't care how close to the line you think it got, it never crossed it. Click bang, click bang, repeat, never does it go click bang bang bang. |
Hook a motor up to a BMF activator and create a pseudo minigun and it is illegal, even though the trigger is only firing one shot per trigger pull. ATF will tell you the trigger is now the switch. Same principle here. The trigger as we know it is no longer the trigger. |
Apples and oranges. Now you're gonna tell me if I wear a down jacket and I can bump fire easier with it on that I'm wearing a machine gun. A hand crank is legal. A motorized one is not. |
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Just another bunch of Dedicated Public Servants  -------------------------------------------------- "Under the threat of imprisonment, officials ordered Akins to cease production, turn over the recoil springs from his existing stock and hand over his customer list. And they didn't give him a dime in return..... ATF officials stand behind their decision to outlaw the Akins Accelerator. Drew Wade, an agency spokesman in Washington, said the ATF initially approved the device after test firing a prototype that Akins sent them in 2003... Records indicate the prototype malfunctioned when it was tested and analyzed by a senior technician from the ATF's Firearms Technology Branch, according to Wade. But the agency approved the Accelerator anyway, saying in a letter that it did not meet the criteria for a machine gun and, as a concept, was allowable under federal law. "FTB has concluded that your submitted device is not designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun," Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officials wrote in a letter dated Aug. 23, 2005. Wade said the agency reversed its position after someone who bought a fully functioning Accelerator requested another test firing.... Shortly after, federal regulators issued a new ruling: The Akins Accelerator is prohibited under the National Firearms Act and the Gun Control Act of 1968. The stop-production order came in an ATF letter dated Nov. 22, 2006. Besides mailing in all recoil springs in stock and his customer list, the agency demanded Akins send an affidavit to each customer to account for all the devices sold. The recipients had to sign the document and return it to the ATF with the removed springs. Akins also refunded his customers' money. Wade wouldn't comment on Akins' contention that the ATF erred in its decision-making. "That's the bottom line is that we believe it's a machine gun," the spokesman said. "End of story." ---------------------------- Yeah , right.  |
Your beef is with ATF, not me. As hrt4me wrote, "I do not endorse ATF's position, but I can see its logic" same with me. And understanding their logic is crucial to surviving in this industry. |
You need to quote all of my and your post. You are wrong as well as ATF.
Highlighted in red is your major malfunction.  |
I have been predicting that for over a year now, so I'm on the same page with you. Finally, regarding the Akins Accelerator (and without trying to debate the technicalities of its function), the simple test is to query the average citizen (reasonable person), gun owner or not, and ask whether the Akins Accelerator is a machine gun... if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then.... well, as RenegadeX stated, ATF was just not going to let that happen/continue. |
Exactly. The BATF enforces the intent of the law, gun owners are trying to Sea-Lawyer the definition of a MG and find a loophole. Never gonna happen. Sea-Lawyering the definition for loopholes is a fun exercise for the Internet discussion, but a bad idea to build a product on. 40 years of ATF and some folks still do not get it, some never will. In the spirit of Xmas, here is another free prediction - Tannerite and similar products also have a limited future. |
Lets go with that. The original intent of the law was to keep mg's out of the hands of gangsters and the like, etc., etc.. Since Mr. Akins has never been shown to have any ties with organized crime or any other shady activities then the law should not pertain to him according to your "intent" principle. I always thought they were law enforcement officers, not intent of the law enforcement officers. The law is the law is the law. The only things I have ever found in the laws that give permission to make stuff up are some of the "provisions to carry out xyz law" statements. I always thought it was up to the judge or jury to determine the intent. Both of the law and of the accused. If that has obviously changed then that is another whole truckload of worms. Allowing agencies other than congress to make "laws" as we go along is a slippery slope which I am afraid we seem to be on. When we the people hit bottom and get up and do something about it remains to be seen. |
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I don't even think that the issue is whether this product is legal or illegal. The issue is that the inventor showed BATFE the product and asked them if it was legal, and he received legal documentation stating that it WAS. This is BEFORE he produced it. If BATFE reverses a decision like this, then they should own up to that mistake and compensate Akins for his loss. Last time I checked, those clauses about "due process of law" and "just compensation" in the Bill of Rights were still legally binding. There's nothing wrong with BATFE "changing its mind", but for them to place the burden on the producer for that mistake is not only wrong, it's Constitutionally criminal. But then again, one could argue that the whole NFA in general is a violation of the Bill of Rights (2A). I suppose BATFE is above the law. Don't piss them off.
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Please show me any documentation from BATFE where they stated the "Akins Accelerator" is legal. In fact, I do not think the "Akins Group", MFG of the "Akins Accelerator", ever submitted anything to ATF for approval, but I am not 100% sure. I think this is the crux of the issue. |
I just see what was in the article: "FTB has concluded that your submitted device is not designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun," Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officials wrote in a letter dated Aug. 23, 2005. |
Yeah, that is the part that is depressing about it. I can't stand seeing posts like "this ban or that ban is coming" or "the ATF was right in their ruling on such and such case." |
I thought that since a Thompson cost around $225 at the time, and the tax was $200, that the original intent of the NFA was a way to ban machineguns and suppressors by making them too expensive. |
He didn't submit a 10-22 with Akin's Accelerator as produced. (AFAIK) He submitted an SKS with a similar device that didn't work. |
It's simple, you pull the trigger, your hand stops against the stock. Now, the gun recoils back and it continues to actuate the trigger against your finger. You no longer actuate the trigger, the trigger is moved against your finger. The firing sequence is handled by the conversion device, not your finger. Now, explain to me in function how this is different from a regular full auto? |
Because the trigger moves once each time a bullet leaves the barrel. A "single function of the trigger." On a full auto weapon, you pull (function)the trigger once and hold it (single function) and then all the bullets in the magazine are cycled through the action. Multiple cartridges fired with one function of the trigger. On Mr Akins device the trigger must function each time a cartridge is fired. One bullet, one function of the trigger. Remainder of post deleted by moderator to remove personal attacks. |
Akins did not submit it, Bowers did (according to the letters posted on subguns). |
As I said, in ATF's position, you are not pulling the trigger, the stock is. This is what I mean by being "on the line", bumpfiring requires some action on your part, the Akin's is designed not to. It's an odd circumstance. |
I may be in error, going from memory of when this thing broke a while back. From memory, they never submitted the completed design, only early prototype(s). |
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