I had a question about the purchase of a M4. As a Sheriff Deputy can I purchase a 14.5" M4 or am I restricted to the 16". Granted I am talking about semi-auto here. I currently have a 16" but realy like the 14.5". I am attending 2 courses which would allow me to carry the M4 while on/off duty (in a vehicle). Thanks in advance for your input.

No you cant personally own the 14.5" version without the proper paperwork. What I do for officers who want something shorter than the 16" is sell them a 14.5" with a pinned and welded A2 comp on the end. This brings it up to 16". This is 1.5" shorter thana a 16" with a comp.

I'm dept armorer, what I do is build short barrel uppers out of 10.5 inch barrels that the dept. purchases, they belong to the department so we just drop them on duty guns and go.
The lower is registered to you and when you want you can just swap the barrels out.

I hope you are aware that installing 10.5 inch uppers on ar15 receivers is manufacture of a short barreled rifle.

Only the federal government can build NFA weapons without any sort of paperwork. State police departments must file a Form 10? and are exempt from the $200 making tax. Additionally, you cannot legally install these uppers on receivers that are not registered as short barreled rifles, especially if the uppers are owned by the department and the receivers/rifle are owned by the individual officers.

If these uppers have flash hiders or other 'AW' features, you cannot install them on non LAW enforcement/military marked rifles or postban rifles.


-M

here in MN, as a deputy sheriff, i have bought a new m4 (semi, 14.5 bbl, collapsible stock, etc) with personal funds.  The caveat is that if and when i leave the service of law enforcement i return it to the county and they then reimburse me for the cost.  if i leave the service of the county for a different agency, the weapon gets transferred to my new agency and i then possess it while there.  as far as select fire, i cannot purchase with my personal funds, but through the dept, i can possess and use any type of weapon, be it short-barrelled, auto, semi, or whatever.  that is not to be construed to mean that i can take a dept weapon to use for personal reasons, (ie personal range day, hunting) but i can take it to the range and blast away for dept practice/training.  

edited to add:
and of course, all purchases made this way are on department letterhead and signed by my sheriff or chief deputy and that includes magazines.