Popular AR-15 Manufacturer Pleads Guilty in Rare Gun Industry Prosecution

[SecularMotion]

The holiday season kicked off with record sales for gunmakers, but it was decidedly less than happy for one Connecticut gunmaker. Stag Arms, known for its popular left-handed AR-15s, plead guilty to violating the National Firearms Act, which requires people and organizations to register any machine guns in their possession with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Stag founder Mark Malkowski entered the plea on the company’s behalf just before Christmas.

The charges come after ATF agents inspecting facilities last year found approximately 3,000 rifle receivers and 22 machine gun receivers without serial numbers. Some of those receivers — the part of a gun that contains the trigger group and magazine well, and is itself legally defined as a firearm by the ATF — had no identifying markings at all. The inspectors also found the company hadn’t complied with manufacturing recordkeeping requirements, which state that a gunmaker must document the make, caliber, and serial number of each firearm produced. Serial numbers and manufacturing records help law enforcement track a weapon’s chain of custody; they’re essential tools for combatting gun trafficking.

As a result of Stag’s plea, the company will pay $500,000 in fines and Malkowski will personally pay $100,000. Stag will forfeit 109 of those receivers seized during a May raid. Malkowski must also sell the company and agree never to own or manage a gun company. These penalties give Stag the unfortunate distinction of being one of the rare gun makers to actually face criminal prosecution for misconduct. Heavy as the fines sound, they could have been far steeper. Possession of a single unregistered machine gun or a firearm without a serial number can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

http://www.thetrace.org/2016/01/connecticut-gunmaker-loses-license/

[Duckhunter935]

1. I thought you told us gun manufacturers

Were exempted from the law. Glad the feds enforced EXISTING law. Stag will be sold and hopefully the new owner will follow federal law.

Any comment on how federal law has been enforced here? Great post showing existing laws work, good job.

[daybranch]

2. AR 15s can be converted to machine guns

and there is a legal modification to increase their firing rate to almost that of machine guns. We need to stop the sales of such modifications too. We also need to make high capacity magazines illegal.

[Duckhunter935]

3. you have been lied to

The receivers have been modified since 1986 to prevent that. The parts required to convert the trigger assembly are considered machine gun parts and highly regulated and expensive. Timing is very important for fully automatic operation.

[DonP]

4. Ummmm, no they can't

That's another one of the gun control urban myths that relies on people having no idea what the current laws are and what's involved in "converting" a gun from semi to full auto or select fire capability.

My sister used to cling to that fairy tale too, until I took apart one of the 4 ARs I have built and showed her how it was impossible to do, without a handy machine shop and the skill set to run it.

In simple terms the parts needed just won't fit.

[sarisataka]

5. Unpossible

we have often been told that gun manufacturers have a special exemption, that no other industry has, that protects them from any lawsuit, for any reason.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. another duplicate; old news

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1172183186

[Eleanors38]

7. A little late with this. Why? You are normally Johnny-on-the-spot.

[flamin lib]

8. Another law abiding citizen until he wasn't . . . nt

[friendly_iconoclast]

9. Your cut-n-paste reply isn't actually relevant, as more than one person was involved

Having an off day?

[DonP]

10. Alternative generic gun post responses also include ...

"What could possibly go wrong"

and

"If only they had a gun of their own"

All are appropriate responses for anyone not paying attention to the facts for any firearm or criminal related post. They are to be considered "witty" and "insightful" by people that can't tell a gun from a yard rake.