Thursday, January 24, 2013

Zip Gun Arbitrage

No portion of this post or blog constitutes legal advice.  Remember, the police are not always your friends.  When they say "no questions asked" it does not constitute anything meaningful.

Ever wonder what the hell is going through the heads of the cops and their bosses in your area whenever they have a "gun buyback" three-ring-circus?  Me too.  Nobody who actually uses guns in the course of their business, like highwaymen or Dollar Store robbers, would dare sell the main tool of their trade to the police.  Especially at a lower price than they paid, or even a lower price than the risk they took when they stole the piece.

So, here is an idea.  Next time there is a gun buyback in your area, make a cheap zip gun and turn it in.  Make sure you spend less on it than the cops are paying you for it and you have an instant profit!

Don't try using any of these gadgets.

9mm
.22 cal.
12 Ga.
If your elected officials are going to pay you more for your craftsmanship than anybody else . . .

Interesting, after SaysUncle.Com  posted this (and generated more hits in one day than I get in months), it showed up in the Seattle Times, in the comments section.

Update:


5 comments:

  1. Given that some, if not all of these guns are NFA "Any Other Weapons," making them and turning them in to local authorities could still result in Federal charges.

    Talk to a lawyer! Just finished a discussion here over "Is a flare gun plus a .22 adaptor an AOW?" No firm conclusion.

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    1. Yes, flare guns with pistol caliber adapters are AOWs. the only exception is a 12 gauge flare adapter in a 26 mm flare gun, when used with 12 gauge flares only. Source: BATFE

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    2. And the pipe gun is illegal as they are not of a type of firearm recognized by the ATF. No rifled barrel, no grip, not a recognized sporting, target or defense weapon. Look up pen and zip guns, both are unlawful to make anywhere in the USA without approval, registration, and paying the $200 tax and some states require a serial number to be stamped on the receiver before assembly. the tube shotgun has no stock, a barrel less than 18 inches, no safety or sights, making it an AOW, ATF fee to make is $200 with prior approval for one's own use only. not worth it, believe me.

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    3. The M16 receiver may require a permit and serial number in some cities/states/countries. and I wouldn't take a plastic lower receiver on board an airliner as a statement or test of luggage scanners, even without the inner parts and upper receiver, there's already a law in effect against having a ceramic or plastic weapon or parts thereof on your person or checked as luggage, don't mess with the TSA, they're kind of touchy about stunts like that.

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  2. That is why I wrote the first paragraph.

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