ATF Decision Reversal on Akins Accelerator

Reading the documentation on their site, there are some good arguments on the side of the Akins company. I think the ATF will have a hard time countering those arguments, since the Akins accelerator doesn't fall within the official definition of a machine gun I don't see how the ATF can regulate it unless they change the definition, which I find unlikely.
 
I agree that there are good arguements against that ruling, specifically the definition of a Machine Gun. However, I see that a grey area exists in that definition "...by a single function of the trigger." I can forsee the ATF ruling that the initial pull of the trigger when using this device is the "single function" as your finger remains stationary after that initial pull and during 'automatic' fire. I also don't see that this would be up for review or appeal. The lawyers can argue their case, but I was under the assumption that ATF has the final say.
 
As the agency charged with carrying out the various gun control acts, ATFE is given considerable discretion in how it interprets the acts and the implementing regulations. I wouldn't hold out much hope for the company unless there is rather clear and convincing evidence that ATFE is flat wrong . . . and even, there is a good chance the court will rule against the company anyway.
 
But the ATF had the item in their hands and gave it their approval. The letter on their site is dated November 11 1996 it took over ten years to change their mind?

How does that work? Well I guess they will have to allow people to register them now.
 
But the ATF had the item in their hands and gave it their approval. The letter on their site is dated November 11 1996 it took over ten years to change their mind?

How does that work? Well I guess they will have to allow people to register them now.
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Apparantly the Fifth Amendment prohibition of double jeopardy doesn't apply to the Gestapo... I mean BATFE.

It is illegal to register any machine gun or machine gun kit after 1986, regardless of the circumstances. Thanks to this reversal, all the law-abiding citizens who own an AA are now instant felons.
 
It is illegal to register any machine gun or machine gun kit after 1986, regardless of the circumstances. Thanks to this reversal, all the law-abiding citizens who own an AA are now instant felons.
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This may or may not be the case. As stated above, there may be an amnesty or registration provided in this case. Maybe not, but we will just have to see how it turns out in court.
 
The "amnesty" would be for individuals to turn them in rather than be prosecuted, just as there would be an "amnesty" for someone who suddenly found themselves in possession of any other illegal device or substance.
 
Right you are. And those people would have been better-off donating that $1400 to me. Heck, I would have even sent them a personalized coffee mug for their generosity! :rolleyes:
 
:mad:

We need ATF reform NOW. The stupid illiterate american public voted in the gungrabbers and the reform bills that were formerly up for discussion will go nowhere.
 
We need ATF reform NOW
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Truer words have never been spoken. Especially when it comes to .gov intervention, if any other bureaus issued a statement and then arbitrarily recinded their position the public would be outraged. Us as gun owners, and especially NFA owners, need to stand up to ATF. How, I don't know right now, but we need to push for some better oversight for BATFE. Because of one decision, lots of people spent their hard-earned dollars (and paid taxes to boot!) on a device the ATF said was legal. Now those people could be out their money and .gov still gets to keep the taxes paid on those sales. This is a huge problem and needs a fixin'!
 
Especially when it comes to .gov intervention, if any other bureaus issued a statement and then arbitrarily recinded their position the public would be outraged.
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They do it quite often. Look up the EPA's flip flop on new source review for powerplant modifications. They issued one rule, signed off on a lot of modifications, then tried to screw the utilities years (even decades) later by saying the mods were never authorized under the regs notwithstanding their prior statements.
 
We need ATF reform NOW
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Yeah pretty much make up the rules as they go along. AND change them whenever they feel like it. I'm (sadly), not surprised about this....But remember these are the same people who declared a shoestring to be a machine gun.
 
Did you read the part in the ATF's first statement that said that the Accelerator was not comparable to those Hellfire triggers because they (the hellfires) took a lot of 'manipulation' to work as intended? Seems even the ATF knows that they are garbage...;)
 
OK, we seriously need to drug test everyone at the ATF as well as a rectal exam. This crap simply can't stand. I would write to my represenatives, but can someone give me some arguments in a nutshell (Besides, "This is ****** retarded") to use when I write my letter. I working on finals and can't think straight right now.
 
THe BATFE and the IRS have both been rogue branches that have gone unchecked and unbalanced it seems to me that they let it go for 10years and then suddenly make a ruling that you can no longer have it WTF? The only way that they can save face is buy either revoking their decision of making them illegal or grand fathering all those out there that already exsist waivering the 200.00 fee to those that have them and or just coming out and saying we know we are not within legal bounds of the law and we are disbanding as of today to avoid further embarassment and a waste of tax payer dollars.:D Ok wishful thinking on the later part
 
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Argh.

Akins should not have promoted the thing so much. If they had let it catch on through word-of-mouth they could have sold a few truckloads of them while it flew under the radar.

Did they manage to sell any before the BATFE cut them off at the knees?

If so, are the ones they sold now considered unregistered machine-guns?
 
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