ATF Decision Reversal on Akins Accelerator

More than one round fired with just one pull of the trigger?

Then it's a machine gun. ATF oopsed the first time by letting it slide.
 
Then it's a machine gun. ATF oopsed the first time by letting it slide.

Not unless they changed the definition of a few words. The trigger is depressed for each shot. I don't know how it could be any clearer.
 
The trigger is depressed for each shot.
The trigger moves back away from the finger and then back forward along with the entire action.

It would be far more accurate to say that the trigger depresses itself for each shot.

The trigger finger and the stock do not move.
 
But the thing to keep in mind is THEY HAD IT IN THERE HANDS AND SAID IT WAS OK!!! There is no getting past that part in my book.

If the ATF does not have a clue what the law is how can they enforce it. Their whole purpose for existing is to know and enforce the law, what they are admitting by revoking their prior statement is that they neither know the law nor how to enforce it. So why is it they keep getting tax payers money to fail the only task they exist for? (Maybe they need a name change BATE)
 
But the thing to keep in mind is THEY HAD IT IN THERE HANDS AND SAID IT WAS OK!!! There is no getting past that part in my book.
I agree 100%.

If they're going to enforce stupid, illogical laws, at the VERY least, they need to do it consistently. :D
 
The trigger moves back away from the finger and then back forward along with the entire action.

It would be far more accurate to say that the trigger depresses itself for each shot.

The trigger finger and the stock do not move.

Irrelevant. The sear is disengaged by activation of the trigger against the finger for EACH SHOT. It doesn't matter that the finger doesn't move. If it did bump firing would be illegal.
 
It is far easier to use than the Tac or Hellfire triggers, but still, in the end they are devices to accomplish the same thing. ATF even compared them (the Accelerator) to the Tac's and Hellfires in their letter to Mr. Bowers. In my book, this means that ANY device to aid in bump-firing would have to be illegal according to this reversal.
 
In a FA the auto sear (or secondary trigger) is tripped by the moving bolt. In this case the trigger has become the auto sear and is tripped by the moving action. I think the only place all this discussion may lead to is a rewording of the regulation to cover the supposed "loophole". (And they don't "have to" grandfather anything if they don't want to. I'm afraid that those that spent their $1000 may have just learned the lesson of what can happen when one skates on thin ice.)
 
The sear is disengaged by activation of the trigger against the finger for EACH SHOT. It doesn't matter that the finger doesn't move. If it did bump firing would be illegal.
In bump firing, the weak hand pulls the gun back forward against the trigger finger for each shot. In effect, the ACTION required to be performed by the shooter for each shot is done by the opposite hand while the trigger hand/finger doesn't move. But there is still an action done by the shooter for each shot or the gun will stop firing.

In the Akins device, deadin has it exactly correct. There is no ACTION by the shooter that fires all shots other than the first one, the gun does everything. They effectively made the whole action reciprocate and the trigger becomes an autosear as a result.

Bump-firing is still legal, but if you make a device that bumpfires without needing any help from the shooter (other than a single trigger pull), that clearly crosses the threshold of legality as far as I can see.

Did the BATF reason it out that logically? Dunno. Anyway, the main issue is the reversal, which I think everyone agrees is messed up.
 
Last edited:
In bump firing, the weak hand pulls the gun back forward against the trigger finger for each shot. In effect, the ACTION required to be performed by the shooter for each shot is done by the opposite hand while the trigger hand/finger doesn't move. But there is still an action done by the shooter for each shot or the gun will stop firing.

In the Akins device, deadin has it exactly correct. There is no ACTION by the shooter that fires all shots other than the first one, the gun does everything. They effectively made the whole action reciprocate and the trigger becomes an autosear as a result.

That's a strong argument. I might even agree except the ATF, as stated, gave it's approval and classified it as a non-NFA accessory.
 
Don't have a Shotgun News handy...

They list the lead time for ads somewhere in there. Thought it was 6 weeks. If that's true, the ads running in the current issue were placed & paid for a month & a half ago.
 
Back
Top