Is it illegal to remove importer's mark?

H

Hedley

New member
I've noticed that some K-31's don't have the electropenciled CAI number on them, while mine does. It irritates me as much as engraved safety warnings. It's not the serial number. Before I have the metal re-blued, would I be commiting a no-no by carefully grinding off the electropenciling, and getting it back to the way it was in 1942? Is it proof of importation date, and if so, is that why there are some without this grafitti?
 
Under Federal law, it is perfectly legal for the owner of the firearm to remove the importer's mark. I have a letter from BATF Hq confirming this.

It makes sense, since a lot of those marks are on the barrel of the firearm. If the firearm is rebarreled, there is no requirement to remark the barrel.

That being said, be sure and check any state laws that might not allow removal of the mark.

As to the question of why some imported firearms do not have the importer's mark, the marking was not required until the passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968. Any imported before that will not have the mark. Also, I'm sure that some of the thousand of firearms imported since 1968 fell through the crack and were not marked.
 
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