Sympathetic Magic: ATF Redefining “Machine Gun” Again

Due to the magic of the Internet, you are now — by ATF standards — in unlawful possession of three machineguns. Go directly to jail. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.

This story has been making the rounds in the past day or two:

An Orange Park man faces a firearms charge with a possible 10-year prison sentence after federal agents reported finding 1,552 devices in his home that could turn semiautomatic rifles into machine guns.
[…]
A court filing March 3 said Ervin was involved with a website that sold metal devices shaped similar to credit cards that can make an AR-15 rifle fire automatically like a machine gun. The products were built to different sizes, such as a business bard and a pen holder, priced from $80 to $139.

In fact, you’re really in possession of six machineguns, because here is the “machinegun” that Ervin allegedly possessed.

It’s a picture of a “lightning link” (three, in fact) printed on a piece of metal. Printed; not scored, not cut-out. Printed. If a picture of a thing is the thing (how magical), then the medium doesn’t really matter. When you read this page, your browser automatically downloaded those machinegun images — and the AutoKeyCard — to your computer. You now possess “machineguns.” That pounding on your door is the ATF.

The AutoKeyCard is a two dimensional picture of a three dimensional gadget. I’ve seen exactly zero lamestream media urinalists question the ATF as to how exactly a 2D picture of a 3D device can possibly be an actual working machinegun.

The author of that particular “news” report, Steven Patterson, defended the ATF for Ervin’s arrest because “an agent bought one of these pieces of metal and followed the outline with a Dremel cutter to produce a metal sheet that he inserted into an AR-15 and fired as a full-automatic weapon.” He was unable to explain why an unfinished frame/receiver that’s been 80% machined is not a firearm, but a 0% machined “lightning link” is a machinegun part.

Amusingly — in a morbid way — Patterson claimed the part was not a machinegun, despite that being part of the very definition of “machinegun” in 26 U.S. Code § 5845.

Expect this garbage to accelerate during the Gropin’ Joe & Ho administration. Prepare appropriately.

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3 thoughts on “Sympathetic Magic: ATF Redefining “Machine Gun” Again”

  1. Now I am almost afraid to click on over here to TZP, for fear of inadvertently being made into a felon, for the content that you post. I wonder if I read really fast, then quickly leave the site, if the BATFE will let me go, for temporary insanity?
    Or, more likely, they are the ones with temporary insanity.

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