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Old August 26, 2013, 02:31 PM   #7
James K
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Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
Actually, the law has to do with assembling certain rifles and shotguns that had been banned from import as "non-sporting", but of course a rifle or shotgun illegally assembled would be illegal to possess.

The rationale is that if certain firearms are banned from import in an assembled condition, it should also be illegal to import their parts and assemble them in the U.S. But, when BATF wrote the regulations, it had to decide if a firearm of the type that was banned could be made in the U.S. with any foreign parts or if so, how many parts would make it illegal under the law. The resulting regulation (27 CFR 478.89) settled (for no special reason) on ten imported parts. So a rifle or shotgun banned from import can be made or assembled in the U.S. as long as it does not have more than 10 imported parts.

Here is the law, 18 USC § 922 (r)
(r) It shall be unlawful for any person to assemble from imported parts any semiautomatic rifle or any shotgun which is identical to any rifle or shotgun prohibited from importation under section 925 (d)(3) of this chapter as not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes except that this subsection shall not apply to—
(1) the assembly of any such rifle or shotgun for sale or distribution by a licensed manufacturer to the United States or any department or agency thereof or to any State or any department, agency, or political subdivision thereof; or
(2) the assembly of any such rifle or shotgun for the purposes of testing or experimentation authorized by the Attorney General.

The regulation is 27 CFR 478.89, and you can Google that to get the full regulation and which parts count, as well as comments on it.

Jim
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