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Hmmm...I find this odd. Doesn't the Taurus Judge shoot .410 shells. Yes I know the pistol has a rifled barrel. But still smooth bore, rifled bore what is the big deal with that short of a barrel? It's a still a shotgun shell.
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The primary difference is that the Judge does have a rifled barrel and also fires pistol ammo (.45 Colt). If it had been chambered for
only a shotgun round with a smooth bore, it would be illegal as a short-barreled-shotgun.
Mr. Craig probably had some form of pistol often called an "Auto Burglar" similar to the Ithaca 20ga model below. These were popular in the 20's & 30's until the NFA made them illegal without registration. They were more popular in 28-ga and .410 than in 20ga.
The most amazing part of this story is the cooperation Mr. Craig received from the local ATF agent, David Hyche. It is usually the ATF that forces surrender of such weapons as a violation of the '34 NFA. Mr. Hyche should receive letters commending his actions in finding a way for Mr. Craig to keep a valuable collector's gun.
Especially in these hard times, if Mr. Craig can work out a way of legally transferring the gun to a museum or collector, he'll benefit and so will someone else.
Of course, we should keep a vigil eye out for a follow-up story where Hyche's bosses decide to raid Mr. Craig's house and prosecute him at a later date.