ar-15 legalities - The Firearms Forum

board917 · 02-04-2008, 06:13 PM

i am in the process of building an AR-15, but im confused about the legalities. From wut i read an AR with a collapsing stock is considered illegal. IF this is so then how do gun shops get away with selling them? It accepts a detachable mag, has a pistol grip, a collapsible stock and more often than not a flash suppressor.

southernshooter · 02-04-2008, 07:45 PM

What state do you live in

board917 · 02-04-2008, 11:14 PM

florida

Crpdeth · 02-07-2008, 10:57 PM

Board917

Those things are NOT illegal anymore, trick your baby out and enjoy her...But please allow me to be redundant, even if the regulars around here are sick of hearing me say it. Do it now! The ban has indeed sunset (Yes, even for you Florida folks), but they may pass another ban next week for all we know...One thing for sure is that they are constantly trying and they WILL get lucky eventually!

Pick up a hand full of good quality mags while you are at it.

Crpdeth

sorral · 07-27-2008, 07:32 PM

I am thinking about moving to California for business reasons, can I get a good M4 there?.....legally?

LDBennett · 07-28-2008, 07:35 AM

sorral:

CA still has an Assault Weapons ban. AR's are defintiely outlawed except.....

The law defines an assault weapon as a semi-auto, centerfire cartridge, removable magazine rifle with other features like a thumbhole stock or a protruding pistol grip or a flash hidder (can have a muzzle break) or a minimum length.

The "trick" to CA ownership is to make the gun have a non-removable magazine. For the AR they sell a "bullet activated magazine release button". It replaces the standard one and depressing it with the finger will not release the magazine. You use the point of a bullet to push the button to release the magazine and that makes it legal. The law says that a fixed magazine may be removable with the use of tools and the bullet is defined as a tool.

There are other requirements and a visit to

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/index.php

and a few questions there will clarify transfer of the AR-15 to CA and any other leagality questions.

LDBennett

graehaven · 07-28-2008, 07:44 AM

Be sure to check your state laws carefully. Here in New York, there was no sunset on the ban, they extended it, and are trying to expand it.

Having an AR here is legal, but, you do have restrictions on it. We can have pre-ban magazines though, which is nice. So I pick up those at the gun shows twice a year. Last spring I cleaned a guy out, bought all that he had. He was a bit surprised, but happy.

jinn · 08-01-2008, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graehaven

Be sure to check your state laws carefully. Here in New York, there was no sunset on the ban, they extended it, and are trying to expand it.
Having an AR here is legal, but, you do have restrictions on it.

We can have pre-ban magazines though, which is nice.
For now, anyway. As long as someone keeps preferring "leadership" by the likes of Bloomberg, how long before........

So I pick up those at the gun shows twice a year. Last spring I cleaned a guy out, bought all that he had. He was a bit surprised, but happy.

3ME · 03-05-2009, 10:39 AM

Being the Devil's Advocate, and all State and Local Laws not considered, isn't it still illegal to modify a post-ban (one manufactured after the ban began but before it was repealed) AR-15 so that it has a adjustable stock, bayonet lug and flash hider? I may be wrong, and if I am please tell me. I have a Rock River I would love to fit with a decent flash hider instead of that stupid pressed on junk.

bcj1755 · 03-05-2009, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3ME

Being the Devil's Advocate, and all State and Local Laws not considered, isn't it still illegal to modify a post-ban (one manufactured after the ban began but before it was repealed) AR-15 so that it has a adjustable stock, bayonet lug and flash hider? I may be wrong, and if I am please tell me. I have a Rock River I would love to fit with a decent flash hider instead of that stupid pressed on junk.

As far as I know, you can modify a post-ban into a pre-ban configuration. I know Century Arms did that with a bunch of their low-cap WASR-10s that could only accept a singlestack mag. They opened up the mag well so they can take doublestack 30 rd mags.

bluesea112 · 03-07-2009, 10:46 PM

In Texas we can do anything we want to do with our AR's; as long as they meet minimam length requirements. As far as I know, California is the only state with obsurd restrictions.

LDBennett · 03-08-2009, 08:06 AM

But in California you currently can tailor a military semi-auto (AR, FN-FAL,
PTR-91, etc) to slip between the lines of the written law. Indeed some barrel attachments can not be used as well as magazine capacities (only ten rounders) and some stock configurations are forbidden. The biggie is that if you meet all the other criteria you only have to disable the magazine release and use a receiver from a gun not listed in the assault weapons ban law. Some of these receivers have a blind magazine making loading of the fixed magazine have to be done thourgh the open chamber, but most have a mag release that requires a tool to actuate (a bullet nose is deemed a tool by the most recent interpretation of the law but any tool is OK).

I now have an AR with a blind magazine well, an FN-FAL that requires an allen wrench to remove the magazine but can be loaded through the top by the use of a cutaway chamber cover and have on order a PTR-91 with a tool operated mag button. There are Saiga semi-auto that come designed for sale in CA that are similar to AK's.

Where there is a will there is a way and in this case a legal way to own some so called assult weapons in CA.

LDBennett

lowracer · 01-03-2010, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LDBennett

Indeed some barrel attachments can not be used as well as magazine capacities (only ten rounders) and some stock configurations are forbidden.LDBennett

Just to clarify, you can have 30-rounders in CA if you owned them before the ban and if you put them on a rifle that has none of the "evil" features including the pistol grip. Getting rid of most of the evil features is not a problem since they're largely cosmetic but the pistol grip is a challenge. Several options exist for replacing the pistol grip.

-Mark
Exile Machine LLC
www.exilemachine.com

hogger129 · 01-03-2010, 02:15 PM

What the he\\? There was no sunset on the ban in some places? I thought it all ended in 2004? Or was it just a "Federal" ban that ended in 2004? This sucks. I swear, I should move to Minnesota or something. Seems like everywhere you go, you can't do something.

lowracer · 01-03-2010, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hogger129

What the he\\? There was no sunset on the ban in some places? I thought it all ended in 2004? Or was it just a "Federal" ban that ended in 2004? This sucks. I swear, I should move to Minnesota or something. Seems like everywhere you go, you can't do something.

The Federal ban sunset in 2004. Some of the states liked it so much they wrote it into their own laws. Some states even added to it. The current list I have is CA,CT,DC,MA,NJ,NY, and Cook County (Chicago) IL. Laws vary from state to state, for example the eastern states consider a bayonet lug to be evil, but CA does not.

Hunt SD · 01-03-2010, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hogger129

What the he\\? There was no sunset on the ban in some places? I thought it all ended in 2004? Or was it just a "Federal" ban that ended in 2004? This sucks. I swear, I should move to Minnesota or something. Seems like everywhere you go, you can't do something.

South Dakota would be a even better choice then Minnesota

02-04-2008, 06:13 PM	#1
board917 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 76	ar-15 legalities i am in the process of building an AR-15, but im confused about the legalities. From wut i read an AR with a collapsing stock is considered illegal. IF this is so then how do gun shops get away with selling them? It accepts a detachable mag, has a pistol grip, a collapsible stock and more often than not a flash suppressor. -->

02-04-2008, 07:45 PM	#2
southernshooter Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Deep South Mississippi Posts: 5,943	Re: ar-15 legalities What state do you live in __________________ Only you can see this

02-04-2008, 11:14 PM	#3
board917 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 76	Re: ar-15 legalities florida

02-07-2008, 10:57 PM	#4
Crpdeth Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Location: Location Contributor Posts: 8,247	Re: ar-15 legalities Board917 Those things are NOT illegal anymore, trick your baby out and enjoy her...But please allow me to be redundant, even if the regulars around here are sick of hearing me say it. Do it now! The ban has indeed sunset (Yes, even for you Florida folks), but they may pass another ban next week for all we know...One thing for sure is that they are constantly trying and they WILL get lucky eventually! Pick up a hand full of good quality mags while you are at it. Crpdeth __________________ Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there. ~Eric Hoffer

07-27-2008, 07:32 PM	#5
sorral V.I.P. Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 153	Re: ar-15 legalities I am thinking about moving to California for business reasons, can I get a good M4 there?.....legally? __________________ "Guns don't kill people, husbands that come home early do"- Larry the Cable Guy 100% Infidel and lovin it!

07-28-2008, 07:35 AM	#6
LDBennett Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hesperia, CA Posts: 5,719	Re: ar-15 legalities sorral: CA still has an Assault Weapons ban. AR's are defintiely outlawed except..... The law defines an assault weapon as a semi-auto, centerfire cartridge, removable magazine rifle with other features like a thumbhole stock or a protruding pistol grip or a flash hidder (can have a muzzle break) or a minimum length. The "trick" to CA ownership is to make the gun have a non-removable magazine. For the AR they sell a "bullet activated magazine release button". It replaces the standard one and depressing it with the finger will not release the magazine. You use the point of a bullet to push the button to release the magazine and that makes it legal. The law says that a fixed magazine may be removable with the use of tools and the bullet is defined as a tool. There are other requirements and a visit to http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/index.php and a few questions there will clarify transfer of the AR-15 to CA and any other leagality questions. LDBennett Last edited by LDBennett; 07-28-2008 at 04:48 PM..

07-28-2008, 07:44 AM	#7
graehaven Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 2,853	Re: ar-15 legalities Be sure to check your state laws carefully. Here in New York, there was no sunset on the ban, they extended it, and are trying to expand it. Having an AR here is legal, but, you do have restrictions on it. We can have pre-ban magazines though, which is nice. So I pick up those at the gun shows twice a year. Last spring I cleaned a guy out, bought all that he had. He was a bit surprised, but happy. __________________ The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it." - Thomas Jefferson RESISTANCE IS FEUDAL... PREPARE TO SERVE.

03-05-2009, 10:39 AM	#9
3ME V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 57	Re: ar-15 legalities Being the Devil's Advocate, and all State and Local Laws not considered, isn't it still illegal to modify a post-ban (one manufactured after the ban began but before it was repealed) AR-15 so that it has a adjustable stock, bayonet lug and flash hider? I may be wrong, and if I am please tell me. I have a Rock River I would love to fit with a decent flash hider instead of that stupid pressed on junk. __________________ I have noticed that you don't see a lot of Obama stickers on cars that are headed to work.

03-07-2009, 10:46 PM	#11
bluesea112 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: West, TX Contributor Posts: 1,257	Re: ar-15 legalities In Texas we can do anything we want to do with our AR's; as long as they meet minimam length requirements. As far as I know, California is the only state with obsurd restrictions.

03-08-2009, 08:06 AM	#12
LDBennett Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Hesperia, CA Posts: 5,719	Re: ar-15 legalities But in California you currently can tailor a military semi-auto (AR, FN-FAL, PTR-91, etc) to slip between the lines of the written law. Indeed some barrel attachments can not be used as well as magazine capacities (only ten rounders) and some stock configurations are forbidden. The biggie is that if you meet all the other criteria you only have to disable the magazine release and use a receiver from a gun not listed in the assault weapons ban law. Some of these receivers have a blind magazine making loading of the fixed magazine have to be done thourgh the open chamber, but most have a mag release that requires a tool to actuate (a bullet nose is deemed a tool by the most recent interpretation of the law but any tool is OK). I now have an AR with a blind magazine well, an FN-FAL that requires an allen wrench to remove the magazine but can be loaded through the top by the use of a cutaway chamber cover and have on order a PTR-91 with a tool operated mag button. There are Saiga semi-auto that come designed for sale in CA that are similar to AK's. Where there is a will there is a way and in this case a legal way to own some so called assult weapons in CA. LDBennett

01-03-2010, 02:15 PM	#14
hogger129 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,069	Re: ar-15 legalities What the he\\? There was no sunset on the ban in some places? I thought it all ended in 2004? Or was it just a "Federal" ban that ended in 2004? This sucks. I swear, I should move to Minnesota or something. Seems like everywhere you go, you can't do something. __________________ Samuel Adams once said, "among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life, secondly to liberty, thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can."