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largeroastbeef t1_j4xu1t8 wrote

Reply to comment by Kabloosh75 in Philadelphia man manufactured ghost guns, including AR-15s, inside his Kensington home, prosecutors say by PoodlePopXX

So then what do you think the purpose of this guy making guns was?

Is it an easier way for felons to get guns? Is it cheaper? Maybe by avoiding taxes? Idk anything about guns

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SwagM0ns73r t1_j4xy62g wrote

Prolly selling to felons. Also, I think the article mentioned he was already a felon? Which would’ve restricted him from buying guns to start with.

Just some knowledge for you to know: If you’re buying a gun through any “actual retailer” you gotta go through a background check and same goes for gun shows. Private sales (me selling to a friend) on long guns (rifles and shotguns) do not require background checks.

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largeroastbeef t1_j4xzj08 wrote

I think they said felons are fine to buy gun parts since they are not actually a gun

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SwagM0ns73r t1_j4y0hwr wrote

Correct “Gun parts” are anything from triggers to complete uppers. Some guns are different than others but for the sake of this conversation, the only part on a gun that legally defines it as a gun is usually the lower. When purchasing a lower you need a background check (unless it’s an 80% (a lower without the holes drilled out)), any other part (triggers, barrels, uppers) do not require background checks.

In PA, you are legally allowed to build your own firearm (which includes 3D printing a lower as long as you’re not a felon) and are not required to register it anywhere.

The issue specifically in this article was the guy was ordering uppers and printing lowers.

(Also, not really giving out legal advice but to cover my ass I’m not a lawyer. This is what I know from my personal experience/research)

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Kabloosh75 t1_j4xyslx wrote

I'm not sure. It's probably harder today to get a gun as a felon these days than it was 50 years ago simply because up until I believe 1964 background checks weren't even a thing.

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largeroastbeef t1_j4y0o76 wrote

I kinda want to learn more about gun buying process. Maybe guns are taxed highly once they are assembled and regulated as a gun but you can get around this by making them yourself? Idk.

Seems like just doing private sales and reselling them would have been much easier for this guy

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Kabloosh75 t1_j4y352k wrote

So only a certain part of the gun is the actual gun which has the serial number on it.

For an AR-15 that's the lower receiver..

That's the gun. That's the part that you need to pass a background check to buy it.

The background check consists of a call to a system where the store contacts to say yea or nay. You fill out the form 4473 and they usually use your social security number or your name if you don't want to give your SSN. The problem there is that if your name is John Smith there is a good chance there's a few John Smiths out there with a criminal history so you may fail a background check.

It's not complicated. There isn't any additional taxes unless you're buying an NFA item. NFA items are machine guns, short barrel rifles, short barrel shotguns, "any other weapon," and suppressors. Suppressors aren't actually guns and they don't actually silence the weapon's gun fire. They just lower the sound to a low enough dB level to where you may not need hearing protection.

Buying a gun is pretty easy. Just have the money and interest and you can get one. Just be able to fill out a form and pass a basic background check. To be a prohibited person you would need to have been convicted of a felony, some misdemeanors (ones usually involving domestic violence) or be involuntarily committed. Having a DUI on your record wouldn't prohibit you.

In the case of this story he was machining lower receivers. These things are actually pre-machined bricks of metal that you need to do the rest to make it into a functional lower. This actually is not illegal. You can manufacture your own personal firearm. You just can't sell them without a license. That's the real crime here.

You can even 3d print lower receivers. All the other parts you can freely purchase online and have delivered to your door.

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