History and regulation of auto sears
How to stay compliant with US gun laws federal government has banned the sale and possession of devices called “drop-in auto sears,” or DIAS, that can convert semiautomatic rifles into fully automatic guns. But an Illinois man says the government has misinterpreted the law and should allow him to keep his own versions of those gun-making parts, which he bought before they were regulated in 1981. He filed a lawsuit asking a Chicago-based federal appeals court to rule either that his auto sears should be grandfathered as legally owned, or that he should be allowed a period of time in which to register them.
DIAS are used in conjunction with other fire-control parts to convert a semiautomatic weapon into full-auto. Some are designed for use in Glock pistols, while others, such as the popular “Glock switch” that mimics the form factor of everyday items, can be used with AR-15 rifles. Regardless of the specific design, most auto sears override the semiautomatic trigger reset by mechanically timing the hammer release during each shot.
The potential penalties
Firearm experts and law enforcement officials interviewed for this story say that the ATF takes action against manufacturers that fail to prevent the use of these conversion components in their products. But the agency does so inconsistently. For example, it once allowed a device known as the Akins Accelerator, which increases a rifle’s rate of fire and is similar to bump stocks, to go on the market. It was later reclassified as a machine gun, but only after a number of violent crimes committed with the weapons were reported.
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