There is a legal way to assemble this kit. The way they suggest you assemble it is a felony. Please, if you’re a gun person, get familiar with NFA definitions. Once a rifle, always a rifle; or, in this case, an untaxed short barreled rifle.
The legal way is to use a pistol receiver; the only way to get one of those is to buy a Ruger Charger. If you have one, you don’t need this kit. FTFA:
This aftermarket kit uses your existing 10/22 receiver and rotary magazine, and assembles into a fun, fast-action custom carbine. Includes a precision 10″ E.R. Shaw barrel and an ergonomically designed warp-proof laminated pistol stock.
That, folks, is a felony.
8 September 2008 at 4:00
Shouldn’t be, though.
It’s a shame that something that benign automatically makes you unfit to be a member of society.
8 September 2008 at 14:47
I agree; I just want people to remain on the outside of prison walls. I hope to alert the unwary.
8 September 2008 at 15:13
This is why I try to tell my non-gunnie friends that no, Uncle Sam isn’t about to go door to door wholesale and take guns, but rather make the usage, ownership, feeding, and purchasing of them so onerous, so damn near impossible to keep legal, that it serves the same basic purpose.
Then, they won’t “come door to door taking guns”, they’ll simply be going door to door arresting criminals.
For owning a .22 rifle without the proper sling mounts.
9 September 2008 at 9:24
[...] Jones reports that the Sportsman Guide is selling a Ruger Charger Kit that converts it into a carbine. The [...]
9 September 2008 at 9:29
[...] Careful what you order for your gun, it could put you in violation of gun law. [...]
9 September 2008 at 9:48
Did you really think we want those laws observed? said Dr. Ferris. We want them to be broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against… We’re after power and we mean it… There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced or objectively interpreted – and you create a nation of law-breakers – and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Reardon, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be
much easier to deal with. (’Atlas Shrugged’ 1957)
9 September 2008 at 14:46
This case speaks to the theory of “Low-Hanging Fruit”. The BATFE will never go door-to-door, the three-percenters have probably scared them out of that thought.
What they WILL do is get a court order to examine and copy the sales and shipping records of EVERY outfit that sells the kits, and they will put all of that in a database to use later when they DO get the OK from Above to seize those weapons.
IIRC, they did this for that reciprocating-stock, bump-firing rifle, whatever it was called, and probably got every single one of the 1,000+ of those made.
The secret here is to avoid this type of parts kit purchase from places who can and will create a record (sorry, Gracious Host, had to say it). Either buy it from a non-records-keeping source or don’t buy it at all. Your choice.
9 September 2008 at 14:51
I agree that the law is easy to circumvent; in this case, I don’t see what’s so desirable about converting a 10/22 to pistol form when Ruger sells them so cheaply.
9 September 2008 at 14:54
Look at the page again.
“Includes a precision 10″ E.R. Shaw barrel and an ergonomically designed warp-proof laminated pistol stock. Made entirely here in the U.S.A. All NFA rules apply and must be registered with the ATF.“
9 September 2008 at 15:00
ishida: I see that, now. I’m glad they added that to the page.
9 September 2008 at 17:46
[...] in Hell has a posting (via Ry Jones) about a converter kit to turn a Ruger 10-22 rifle into a [...]