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It's still illegal to manufacture firearms for others without a license.
A Sacramento, California man was sentenced Thursday to over three years in prison for unlawful manufacture of a firearm and one count of dealing firearms.
Last year, Daniel Crownshield, pleaded guilty to those counts in exchange for federal prosecutors dropping other charges. According to investigators, Crowninshield, known online as "Dr. Death," would sell unfinished AR-15 lower receivers, which customers would then pay for him to transform into fully machined lower receivers using a computer numerically controlled (CNC) mill. (In October 2014, Cody Wilson, of Austin, Texas, who has pioneered 3D-printed guns, began selling a CNC mill called "Ghost Gunner," designed to work specifically on the AR-15 lower.)
"In order to create the pretext that the individual in such a scenario was building his or her own firearm, the skilled machinist would often have the individual press a button or put his or her hands on a piece of machinery so that the individual could claim that the individual, rather than the machinist, made the firearm," the government claimed in its April 14 plea agreement.
So, if he taught a class in how to do it would he also then be a criminal?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by wisnoskij on Saturday February 18 2017, @01:10AM
Semantics.
Their exists some ritual that they could of gone through, that was practically identical to this one, that would of passed muster. It sounds like this would of been cleared up by renting the mill to the customers for a few hours, and just providing the cnc file and a tutorial on how to run a mill, or something of that magnitude. But it is all legal semantics, there is a legal way to do this, and since he did all this in good faith believing that his ritual went far enough, it seems pretty unjust to punish him.
We have something similar to this for raw milk in Canada, since people kept pushing and getting arrested we eventually learned exactly what ritual had to be followed for it to be considered legal.
1. You have to own, at least partially, the cow.
2. You must do all the transporting of the milk yourself off of the original farm.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday February 18 2017, @01:30AM
Civilizations are full of little absurd rituals which mark the boundary between being jailed/stoned or congratulated for the same exact actions.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by art guerrilla on Saturday February 18 2017, @03:09AM
when the system don't work, you gotta work the system...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FakeBeldin on Saturday February 18 2017, @09:24AM
since he did all this in good faith believing that his ritual went far enough,
Trying to exploit legal loopholes is not "good faith".
(Score: 2) by wisnoskij on Saturday February 18 2017, @12:53PM
Manufacturing your own firearms is not a loophole, it was and is knowingly left legal.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Saturday February 18 2017, @05:19PM
Manufacturing your own firearms is not a loophole,
Maybe they should have tried that, then, instead of manufacturing them for others.