GRIZ

This is because the full auto conversion was designed I..nto the carbine. IIRC the M2 conversion kit consists of only 7 parts. Plus the stock cut to accommodate the selector. You could order the parts at one time (of course not all of them from one supplier) and build an illegal M2. ATF got wise to this and certain parts are now considered to be NFA items. It is not unusual to see a M1 that picked up a M2 trigger housing or stock during a rebuild. Last I looked a legal M2 kit (just the parts not including the carbine) was about $5000.

The NICS is a federal requirement and as has been said is the important one. You''re going to have that done no matter what state. The one you pay the local pd for is just a pita requirement.

Okay you don't get attached to things but do you maintain your cars, motorcycles, home and whatever else you own? Or do you drive your car until it stops running? Guns are no different and a little goes a long way. You can do a 90% clean on a handgun in about 5 minutes. A lot of guys have families and if you have time to shoot them you have time to maintain them. Maybe you need to look at your time management. I've always been of the school that believes a clean gun is a happy gun and a happy gun will take care of you.

Finding a large amount of cash in itself doe not constitute sufficient probable cause for a charge of money laundering under federal law. I am not that familiar with NJ noney laundering statutes but I am sure they parallel the federal laws. Not being privy to the details of either case I can't say one way or the other. They could have been based on prior information or just good police work. You probably don't remember when the NJSP was making significant drug seizures on the Turnpike on a regular basis. Nearly all of them were the result of good police work with no prior information. However the stops they made were based on profiling and this was deemed illegal because race was one of the factors. The FBI prosecuted a lot of cops because of profiling as a civil rights violation. This put an end to profiling and an end to the frequent significant drug arrests on the Turnpike. This has come to bite us in the butt after 9/11 and one of the reasons we all have to take our shoes off to get on a plane.

What difference does it make if one agency tips another and they catch criminals?

I've read that fluting was originally done to give fouling with black powder firearms someplace to go other than the face of the cylinder which could interfere with it turning. It was considered an indication of a quality revolver. It was carried over to smokeless powder revolvers mostly for aesthetics. Unfluted cylinders were considered stronger and they were in black powder days. This isn't an issue with modern metallurgy just look at the Ruger LCR. Underlugs do more than provide extra weight they also protect the ejector rod. I speculate a reason the S&W Model 10 became a more popular police revolveris because the small lug offered some protection and was less likely to hangup on something compared to the Colt. I have seen several Colts with bent ejector rods and only one S&W and that one laid out on Rte 9 overnight getting run over I don't know how many times. Weight the barrel end has more effect at reducing felt recoil. Its the lever and the fulcrum.

It would seem due to its size NJ would treat it as a handgun as some cretin would obviously choose one of these to hold up a liquor store.

NJ used to have an uninsured motorist fee. You'd pay twice the registration fee and didn't have to have insurance. If you were involved in an accident and you were at fault the state was supposed to pay out for the medical bills for the injured parties IIRC. The problem was that you would still be liable for property and and other damages. This went out in late 60s early 70s when no fault came into effect. A problem I see is if you are in most other states you could be cited for not having insurance.

It may be fishy or it may be good police work. Without the rest of the story you can't tell. I said previously there are laws unique to the feds. I suppose you don't think local LEOs should report illegal aliens as most states have no laws regarding illegals. I agree ATF has a bad rep as an agency. However there are a lot of ATF agents catching real criminals. I worked with a lot of them over 30 years. There are a variety of reasons there is a seizure and no arrest. Here's an example that's closer to home. I live in AZ and unbeknowst to me buy a stolen handgun from someone. I move to NJ and sell it to you on a permit. All legit. NJSP gets their copy of the permit and finds the gun reported stolen. They seize the gun from you but don't arrest you. There is more to this story. Too many people on gun forums jump to conclusions without knowing the whole story.

I guess their are people too young to remember when they were selling adapters to use plastic soda bottles as surpressors. The difference between the oil filter and soda bottle adaptors is the oil filter guys are doing it as a registered NFA item and the soda bottle guys were trying to circumvent the law.

This is all supposition and in no way indicates what actually happened in this case. ATF asks local PD to keep their eye open for these guys. Any patrol officer worth their salt can follow someone for about 5 minutes and come up with a legitimate reason to stop them. They swerved, driving too fast, driving too slow, failed to come to a complete stop, etc. This is important as the initial justification for the stop has to be legal or anything they get can be inadmissible. As long as the polioce can justify reasons for detaining them (legal reasons not made up ones) keeping them for two hours is nothing. I've seen people legally detained for two days. Everything is done and there is no reason to seize the guns and arrest anyone. They're released. LEOs and yes even Feds just don't just work 9-5. Sometime after the release ATF found a reason to seize the guns and did so the next day. The guys may be charged with something later but maybe ATF findsit better to leave them out on the street for right now. There are a bunch of reasons for stops, detention, and seizures that many people don't understand but they are legal.

There can be a lot of changes between day one and two and whatever they were the ATF agents know for sure as the changes allowed them to seize the guns. I spent most of my career as a "big fed" and there are a plethora of laws that are unique to the federal government. Start with reading Title 18 of the US Code. Things are seized from people all the time without them charged with a crime. Just look at what Customs seizes on a daily basis. There was a reason for the guns to be seized apparently. You're looking for some big brother conspiracy and there is nothing reported indicating one.

Read the followup. They were not arrested by ATF. The guns were seized and they were released. There may never be never be more news on this for a variety of legit reasons. LEOs can't take a win some lose some attitude. If they did many people can get hurt, die, or suffer some other way. I spent over 30 years as a LEO and was privy to what actually happened thousands of times. How many were accurately and completely reported in the press? Zero.

You are correct BLF. There are also times the Feds let state and local agencies do the prosecution if there is an applicable state law so as not to let the rest of the bad guys know they are on to them.

I agree there is more to this story. Contrary to wilhat many think ATF can't willy nilly seize guns. There is a legal basis for the seizure that's not disclosed.

This is a recurring bit of misinformation. You have an obligation to retreat from a confrontation where you are being threatened with non-deadly force. You do not have a duty to retreat in NJ when threatened with deadly force. This has nothing to do with castle doctrine. If your best chance of survival is retreating that is the smartest thing to do even if you are threatened with deadly force. The police are obligated to investigate any incident where deadly force is used and obligated to ask questions regarding all actions or lack of action you take. The totality of the circumstances will determine what legal actions (criminal or civil) you may experience. If you have to use deadly force and you are legally armed (be it with a firearm, hammer, or fists), your actions are appropriate legally, you have witnesses (or audio and video) documenting your actions, you will be okay. If its a situation where there is you and a dead body there will be problems. Everything else is somewhere in between.

+1 on that. I grew up in Elizabeth and lived in Linden a couple of years.

Possibly. You would have to pay off a Mexican official to get it into Mexico. The official took the bribe and ensured the ammo was seized making himself a hero at both ends. I'll take back what I said earlier. The smuggler may have been set up.

There were and still might be crossing points you could accidentally cross into Mexico. I knew of one place where if you left the US Post Office and made a left you were okay. Make a right and go about 100 feet and you were in Mexico. There are plenty of signs warning you in places like El Paso. Once you cross the border, whether its into Mexico, Canada, or the US, there is no saying you made a mistake. You are in that country and are subject to a Customs search. If there is anything considered to be contraband it will be seized and not returned and you will be charged. Stuff like this happens all the time in both directions. Not usually the quantities in this case. I know the US and Canadahave mechanisms to deal with minor infractions civilly and you can get off paying a fine. I don't think this was any kind of setup as its common knowledge Mexican Customs will look at any commercial shipment. Even if its something legal to import there the aduanas are looking for "mordida" to expedite entry.

Great read. Ann Coulter has the facts well documented as always. Sbe always presents an argument liberals can't contest.

A 4" S&W, Ruger, or Taurus 357 is about the best do it all handgun. Learn to use a DA revolver and everything else is easy. Avoid snub guns or any small gun for a first handgun. You would only complicate the learning curve.

Who cares how much a gun costs if it works to save your life? I find it amusing some people feel they absolutely need a $3000 1911 to defend themsielves. I've never paid more than about $600 (in today's dollars) for any handgun and those that I have needed worked well. The S&W Model 10 is as an efficient defensive handgun for any SD situation as a "legendary" Colt Python.

It has to be true or at least very likely. I've heard this story several times from a vaiety of people including a few pro gun scribes.

The Brownings were nice and so were Behlert revolvers. Austin was truly an artist. I only knew them from the hop in Kenilworth and Union.

Austin Behlert used to build chopped 1911s back in the 70s that had 6 rd mags. He also built chopped S&W Model 39s. This was the inspiration for Colt to build the Officers Model and S&W to build the 469 in the 80s. There was also the Star PD that was made in the 70s which was the first factory compact 1911 style pistol.