Owner of Seized Airsoft Guns Responds
As we’ve been reporting, Airsoft Outlet Northwest had 30 Airsoft guns seized last fall at the port of Tacoma with the ATF responding that the items looked too much like real guns, and that these could be somehow converted to live machineguns. To get some insight on 
the story, we interviewed Ben Martin, owner of Airsoft Outlet Northwest, LLC and here is what he had to say:
FirearmsTruth: What was the exact model Airsoft gun that was seized? This was a replica of an M-4, but the body is mostly plastic, so what “internal” parts did ATF tell you that could be changed?
Ben Martin: They have 16 WE TTI M4A1’s and 14 WE TTI CQBR’s. The externals are pretty much exact to the weight and feel of a real firearm.
As for what the ATF has told us, well, it’s not much other than these can are readily convertible to machine guns. We’ve asked for the proof in which they retreated behind the Freedom of Information Act and haven’t given us any evidence that they’ve been able to convert one of these to shoot a round. We’ve had a gunsmith take a look at the compatibility and we’ve posted our findings.
Oregon Store Out $12k for Seized Air Soft Guns
Fox 12 in Oregon is reporting that Airsoft Outlet Northwest is out about $12,000 after the ATF seized about 30 toy guns headed to the shop. The reason, as we previously reported, was that the ATF offered the extremely dubious claim that the Airsoft guns could be converted into real machine guns. However, on camera the owners offered a rebuttal:
“Ben Martin, who owns Airsoft Outlet Northwest, disputes the ATF’s finding. He said the guns, which are designed to shoot plastic BBs, are clearly not sturdy enough to withstand firing a real bullet.”
That’s almost certainly correct. Likewise, we at FirearmsTruth understand that the ATF only has jurisdiction over real guns, not toys. So we’re curious how it is that ATF can seize toys. It would be like ATF seizing a shipment of iced tea because it was brewed and could be turned into beer illegally. Good luck to the Martin family! We’ll be sure to watch this story very closely.
Related Video: AONW & the Tacoma Machine Gun Seizure
Customs Seizes Toy Guns in Washington State
Several news outlets including The News Tribune are reporting that customs officials seized “30 machine guns at the Port of Tacoma.” We’re following up on this for a few reasons. The first is that these guns were copies of M-4 assault rifles, which were actually seized in October of last year. We bring this up because it serves as ammo – no pun intended – to anyone who says that all guns used by criminals must have been legal. Clearly this is further proof that guns can, and likely will continue to be, smuggled into the United States.
But what is really odd is that the Customs & Border Protection is claiming that while these were “the same size, weight and look of the M-4″ these were listed as toy guns. The News Tribune noted:
“On Jan. 25, the ATF submitted its report. It found ‘that in their imported condition the rifles were tooled to shoot plastic balls. However, replacement of internal components with original machine-gun components could be accomplished within a short period of time, thus rendering the rifles capable of firing live ammunition,’ the Customs news release said.”
“Shoot plastic balls” seems to imply to us that these may be Air Soft guns, as not real guns at all. While these lacked the typical orange tips required for such guns, we should note that this is an American law and isn’t follow overseas. Likewise, there is a market for “non-guns” or “counterfeits” as well – as in guns that look the part but can’t be made to fire. Note our choice of words: “can’t be made to fire.”
We’d like to know how any “weapon” that is either not really a gun, or is meant to “shoot plastic balls” can be converted in what ATF claims to be a “short period of time?” Seriously?
What is more confusing is that according to the ATF, a machine gun is a machine gun if it has a receiver. Essentially a full-auto receiver is what makes a gun a machine gun, so do these guns have such a receiver? Otherwise, we can’t understand what the problem with these seized toys could be… unless the ATF is looking to start an Air Soft team cheaply!
Note to the ATF: If it looks like a duck, is the same size as a duck, but is made of wood it is called a decoy, but it isn’t a duck! Keep that in mind when you look to seize something that looks like a gun, feels like a gun but doesn’t shoot REAL BULLETS like a real gun!
Gun Owner Raided… Because Maybe He Was Selling Guns
Does anyone care about the Second Amendment anymore? WWJ radio in the Detroit area is reporting that a Warren Michigan man had his house raided by the ATF. The radio station reports:
“Over a hundred guns were discovered at a home in Warren Wednesday, thanks to a joint effort by the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, and Explosives, the Detroit Police and Michigan State Police.”
It further adds this quote from Donald Dawkins from the ATF:
“We don’t know if he was selling them, we think he may have been selling some of them. But some of them, you know, he had a big storage there so we don’t know if he was selling all of them or not, or planned to sell them.”
First, I’m going to ask why the Detroit Police were involved in an investigation in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit? But let’s examine the quote a bit more closely: “We don’t know if he was selling them.” But that seems to be enough for the ATF to stage a raid, and for the media not to question it.
Spanish Language eTrace Soon Available
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced that it will soon be testing a Spanish language version of eTrace, the digital system that U.S. police use to trace firearms. Police in Latin America will use the system to hunt down crime suspects and weapons traffickers. Read more
New Slogan for Anti-Firearm Crowd: “Iron Pipeline”
The mainstream media might soon have a new phrase to use when it takes aim at guns. This is the so-called “iron pipeline,” which was discussed in a story from WWLP.com. The article points out that states with “weak” gun laws fuel the illegal gun trade. What is interesting is the spin that this article puts on the issue:
“It appears Massachusetts very strict gun laws have been successful in making it difficult but not impossible for criminals to get their hands on handguns.
“According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , states with strong gun laws fuel the so-called ‘iron Pipeline.’”
Firing Back: Where Do Illegal Guns Come From?
If you believe Paul Helmke, former mayor of Fort Wayne, and current president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, most illegal guns come from legal sources. He cites this in an editorial he wrote for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:
“Illegal guns don’t grow on trees. Firearms almost always begin in the legal market. The question is, how are guns diverted from legal sellers to illegal buyers?”
He goes on to state:
“…according to one ATF report, ‘(F)elons buying or selling firearms were involved in more than 46 percent of the investigations involving gun shows.’”
FBI Agent’s “Smoking Gun”
A major argument by the mainstream media has been that American firearms are fueling the drug war south of the border, and the MSM has further suggested that tighter gun laws would reduce the number of guns heading to the hands of those involved with the Mexican drug cartels. But exactly how many of those guns are exactly “legally” purchased firearms? And how many are coming from gray markets, police officers and the military in Mexico? That number has not been factored in much by the MSM. So let’s see how the MSM reacts to the guns coming from American law enforcement. Consider this passage in the Houston Chronicle this week:
“A high-powered rifle allegedly sold illegally by an El Paso FBI agent was used in a deadly Mexican drug cartel shootout last year, court records show.
“According to a 2008 search warrant, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives linked a .50-caliber rifle sold by FBI agent John T. Shipley to a March 2008 shootout between drug cartel fighters and Mexican army soldiers. An army captain and six cartel members were killed in the nearly three-hour shootout in Chihuahua, agents said in the warrant.”
Why Most Illegal Guns Aren’t Purchased Legally
The Brownsville Herald ran and interesting story with the headline: “Federal agents crack down on straw purchases.” The article tells how the men were arrested for buying a gun for another individual:
“Two Brownsville men were arrested by federal agents after making firearms purchases for third parties in separate cases, according to court documents.”
Christian Science Monitor Continues Crusade Against Guns
The Christian Science Monitor is continuing its bias against guns in the feature: “US guns in Mexico: Will new data help change law?” Today’s intro pretty much sums up that the news organization believes American firearms are the sole contributor to the violence south of the border:
“Can new evidence that high-powered US firearms are fueling Mexican drug violence change the political course of gun control in Washington?”
