usa12gadge legal or not

cjkusnierz

i have read that this shot gun was considerd a D/D. and therfor not registerable any more. then i saw one at a local shop for way too much money i may add but none the less for sale[:p]

rldowns3

As I understand it the USAS-12 12 gauge shotgun is a select fire semi/full automatic weapon with 20 round magazines and was designed by Daewoo. It is a Class III destructive device, but it is still available to law enforcement and military and Class III license holders.

cjkusnierz

thats not how i understood the artical i read in shotgun news but the statment may have ben wrong does anyone elts have an idea about this i will check if they are selling this as a class3 or as a long gun

mark christian

There was a semi automatic version of this shotgun sold for by the old Gelbert Equipment Company in Alabama from the late 1980's until 1995. At that point in time Secretary of the Treasury Loydd Bentsen declared the USAS, Striker, and Street Sweeper shotguns to be destructive devices. He ruled them to be non sporting firearms with a barrel diameter over .50 caliber- a destructive device under the Gun Control Act of 1968. He came to this conclusion (with help from Sara Brady and Bill Clinton) because all three shotguns had begun as foreign made firearms which were denied importation due to a "non sporting" configuration. These shotguns were later manufactured in this country in order to get around this import ban. All of these shotguns had to be registered, I had to register my old Street Sweeper. It is a felony to possess one of these USAS's today that is not registered and a $200 transfer tax to purchase one now.I am taking another look at your post. Is the usa12gadge in the title actually a USAS 12 gauge or do you mean some other make of shotgun?
Mark T. Christian

cjkusnierz

that sounds like what i read except for the reregistration part nunthe less i still think 2500. is a lot for that gun or am i wrong

rldowns3

"thats not how i understood the artical i read in shotgun news but the statment may have ben wrong does anyone elts have an idea about this i will check if they are selling this as a class3 or as a long gun"

As I understand it these "types" of shotguns because it is a large capacity (i.e. more than 3?? (3 I think) rounds in a tube or clip), semi automatic with a bore over .5 inches are destructive devices and must be registered as such. If you go back to the place you saw the weapon and ask the person about this (if he/she is a legal FFL holder) I'm sure they'll probably say the same thing.

mark christian

That is way out of line for the semi auto and there are very few transferable USAS machineguns available- most use registered AR-15 conversion sears- slightly modified. If it is full auto then the sky is the limit for the price and I am in no position to place a value on something like that as any machinegun is worth whatever the buyer is willing to pay. Any way that you look at it these USAS's are regulated under the National Firearms Act and the registration period for these ended a couple of years ago. It must be registered or it is contraban. You can purchase one of these if you wish, but it would not be a simple sale of a shotgun- there is a lot of effort and waiting involved in this type of transaction.

Mark T. Christian

JudgeColt

If the intent is to discuss the USAS-12 shotgun, some clarification is in order. The shotgun traces its history back to Atchisson's conversions of the AR-10 into a 12-guage shotgun. The first actual production version, much modified from the original Atchisson deisgns, was made by Daewoo in Korea and imported by Gilbert Equipment Company in Alabama.

After the Bush41 1989 import ban, International Ordnance Corporation began manufacture here in the United States. After the ban, they were manufactured by Ramo for law enforcement, mostly out of InterOrd parts. They are now out of production and Ramo sold all its parts as kits.

They were expensive when new, so not many were sold. I assume only a handful of selective fire versions were ever made and sold. The semi-automatics probably sold in the low thousands, but I have no idea for sure just how many total were sold. The current price likely reflects the rarity of the shotguns, and the value of a registered one. Remember, another $200 will be tacked on above the purchase price. In my opinoin, they are worth it.

After they were reclassified as a Destructive Device, a long no-fee, well-publicized registration period was put in place. I was contacted to furnish a list of all the buyers to whom I had sold these shotguns, which I did, with myself being one of the buyers. All the buyers then received registration instructions. The registration process was just like for transfer of a NFA firearm, but without the $200 tax for the initial registration.

In due time, I received the registration. I keep a copy rolled up and placed in the barrel when the shotgun is in storage. I keep the original registration in the safe and never transport the shotgun without a copy (or two) of the registration with the shotgun.

Most likely any USAS-12 on a dealer's rack is registered. Ask to see the registration papers before buying or handling. If the shotgun is not registered, it cannot now be registered, and it is contraband as MC states.

I have the 20-round drum with mine, along with the 10-round stick magazines and the original special Gilbert case and magazine pouches. They are a hoot to shoot because they weigh close to 13 pounds unloaded, and recoil is not a factor. Cutting loose with 21 rounds of, say 4 buck, will really put a lot of holes in a target! Makes a great quail gun! (There usually is no magazine capacity limit for upland game!)

It was really a shame to see these fun shotguns reclassified. I think it was the evil looks of the Street Sweeper (and the name) that goaded the antis into seeking the reclassification. Then someone realized the USAS-12 is an evil SEMI-AUTOMATIC with a 20-round drum to boot, and it just had to be reclassified too.