AR15 wrote:I'm amazed the Home Office have written that and would like to see the letter.
The law states that if you take a chambered barrel and cut it below 12'' then it immediately becomes a component part of Section 5 aba. All component parts of Sec5 a and aba firearms cannot be converted to Section1.
I don't have a problem with the Sec5 authority chopping the barrel, its clear that the Home Office are aware that the barrel is being converted to Sec 5 status, hence the requirement for the work to be undertaken by a Sec5 authority. However, the conversion of the subsequent aba component back to sec 1 IS illegal and so is the transfer back to the customer.
It makes absolutely no sense at all that they would state that the firearm (and I assume by virtue the barrel also) has to start life as a Section 1 component and not Section 5 as it is converted to Section 5 regardless in the modification process.
In this case Section 5 (1)(aba).
I e-mailed them - the reply was in the form of an e-mail - not a letter. It was signed by a specific person rather than an anonymous proforma reply.
It would appear ( I assume ) that their reasoning is that its part of a building process.
Much like when you take a rifle with a 12" barrel and over 24" overall length, then take off the stock to replace it. It is under 24" for the few minutes between stocks.
Or you replace the buffer tube on a 12" AR. When the tube is off, the AR is under 24" but still has pistol grip etc and COULD be discharged so us a functioning sub 24" firearm. So is it section 5 with the buffer tube off and does it stay section 5 after ?
Or when you build a section 1 SLR using componant parts of what was a sec 5 firearm.
