From China With Love

| June 30, 2020

Firearm Seizure

Isn’t that sweet? China sent someone a package full of weaponry. Assault weapons parts, no less.

Gee, I thought “assault weapons” refers to things like Warthog ammo or artillery or ship’s guns… but what do I know? ?

While there is no information at this time regarding the person/s involved, or how BATF knew about it, it’s nice to see your tax dollars at work, isn’t it?  My other comment is that if China wants to go on getting stuff from us to produce, why are they annoying us like this at the same time?  All we have to do is bring our manufacturing of electronics home and put our own people to work.

https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/local-media-release/10800-assault-weapons-parts-seized-cbp-louisville

10,800 Assault Weapons Parts Seized by CBP in Louisville

Release Date: June 26, 2020

LOUISVILLE, Ky—At the Express Consignment Operations hubs in Louisville U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized a shipment from China that contained over 10,000 Assault Weapons parts being smuggled into the country.

The shipment was seized on May 22. Officers inspected the item, which was arriving from Shenzhen, China, destined for a residence in Melbourne, Florida. The parcel was manifested as containing 100 Steel Pin Samples. This is a common practice of smugglers manifesting the contraband as a harmless or a legitimate commodity in hopes of eluding further examination.

“The importing of any type of munitions is regulated by the ATF,” said Thomas Mahn, Port Director, Louisville.  “This smuggler was knowingly trying to avoid detection, however, our officers remain vigilant, ensuring our community is safe.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) regulates and restricts firearms and ammunition. Importation of weapons or ammunition must be made by a licensed importer, dealer or manufacturer.

Officers referred the shipment to the CBP Center of Excellence and Expertise, Machinery team who appraised the shipment with a domestic value of $129,600. – article ?

I would like to add that I am quite glad that BATF is Johnny on the spot with this kind of thing. These weapons did not reach their destination, and with the riots and destruction that are going on….

Anyone besides me think these were just for hunting or target shooting at the gun range?  Anyone? Taco? Mack? Whitfield? And before you start with that asinine hollering about nicknames, those were guys from my “A” School class and Taco wasn’t a nickname. Verstehen sie mich?

Category: "Your Tax Dollars At Work", China

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MI Ranger

Were they Automatic Assault weapons or just the Pew Pew type? It is hard to tell from the picture…all I can see are black scary looking things!

Asking for a friend.

Wireman611

10800 assault weapons would arm up a few protestors. Need we look further into who sent this and the reasons for it.

rgr769

From the photos, I’m no seeing any barrels. Thus, how are these bags of parts going to be turned into operable firearms?

5th/77th FA

^Word^ Somebody gonna have some ‘splaining to do Lucy. Bags of parts? What kinda parts? Parts to make semi become auto? Parts to go with other parts to make complete units? A Trojan Horse shipment so that the real shipment gets thru?

China is not our friend. Open every damn container that comes from there. Every.Damn.One! Yeah, it’ll cost money. And yes it will slow down the distribution supply chain. Tough teats. Comes under the heading of “costs of doing business with us.” Maybe after a little while, they’ll get the message. Lots of empty commercial building through-out the country that all kinds of stuff could be made in. Just saying.

Ex-PH2

You don’t have to have barrels included. A gun barrel is basically a pipe of XXX size. You can get that at a hardware store, have it cut to the right length, and fit it into place.

11B-Mailclerk

Uh, no.

Some crude things can be made to go “bang” using a pipe. (assuming -steel- pipe and low pressure ammo)

Those parts kits need a lathe turned barrel of particular shape and dimensions, threaded, etc.

And need rifling cut inside, which is do-able but not by amateurs with household tools.

So let’s assume those are “parts kits”, not including barrel or receiver. If smuggled, those represent unpaid taxes, little more. Even if full auto parts, they won’t work in an unmodified semi-auto receiver. If someone is making full-auto receivers, or modding semis, that is a whole other tax dodge.

BTW, the stamped-variant AK reciever can be made from a decent shovel blade by a moderate skilled ” hobby” machinist.

I am not concerned, at all, by this stuff. The laws against possessing part x or gun z are pointless and stupid. Ditto taxing them as “NFA” items.

Stupid. Pointless.

rgr769

…not…, dammit. Maybe that expert armorer, Squidward, can enlighten us on how to build an assault rifle with no barrel.

USMC Steve

It is my understanding that even parts kits can no longer be imported for some types of weapons now.

11B-Mailclerk

Some firearm types have to meet a US content amount or they violate a law.

This is why you see so many aftermarket MSR parts for foreign designs prominently labeled as “US made” often referencing the relevant US Code section number.

You can swap out a fifty cent pin or doo-dad, mechanically and materially identical and changing not one bit of function, and wind up a felon.

Sapper3307

The $100 full auto Glock converter is also popular, and the “fuel filter”.

MI Ranger

Fuel filters are perfectly legal. And as long as you register them, and pay the Gov’ment $200, you can even attach it to your Pew Pew to make it less noisy (to save your hearing).

USMC Steve

Don’t try to filter fuel through them before firing though.

Slow Joe

I don’t know.

This looks like a private transaction rather than an state actor.

1) Seized on 22 May, before the shit went down.
2) Weapons parts. What kind of parts? The article doesn’t specify.

So, I would like to see this investigated all the way to the end, and the culprits found and charged, but more importantly, what was the intended customers for this?

Have some elements in our Republic being planning for an uprising, and the George Floyd thing forced their hand to start before completing their preparations?

CM

China is working with and funding all these “protests” of late. Mass shooters as well. Three of the recent ones had ties and training in China. Of course the media never reported that. They are specifically targeting the same types of down on themselves individuals but what I don’t understand is how these individuals and their training in China is slipping through the NSA and CIA/FBI radar.

USAFRetired

Assault Weapons parts? Says who. How about identifying what these parts are. Magazines that hold in excess of five rounds? Bayonet lugs for AR-15s?

I’m glad CBP/BATFE seized stuff not in accordance with the shipping manifest, but how about some facts.

gitarcarver

Melbourne is in my neck of the woods. I can literally walk to it, and have appeared at several City Council meetings speaking on behalf of several issues.

Melbourne, as has the rest of Brevard County, has had it’s share of of protests.

The protests have been remarkably peaceful. No violence. No fights. No nothing.

The message that the protestors are trying to get out is being heard and they are having actual conversations – not just one sided lectures.

One of the big issues here has been the death of former Army Medic Gregory Edwards who was diagnosed with PTSD and who had a psychotic episode in the parking lot of a WalMart where he attacked several people.

Melbourne police took him to the Brevard County jail where Edwards struggled, and was set upon by at least 7 law enforcement officers from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO.) Edwards did not get up from the encounter and was dead while in the custody of he BCSO.

The incident was recorded on video, and the Sheriff has refused to release the tape saying it would compromise the security of the jail. This despite the area in which Edwards died was the lobby and secondly, the BCSO had done video tours of the jail on Facebook, including the lobby.

The Sheriff instigated an investigation into the death which locked out all other Florida agencies. By law, FDLE could not investigate. Shockingly, the BCSO said “nothing happened,” and attributed the death to a controversial diagnosis. The autopsy was reviewed by the head of the State Medical Examiners who said there was no way the man died to the cause the BCSO was attributing to the death.

There are 14 other policy violations involved in the death of Edwards but yet the Sheriff maintains nothing wrong happened.

This shipment is highly disturbing to say the least.

26Limabeans

Sear pin knock offs.
The article did say steel pins did it not?
A sear pin knock off will make a semi full auto.
Imma thinkin M-14 but you get the idea.

Claw

NSN for the M14: 1005-00-589-1271

You’re Welcome./s

26Limabeans

Good to see Supply up and running Claw.

Claw

Actually all you need is the 5315-00-051-6891 (Pin, Spring, Steel), not the whole M14A1 as per the NSN above./s

David

The sear is the part that engages (sometimes via a linkage) with the trigger to release the hammer or striker. It is not a pin. In some guns the sear is held in place BY a pin, which is the ‘sear pin’ but you can’t create a full auto just by swapping pins. You would need to swap at minimum the sear, and safety/selector if an AR. Happy for valid corrections if applicable.

Claw

Yep, knew that. TM 9-1005-223-20 (includes repair parts) can be used as a reference for the complete low-down.

Beans only asked about a pin, so I gave him the pin NSN./s

11B-Mailclerk

Most USA marketed semi rifles since the mid Eighties have been made so that conversion is non-trivial.

Of course, now folks have options to make scratch-built AR and other receivers with home milling machines, 3D print them, or epoxy-cast them from DIY mold kits. It is highly illegal to make the “wrong” receiver versions without Federal paperwork and nifty $200 tax stamps. Selling or otherwise transferring the homemade “right” ones is also a significant tax no-no of interest to the Revenue folks.

The stamped AK receiver can be made from a decent shovel blade. It is dirt simple compared to a machined AR receiver.

And now, plastic “paperweights” in the shape of common pistol frames are readily available.

The Genie is -not- going back in the lamp.

Gun Control is no longer a debate. It is a delusion, and a stupid one.

E-4 Mafia 4 Life

I love the Shovel AK and the guy that documented/photographed his entire build.
Among the instructions were that the builder had to have a supply of vodka on hand to drink between steps… which he faithfully recorded.
https://www.northeastshooters.com/xen/threads/diy-shovel-ak-photo-tsunami-warning.179192/

26Limabeans

My use of the term “knock off” refers to the part that
releases the sear, not that the parts are some sort of
Chinese knockoff of the real deal.
Sorry for the double entendre.

Messkit

Has anyone asked Leland Yee?

Steven V.

That’s all you have to do is swap out a few parts in the lower receiver to make an AR fully auto any idiot can figure that out. These parts are dangerous in the wrong hands. That’s why they are illegal can you see a bunch of loser rioters with fully automatic AR’s on the streets