Florida man charged for having 1,552 devices to turn semiautos into machine guns

[Outgunu]

New device?? Florida Times Union article below:

An Orange Park man faces a firearms charge with a possible 10-year prison sentence after federal agents reported finding 1,552 devices in his home that could turn semiautomatic rifles into machine guns.


Kristopher J. Ervin, 40, was arrested March 2 and indicted Thursday on a charge of possessing an unregistered machine-gun conversion device.

A court filing March 3 said Ervin was involved with a website that sold metal devices shaped similar to credit cards that can make an AR-15 rifle fire automatically like a machine gun. The products were built to different sizes, such as a business bard and a pen holder, priced from $80 to $139.

According to the filing, a YouTube video called the devices “the parts ATF wishes never existed,” and an online message that agents attributed to Ervin encouraged people to buy the “AR related” devices now in case they went off the market.

“It only gets worse from here. Get ready. Get it and save it in your wallet,” the message advised, according to the complaint.

Machine guns have to be registered with the federal government and are heavily regulated. Semiautomatic rifles are widely sold and used.

Agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives bought some of the devices and also used a search warrant to open packages Ervin had taken to the post office containing the devices, the complaint said.

Ervin has faced a judge since his arrest and was ordered held until a detention hearing can continue Monday at Jacksonville’s federal courthouse, court records show.

A federal public defender has been appointed to represent Ervin, but no plea has been entered yet. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.

[Tenzing_Norgay]

These have been around awhile. The ATF must have gotten a wild hair up their ass...

He originally offered them pre-cut, and they (allegedly) spanked him for that. So he changed the design to just a laser etching on the card (no cuts) and that must've pissed them off even more.

[Outgunu]

Didn't know it would be so easy to convert. Wonder what the reliability would be on something that had this installed... Don't get me wrong though, I stay far, far away from stuff like this.

[N4KVE]

Isn’t that called a lightning link? GARY

[osprey21]

Isn’t that called a lightning link? GARY

Yes.

[lilwoody]

You can buy a legal one. File the paper work, pay 20k or so and get on the list.

[Tenzing_Norgay]

Didn't know it would be so easy to convert. Wonder what the reliability would be on something that had this installed... Don't get me wrong though, I stay far, far away from stuff like this.

You need a lower with a low shelf(?). From the vids I've watched, they seem to work pretty well...

[Cubanstang50]

Glad i didnt pick one up. Those that have bought this can expect a nice call from the ATF soon enough. Not saying this is illegal but with current events with our new government they seem to be getting more ballsy with what they believe is illegal.

[revelation]

Some gun channel guy on YouTube has been hawking them and even giving tips on sending cash and having it mailed to your anti-gun relative. With the price of ammo why would you even want one?

[lakelandman]

With ammo the way it is who would even want one. LOL