Re: Comment by Chip Saunders (#01007)

Most persons that shoot guns well don’t know how to do mechanical work on their weapons or convert riffles to full auto.  Professional criminals may not consider a weapon untraceable if they have to hire someone to convert their gun to full auto, as the gunsmith would have knowledge of the converted gun and subsequently might cause that gun to become traceable to both the gun smith and former owner.Big time criminals/organizations may pay four or five times what a gun is worth, just to avoid dealing with gunsmiths, anyone that might later cause a gun to become traceable.

This article mentioned an alleged corrupted Military Seal being involved in the ultimate sale of 10 untraceable AK-47s that sold for $1,300 each and six handguns that sold for $300 apiece;  military guns would be or were smuggled into the U.S. from Iraq and Afghanistan, apparently intended to be sold to Mexican drug cartels. What is curious about this report, is that criminals pay way over normal/legal gun retail prices for untraceable weapons, but in the cited federal complaint the price for the AK-47s is only $1,300, far below the legal purchase price with a permit and greatly below what an (untraceable) AK-47 would sell for. And where can you find a good legal handgun for only $300. This article mentions six untraceable handguns selling for $300 apiece. It is believed but not confirmed such guns sell for $1,500. Full auto even more.

 But the claim that they were destined for the cartels is sooooooo bogus. Nobody pays $1300 for a rifle that they can get for $400 and convert into the $1300 version for an additional $150 of parts and a drill press. Only black-market collectors looking for a genuine "war booty" captured piece,...and ATF agents,...pay that kind of money.