The Accidental Felon

Jeff Knox over at The Firearms Coalition has a solid writeup on the troubles of David Olofson, who has been convicted of unlawfully transferring an unregistered machinegun to another individual.

Trouble is, the AR-15 was a semi-auto sport rifle that malfunctioned when he gave it to his friend to shoot. The BATF is trying to make an example of him. He is in danger of losing his Army pension, and his right -- forever -- to own a firearm.

I wrote on some of this last month when Mr. Olofson was first convicted. I also included commentary from Len Savage of Historic Arms, who sat in on most of the trial. Jeff has far more detail.

"The Firearms Coalition is encouraging concerned citizens to contact their elected representatives in Washington and demand that they take a closer look at this case and launch a full investigation. We are also working with members of Congress to get the definition of a machinegun clarified so this type of harassment won’t be facilitated by the letter of the law in the future. Until that is accomplished, I encourage gunowners to be especially cautious; a little paranoia can be a healthy thing."

Well said.