Mr. Kavanagh was absolutely correct in determining the automatic-fire status of the AK-47. The military AK-47 is a selective-fire weapon, capable of semi- and full-automatic fire and is considered as a "machine gun" by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Possession of full-automatic firearms is prohibited unless you have a Class III license. The museum in question has made a good faith effort to render the weapon inactive, but the solution will not satisfy the law. Removal of the bolt and firing pin render the weapon inoperable, but those parts are readily available to anyone wishing to restore the function. The parts that determine the legal status of the weapon are the disconnector and fire selector lever which control the ability of the weapon to cycle continuously or to pause after each round. These parts are in the receiver assembly, not the bolt. A museum wishing to avoid legal liability for a full-automatic firearm should consult the nearest BATFE office for an accepted method of de-militarizing the piece. The BATFE is usually cooperative with museums in determining a method that will not ruin the appearance of the piece for display. Don Long The Museum of Ashe County History, Inc. PO Box 301 Jefferson, NC 28640 336-846-1904 -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Thomas W Kavanagh Sent: Monday, September 28, 2009 7:05 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Gun Storage At one museum I worked at (to remain nameless for security reasons) we had an AK-47, brought back from Vietnam. It was an automatic. [Yes, I checked it by holding down the trigger, and working the bolt.] We had it in a locked cabinet in a locked collections area, but I was still concerned. Unrelatedly, we hired an exhibits prepartor, who happened to be ex-South African army. In passing, he mentioned that his training included field stripping an AK-47. I said, "Come here, look at this." He said, "Yes, about 1970" and proceeded to take it apart. As he put it back together, I said, "Wait, leave out the bolt/firing pin." I put that in the museum's bank safety deposit box. tk ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes). ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).