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

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