Sec. 224e.

(1) A person shall not knowingly do any of the following:

(a) Manufacture, sell, distribute, or possess or attempt to manufacture, sell, distribute, or possess a device that is designed or intended to be used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm.

(b) Demonstrate to another person or attempt to demonstrate to another person how to manufacture or install a device to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm.

(2) A person who violates subsection (1) is guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 4 years, or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or both.

(3) This section does not apply to any of the following:

(a) A police agency of this state, or of a local unit of government of this state, or of the United States.

(b) An employee of an agency described in subdivision (a), if the manufacture, sale, distribution, or possession or attempted manufacture, sale, distribution, or possession or demonstration or attempted demonstration is in the course of his or her official duties as an employee of that agency.

(c) The armed forces.

(d) A member or employee of the armed forces, if the manufacture, sale, distribution, or possession or attempted manufacture, sale, distribution, or possession or demonstration or attempted demonstration is in the course of his or her official duties as a member or employee of the armed forces.

(e) A licensed collector who possesses a device that is designed or intended to be used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm that was lawfully owned by that licensed collector before the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section. This subdivision does not permit a licensed collector who lawfully owned a device that is designed or intended to be used to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic firearm before the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section to sell or distribute or attempt to sell or distribute that device to another person after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section.

(4) As used in this section:

(a) "Fully automatic firearm" means a firearm employing gas pressure or force of recoil to mechanically eject an empty cartridge from the firearm after a shot, and to load the next cartridge from the magazine, without renewed pressure on the trigger for each successive shot.

(b) "Licensed collector" means a person who is licensed under chapter 44 of title 18 of the United States code to acquire, hold, or dispose of firearms as curios or relics.

(c) "Semiautomatic firearm" means a firearm employing gas pressure or force of recoil to mechanically eject an empty cartridge from the firearm after a shot, and to load the next cartridge from the magazine, but requiring renewed pressure on the trigger for each successive shot.

History: Add. 1990, Act 321, Eff. Mar. 28, 1991