In a twist that has anti-gun activists scrambling for their talking points, a Missouri man has pleaded guilty to selling illegal machine gun conversion devices—yes, those bump-fire stock-adjacent gadgets and auto-sears that the feds love to demonize. According to the DOJ’s announcement, this enterprising fellow was peddling these prohibited items online, raking in sales that bypassed the National Firearms Act’s strict registration requirements. Gun grabbers love to parrot the myth that universal background checks or assault weapon bans would magically vaporize all crime guns, yet here we have a textbook case of black-market innovation thriving despite layers of federal red tape. It’s a stark reminder that criminals gonna criminal—laws don’t deter the determined; they just empower the law-abiding to jump through endless hoops.
This story shreds the narrative peddled by groups like Everytown or Giffords that more restrictions equal fewer crimes. Think about it: the Hughes Amendment in 1986 already outlawed new machine guns for civilians, and devices like these have been on the ATF’s naughty list for years, yet underground sales persist. Why? Because prohibition breeds ingenuity—folks 3D-printing lowers or sourcing parts from overseas, much like alcohol bootleggers in the 1920s. For the 2A community, this is gold: it exposes the futility of feel-good laws that ignore human nature and technology’s march forward. Instead of chasing shadows with trillion-dollar registries, why not focus on prosecuting actual violent criminals instead of hobbyists converting airsoft guns?
The implications ripple far beyond Missouri. As states like California and New York pile on micro-stamping mandates and serialization schemes, cases like this fuel the Supreme Court’s growing skepticism of ATF overreach—remember Rahimi and the bump stock reversal on the horizon? 2A warriors should amplify this: share it, meme it, and use it to rally for real reforms like national reciprocity and dismantling the NFA. Criminals don’t care about guilty pleas; they adapt. But we can fight smarter, proving once again that the right to keep and bear arms isn’t about permission slips—it’s about self-reliance in a world where laws are mere suggestions to the lawless. Stay vigilant, patriots.
