A parts kit is a collection of weapon (notably
firearm
A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions).
The first firearms originate ...
) parts that, according to the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevention ...
(ATF), "is designed to or may be readily be assembled, completed, converted, or restored to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive." As an example, the kit may not include a
receiver or include an
incomplete receiver. Under current
U.S. law
The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the supreme law is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as va ...
, kits that include finished receivers must be serialized and their buyers must receive a background check, but kits that include "unfinished" receivers are totally unregulated for purchase.
Receivers
US parts kit regulation is distinct from that of other countries (except
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
where the receiver is also the regulated part), where a firearm's pressure bearing parts such as
bolts,
barrels
A barrel or cask is a hollow cylindrical container with a bulging center, longer than it is wide. They are traditionally made of wooden staves and bound by wooden or metal hoops. The word vat is often used for large containers for liquids ...
, and
gas pistons are the commonly regulated components. In the United States a serialized receiver can be purchased or manufactured from a state of incompleteness to create a firearm.
The
National Firearms Act
The National Firearms Act (NFA), 73rd Congress, Sess. 2, ch. 757, was enacted on June 26, 1934, and currently codified and amended as . The law is an Act of Congress in the United States that, in general, imposes an excise tax on the manufact ...
(NFA) restricts the possession of automatic firearms, so most parts kits end up used with a
semi-automatic receiver. In addition, under US gun law, a receiver that is legally a
machine gun cannot legally become semi-automatic. There is no federal restriction on the purchase and import of machine gun parts kits (minus the barrel), however.
[
Parts kits are available for many firearms including the AR-15 and AKM variants.]
References
Firearm components
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