SAR 20#2

FLASH SUPPRESSOR, MUZZLE BRAKES & MUZZLE ATTACHMENTS
AND THE ASSAULT WEAPON BAN
by Rick Vasquez
In October of 1994 as part of the Violent Crime Control and
Law enforcement Act, what has become known as the semiautomatic
assault weapon ban (SAW) was passed. The Gun
Control Act (GCA) was modified with section 922(v) which prohibited
the possession and manufacturing of certain Assault
Weapons and firearms with certain features. Some of those
prohibited features were flash suppressors and barrels threaded
to accept a flash suppressor.
September 13, 1994: SAW Ban enacted by PL 103-322,
Title IX, Subtitle A, section 110105 The Violent Crime Control
and Law Enforcement Act was enacted on September 13,
1994, and established the definitions of assault weapons firearms
and the features that constitute semiautomatic assault
weapons. If a complete firearm fitting any of these definitions
was in existence on or before the date of enactment of this
Law, then it was “grand fathered.” This means that it would be
lawful to possess or transfer. The law had a sunset provision
in which at the completion of 10 years from the date of enactment
the law could expire or the president could extend it or
make it permanent. As we all know it was allowed to sunset.
However, there are states that began implementing their own
SAW ban. Some states adopted the parameters set by the
original SAW ban but other states have become creative and
have implemented their own interpretation of SAW ban.
One of the areas of study is the state SAW ban laws and to
provide information to persons so they do not get caught up in
a state violation, which is generally a state felony. In communicating
with the states that have restrictions on firearms features
it is obvious the personnel that are administering these
laws to the citizens have little to no idea what they are doing.
This is not true of all of the states but from the numerous calls
I have made to the state firearms experts it is obvious that you
are rolling the dice to a state felony if you do not understand
these laws yourself.
that also function as grenade launchers and bayonet mounts.
While at a trade show in Harrisburg, PA there was a vendor
that was selling H&K rifle copies and AK rifle copies that he
was advertising as “New Jersey compliant.” The only modification
the vendor performed on these weapons was to pin
the military flash suppressor in place on the rifles he was displaying.
Regardless of the lack of gun knowledge the state
administrators have, there are knowledgeable gun people and
sooner than later many of these gun owners will be placed in a
precarious situation. The following photos demonstrate flash
suppressors from 2 different models of firearms:
FLASH SUPPRESSORS,
MUZZLE BRAKES AND
THREADED BARRELS:
What is a flash suppressor and what is a muzzle brake? All
of the gun gurus are saying that is easy; a flash suppressor is
designed to hinder the flash and a muzzle brake is a device
to help with muzzle rise. You get an “A”. But can they be the
same? How much flash must be reduced before it is considered
a flash suppressor and not a muzzle brake? What is the
standard and who performs a flash test? When shipping a rifle
to a state with prohibitions on features, or you are purchasing
a rifle with in a state with prohibitions on features, you need to
know these answers. Additionally, there are flash suppressors
Most NATO firearms have flash suppressors of the same
diameter to accommodate universally sized rifle grenades. If
the flash suppressor is not of the proper diameter of the rifle
grenade such as FALs and M14 rifles with narrow flash suppressors,
then they are equipped with a detachable attachment
that slides over the flash suppressor and the grenade
will slide over the muzzle attachment. When a state prohibits
a grenade launcher it isn’t the M203 grenade launcher or other
rifle mounted grenade launchers, because the likelihood of
SAR Vol. 20, No. 2 20 MARCH 2016