Times Square Shooter Gun Not a Machine Pistol

I think the evidence is pointing more strongly to it being a semi-auto MAC-10 clone, rather than a fully automatic MAC-10 machine pistol. There are already a few news sources that suggest that. That’s not stopping Abby Spangler from Tweeting hysterics and promoting articles like this. What really seals the deal for me are the articles talking about the circumstances surrounding how the gun ended up in the wrong hands. What’s being described is not the NFA process, so that rules out it being a machine pistol. From Wikipedia on the MAC-10:

In the United States, fully automatic MAC-10 machine pistols areÂ NFA articles, and probably the least expensive (relative; Approximate cost as of Q1 2009 is $3,600 US +/-)[6] automatic weapons on the American market. A large number of semi-completed sheet metal frame flats were given serial numbers before the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, and this made it possible to complete the manufacture of registered MAC-10s for the civilian market after the 1986 production freeze took effect. There were also a few thousand semi-automatic pistols and carbines that were based on the original MAC-10 design. These were made in open-bolt and later inÂ closed-bolt designs, in response to ATF rule changes that banned semi-auto open bolt designs, beginning in the early 1980s.

It’s likely one of the few thousand semi-auto pistols out there, likely a closed-bolt semi-auto made by Cobray. Having once owned one, they are indeed unreliable and poorly made. Interesting that Abby Spangler of Protest Easy Guns andÂ Mike Bloomberg of MAIG are speaking about needing to do something about illegal guns, and passing things like requiring guns be reported lost and stolen when:

  1. The gun used by the Times Square shooter was stolen
  2. The gun was reported stolen to the police.

The Associated Press article would seem to indicate the police don’t believe her. Criminals lying to the police about guns being stolen in order to cover up their involvement in a straw purchase is common, which is why Pennsylvania recently made lying to the police about a stolen gun more illegal. You can’t make this stuff more illegal.

2 Responses to “Times Square Shooter Gun Not a Machine Pistol”

  1. Ian Argent says:

    If they think she’s lying, put her under oath (NY has a Grand Jury system) and have her testify to same. then nail her for perjury.

    Not under oath? Too bad.

    As you might guess, I’m not a big fan of criminalizing lying to investigators as its own crime.

    The insurers of the plate glass window that got punched have a claim against the shooter’s estate (what the insurers will do with the CDs with random names written in marker on them is anyone’s guess). Beyond that – prosecute the straw buyer if you can prove it, or lay off the innuendo.

    BTW, if the stuff about the note and the rap lyrics is true, this was one deranged individual.

  2. Ian Argent says:

    And from the ye-flipping-boarlets dept:

    The model Raymond Martinez was carrying Thursday was a semi-automatic variation called the Masterpiece Arms 9-mm. MAC-10, which had a closed bolt that improves accuracy.


    (What a terrible little article – there’s exactly one true fact in there; that the gun was reported stolen)


  1. Tam on the Times Square Shooter’s Gun | Snowflakes in Hell - [...] cheap,Â closed-bolt copies of the MAC-10 and KG-9 are made primarily to look cool; actually functioning is lower on the…