Brownells not shipping AR-10/308 lowers to MD FFL's

As the title states, they have their information incorrect in their legal department. Lets please call them and correct their mistake. They have nice Black Rain Ordinance matching lowers/uppers for $550. Does anyone have the official MSP bulletins on the matter?

Here is a link to the discussion in 2010:

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=46263

http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/MDRuling.pdf


First I would make sure the FFL would go along with it, before trying to get Brownells to change their mind.

pilotguy299 said:

Here is a link to the discussion in 2010:

http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=46263

http://www.nssf.org/share/PDF/MDRuling.pdf


First I would make sure the FFL would go along with it, before trying to get Brownells to change their mind.

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Excellent, that's a good start. The FFL is Bollinger Gunsmithing and Sales LLC, who is an industry partner here on MDS and is okay with it. I'll be sending that letter and the MSP Licensing Div - Advisory LD-FRS-13-004 letter that states the difference between an AR-15 that's banned and an HBAR AR-15 which is not banned. It also states that MD FFL's can still acquire banned items, they're just not allowed to transfer them to MD residents.

Can someone help me find that long letter from AG Gansler about the specific differences on how something is determined if it's banned or not? It specifically talks about how the firearms must have the same internal parts and caliber to make it a copy of a listed assault rifle. I apologize, but i searched everywhere for that letter in my documents, but I can't seem to find it.

This is serious guys. We must get the major distributors on board with the correct information ASAP. The longer they F things up the less likely they'll change their mind in the future. Brownells is the largest civilian distributor in the world for AR related parts. We must get them corrected.

Here is my contact at Brownells who is looking into the issue with their legal department.

Rebecca Oster
Managed Accounts Rep
Brownells, Inc.
200 S. Front Street, Montezuma, IA 50171
Email: rebecca.osterloh@brownells.com
Phone: 641-623-5401
Direct: 641-623-5401 x5451

Wonder what Midway USA will do?

http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opinions/2010/95oag101.pdf

And it doesn't say the same internal parts. It says similar internal parts.

pilotguy299 said:

http://www.oag.state.md.us/Opinions/2010/95oag101.pdf

And it doesn't say the same internal parts. It says similar internal parts.

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Awesome! I'll get these documents sent to her today. Any recommendations on law citations either within the documents listed above or somewhere else will also be helpful. I'll be studying them tonight in case of any rebuttals Brownells might have.

bobthefisher said:

Awesome! I'll get these documents sent to her today. Any recommendations on law citations either within the documents listed above or somewhere else will also be helpful. I'll be studying them tonight in case of any rebuttals Brownells might have.

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That section I mentioned does not help us. I think people have been reading it as exactly the same, when the AG actually wrote "similar".

swinokur said:

Wonder what Midway USA will do?

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Midway really had a very limited selection to begin with, or did i miss a pile of these beauties somewhere on their webpage?

campns said:

Midway really had a very limited selection to begin with, or did i miss a pile of these beauties somewhere on their webpage?

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After i hit submit, i recalled, Midway atleast doesnt sell lowers on their website, do they sell them somewhere else?

Here's a copy of the email I just sent Brownells about the topic, along with attachment of the documents we've acquired from MSP and the AG Office.

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Becca,


This email is concerning our phone conversation on whether the AR-10 / AR .308 platform rifles are still legal to purchase and transfer to Maryland residents. I've provided documentation that are bulletins, advisories, and letters from both the Maryland State Police Licensing Division and Maryland Attorney General's Office. Please forward these documents and this email to your legal staff for a formal review. Within these documents, especially the letter from the Maryland Attorney General's Office, it defines whether a firearm is considered a copy of the "regulated assault weapons" list, which are now banned firearms, that Maryland references. As defined by the Attorney General and the Maryland State Police, it states that a rifle is a "copy" of a regulated assault weapon if it meets both cosmetic, internal parts, and caliber. Since the AR .308 platform does not interchange parts with the clearly defined AR-15 platform, and since it fires the .308 Winchester / 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, that it's NOT considered a copy of the now banned AR-15. I've also supplied advisories from the Maryland State Police Licensing Division that if an AR-15 platform rifle has a HBAR designated barrel, that it is also not banned, as it's considered a copy of the Colt AR-15 HBAR sporter. Lastly, Maryland FFL's \ Dealers can still purchase banned firearms, it's just they can no longer sell those items to Maryland residents.


I know this is a lot of information, but I'm very patience and would like to resolve this confusion so that the residents of Maryland can still exercise their rights in a clear and legal fashion. I've also supplied my FFL dealers information below. Please feel free to email me or call them directly for any more questions, concerns, or clarification. Thank you for your time.

Attached:
Attorney General - MD Assault Weapon Designation Letter.pdf
MSP Licensing Div - Advisory LD-FRS-13-004.pdf
MSP Licensing Div - Bulletin 10-1.pdf

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Well done!

They're reviewing it now. Just got preliminary email back from Becca.

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Robert,

I have forwarded the information to our Legal Compliance team and I will be getting in contact with you as soon as they let me know.


Thank you,

Becca

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bobthefisher said:

They're reviewing it now. Just got preliminary email back from Becca.

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Robert,

I have forwarded the information to our Legal Compliance team and I will be getting in contact with you as soon as they let me know.


Thank you,

Becca

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Hopefully in the mean time a hundred people aren't calling her bugging her considering you asked for people to call and she seems to already be willing to work with you to straighten it out.

Just sayin

Shift said:

Hopefully in the mean time a hundred people aren't calling her bugging her considering you asked for people to call and she seems to already be willing to work with you to straighten it out.

Just sayin

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Agreed a flood of calls would not be good, but a few polite calls stating the same will underline the seriousness of this situation.

If you call the Brownells contact I've listed please be very polite and keep the conversation short.

If this is still an issue get it to Mike smegel --- or msi If the ag is going to make an issue with Ar10 we need to get it to court ASAP.

Is this still an issue?

I was able to check out with a MD address and got all the way to the point of having to enter payment. No issues, but also, no indication of allowed vs disallowed / restricted locations at all. Maybe they process that after you pay...

I believe Brownells is on the NRA Board. It might be a good idea to get Shannon our local NRA representative involved to help get this straightened out. She would have a full understanding of MD laws.

ZOMBIE THREAD!

Did you ever think that maybe the law isn't the reason they won't sell or ship to Maryland? I know of at least 4 gun shops in Virginia that will not sell any firearms to Maryland residents even though they can simply because they no longer want to deal with the ever changing regulations and liability of processing the sale...How can any manufacturer or distributor know what the law bans if the list seems to grow every week at the whim of the state police? If I were a manufacturer or distributor I wouldn't chance it...not if my business and the livelihood of my employees could be put into jeopardy if I ship something that becomes illegal during the week that the firearm or component is in transit...