Sputter Gun
Encyclopedia
The Sputter Gun was a modification of the British
Sten
Submachine Gun
, designed to circumvent then-existing U.S. laws defining a machine gun. The Sputter Gun, lacking a trigger, was designed to fire multiple rounds upon release of the bolt, until all ammunition
was expended. The Sputter Gun was, however, reclassified as a machine gun by the ATF
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Sten
Sten
The STEN was a family of British 9 mm submachine guns used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War...
Submachine Gun
Submachine gun
A submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were...
, designed to circumvent then-existing U.S. laws defining a machine gun. The Sputter Gun, lacking a trigger, was designed to fire multiple rounds upon release of the bolt, until all ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
was expended. The Sputter Gun was, however, reclassified as a machine gun by the ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
.
Background
In 1985, the ATF became aware that William M. York, doing business as York Arms Co., was selling a modified version of a Mk.II Sten that was capable of fully automatic fire. York advertised the gun as a weapon for those "who want the fun and excitement of owning and firing a fully automatic weapon without the government tax and red tape." The ATF instructed York to recall weapons already sold and issue refunds. This was unnecessary, however, as none had been sold.Reclassification
The ATF originally defined a machine gun as any weapon capable of firing multiple rounds by a single trigger action. This was changed, in light of the Sputter Gun, to readThe 'shoots automatically' definition covers weapons that will function automatically. The 'readily restorable' definition defines weapons which previously could shoot automatically but will not in their present condition. The 'designed' definition includes weapons which have not previously functioned as machineguns but possess specific machinegun design features which facilitate automatic fire by simple alteration or elimination of existing component parts.