A trigger crank is a device that allows a semi-automatic firearm to fire at an increased rate. The trigger crank typically consists of a screw-tight clamp and crank assembly. The crank assembly positioned in front of the trigger and clamped onto the trigger guard of a semi-automatic firearm. When the crank is turned, teeth on a gear-like wheel depress the trigger and cause the weapon to fire.
Internally, the firearm is not altered; hence, only one round is fired with every stroke of the trigger. This makes the "trigger crank" avoid classification as a machine gun for purposes of gun law in the United States, as stated in an IRS revenue ruling1 and various other private-letter rulings by ATF.23 However, a "trigger crank" driven by a motor (and by extension Gatling gun) is a machine gun as was determined by the ATF in 2004.4
The devices have elicited scrutiny by gun control advocates and media commentators because of the perceived lax regulation placed upon them.56
References
References
- "Rev. Ruling 1955–528 – Classification of crank-operated gear-driven Gatling guns". ATF. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - Bartlett, Curtis (January 2, 2001). "ATF Gatling Crank Approval Letter". 1919A4.com. ATF. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- Owen, Edward (January 5, 1997). "ATF Gatling Gun Letter". National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association. ATF. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- "ATF Ruling 2004–5 – Minigun Ruling". ATF. August 18, 2004. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- Smith, Aaron (April 1, 2021). "Biden's Gun Control Doesn't Target Gat Cranks Mimicking Machine Guns". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- Chipman, David; Nichols, Lindsay (November 15, 2017). "Legal and Lethal: 9 Products That Could Be The Next Bump Stock" (PDF). Brady Campaign. Brady Campaign. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 2, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2023.