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David Olofson is a U.S. Army veteran and Wisconsin resident who loaned his 20-year old AR-15 rifle to a friend who then took it to a shooting range. While at the range, the rifle malfunctioned by emitting two multi-round bursts before jamming. Someone at the range heard the shots and, fearing it might be a fully automatic machine gun, notified local law enforcement.

The local police department, sheriff's department and BATFE raided Mr. Olofson's home by prying apart and kicking down his door. Law enforcement bombarded Mr. Olofson's house dressed in full SWAT gear. They confiscated his computers, firearm manuals, and firearms. No illegal weapons were found. It is also worth noting that Mr. Olofson was an upstanding member of the community with no prior criminal offenses.

The BATFE attempted to prove, in its lab, the Mr. Olofson's rifle was actually a machine gun. They were unable to re-create the multiple round firing. They kept trying, however, and finally got the firearm to malfunction. The judge accepted the BATFE's evidence despite objections from the defense. David Olofson was convicted for possession of a machine gun.

The judge in this case has accomplished what the Brady Campaign, Dianne Feinstein, and other anti-gunners have been trying for years - convicting a law abiding citizen for owning a semi-automatic rifle by mis-labeling the firearm as a machine gun.

What happened to Mr. Olofson can happen to any law-abiding gun owner out there. Mr. Olofson isn't the first -- or the last -- to go through such an ordeal. Law-abiding gun dealers have been fighting the BATFE for years on various types of harrassment. Now private citizens are finding themselves in crosshairs.

Like Ramos and Compean, a law-abiding citizen, husband, and father has been wrongfully tried and convicted by a branch of the government with an agenda that runs contrary to existing law. There has been no outcry from the media, save Lou Dobbs. And Mr. Olofson's only hope is financial support (for his appeal) from his fellow Americans.

<broken link removed>
 
If I remember correctly there was substantial evidence that he intentionally and illegally altered the rifle and was then ignorant enough to loan the weapon to someone. It is not a simple case of a malfunction. Court records showed that he had informed the person he lent it to of his alterations before letting him borrow it.

The only people still supporting this man are people who think we was framed by the US Government and that they spent a lot of money framing him. I find that a very hard pill to swallow since he was a small fish..who also happened to not be nearly as "squeeky clean" as Lou Dobbs originally tried to portray him.

Let's try to be a little more careful who we spend our time and energy defending. Just because a gun was involved does not mean they deserve our support. Have any of you ever researched this case? Let's try and do a little research before the uniformed, biased rants start flowing. It really makes gun owners as a whole look bad when we defend willing criminals.
 
Why isn't the ACLU up in arms about this? Terrible that a law abiding citizen has been subjected to this :(

Come to the rescue of a hero? Someone who fought for this country? Yeah right! But if you are a minority and can't get a job or were pulled over for committing a crime, please do call ACLU, they'll be right there.

BS!!!
 
Playboy Penguin - Can you substantiate your claims about Olofson?
I do not need to support anything. The ones supporting him need simply read the court documents to find the truth. It is not up to every person who tries to be a voice of reason to shout down every outlandish conspiracy theorist. It is up to those that want to be educated in their own minds before throwing support behind a convicted person to take the steps needed to know what they are talking about. Have you read the court papers or any substantial information regarding the case?

PS: Every person on this forum has access to a computer and therefore has no excuse for speaking out of ignorance before doing their own research.
 
If a semi-auto lets off a multi-round burst, it's a very good idea to take it to a gunsmith immediately. They keep records of repairs, and that would/should go a long way in a case like this. If you make every effort to correct the problem, then it will not become an issue. Yes, there are costs involved w/ this sollution, but it's cheaper than replacing doors or fighting a conviction.
 
Here's the bottom line that none of the hotheads really want to aknowledge:

1. Guy had a rifle that he KNEW would fire automatic.
2. Guy made NO effort to correct the problem. And that is giving him the benifit of the doubt, in that he made no modifications, which is highly doubtful.
3. Guy KNOWINGLY transfers possesion of a rifle that he knows fires full auto to somebody else, and tells that person that it will fire full auto.

Whether or not he modified the weapon, this guy is a moron and is in violation of the law. It is very disheartening that some gun rights activists will blindly throw their support behind anybody that claims to be screwed by "the man."
 
Just read Poster Guy's links, item 21 states that he had thousands of rounds of ammo. My question is, what does that matter? As far as I know there aren't any laws against having bulk supplies of ammo. Any ideas/explanation???
 
Just read Poster Guy's links, item 21 states that he had thousands of rounds of ammo. My question is, what does that matter? As far as I know there aren't any laws against having bulk supplies of ammo. Any ideas/explanation???

Well, the BATFE is going to use sensational tactics, whether they need them or not. It looks "scary" to the judge/jury.

Nathan
 
Just read Poster Guy's links, item 21 states that he had thousands of rounds of ammo. My question is, what does that matter? As far as I know there aren't any laws against having bulk supplies of ammo. Any ideas/explanation???


To someone not firearm savy, walking into a room with 20,000 rounds of ammo and loaded mags would probly scare the crap out of them. Even if there was no firearms present.
 
Someone at the range heard the shots and, fearing it might be a fully automatic machine gun, notified local law enforcement.

After reading PosterGuys links of the court documents it certainly "seems" to be a pretty cut and dry case of someone being justly accused of a criminal act.

That being said, the quote above is what first stood out to me. I certainly hope that the authorities were acting on more than just THAT piece of information to begin their investigation of Olofson. :s0131:

I'd hate to think that the guy standing next to you at the range is going to "fear" your triple-tap and sick the "man" on you without substantiating thier "fear" with FACTS that you do indeed posess an "illegal" weapon. I would hope that the person would have talked to the individual in question and pointed out the fact that what they were doing was illegal in that state first. :(

I could see getting the police immediately involved if the guy was recklessly spraying full-auto rounds in a jurisdiction where full-auto was illegal.
 
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Sorry wasn't trying to piss anyone off, or bash. Just sick of the way Veterans are treated in this country. Not judging the merit of the case, just commenting on ACLU jumping to support causes, while our Vets are in terrible physical and psychological conditions.
 
A machine gun continues to fire as long as you depress the trigger. Olofson's rifle fires 2-3 rounds before jamming when the switch is set in the third position. Clearly NOT a machine gun.
 
ANY gun will eventually jam. Your analysis is flawed at the very least. By your bizarre interpretation, a 3 round burst AR would be perfectly legal, which it is not. Put down the Kool Aide my friend.

Nathan
 
Olofson's rifle does not reliably fire 3-round bursts. It consistently jams when it malfunctions. NOT a machine gun, but a malfunctioning firearm.

It's easier to side with the government than stand up for another gun owner.
 
Olofson's rifle does not reliably fire 3-round bursts. It consistently jams when it malfunctions. NOT a machine gun, but a malfunctioning firearm.

It's easier to side with the government than stand up for another gun owner.

Well, if you look at item number 18(b) in the court documents it spells out how it meets the definition of a machine gun. Just because it's a crappy, malfuntioning one doesn't mean that it isn't one.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sqnjZD8MC7A/SGzzSBbmgjI/AAAAAAAAAY4/Fd8DBvc8nic/s1600-h/complaint_4.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sqnjZD8MC7A/SGzzOLzDy_I/AAAAAAAAAYw/KTk72IgYx_0/s1600-h/complaint_5.jpg
 

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