I’d like to preface that I’m not at all a fal guy, and I also just posted this question on the Fal subreddit, but I figured it probably would be worth to ask here aswell.

Regarding factory miltary semi auto only L1A1’s, are they considered machine guns by ATF in the way Yugo M76’s are?

Or are they just standard title one firearms? I.E. if some PD imported them 20 years ago, could they sell them just like LE import surplus HK91’s, ect

Depends on the ability to accept the safety sear/auto sear

Without seeing the internals, the answer is yes, no, maybe.

Grey area guns that the BATF doesn't really care about, until they do.


18Z50

There are a bunch in circulation that came in as LE guns.  Either individual purchase or PD purchase they were OK’d.  Then they got sold or surpluses.

They are not illegal as of this time.  Yes I believe if a PD still had them they just get sold as a non machine gun ordinary firearm.

Then there are the same guns that may or may not have simply come across the Canadaian border years ago back before their bans.  They would be illegal imports and likely contraband if caught and proven that they were not legally imported.  

Could you as Joe Blow US citizen import one?  No.  They pop up from time to time.   Some lucky bastard got one at auction in the last year that was posted here.  Real deal Brit import on the Brit receiver around $1100.   That’s the cost of a clean century Brit kit on inch cut Imbel receiver price.(clone receiver)

Places like Century imported hundreds of them with the agreement to chop the receivers and later also the barrels.   Then they could sell the kits of the remaining parts.

As a complete aside the whole deletion of the safety sear is a travesty as far as safety.  That part had a legitimate purpose not entirely related to full auto usage.

Century Arms International imported and sold complete L1A1's to police departments and individual officers during the AWB. They are import marked C.A.I on the underside of the barrel. They were LEO only due to the AWB. There were about 300 imported. They are perfectly legal to purchase and own today (in free states). Good luck finding one.

There were also a very very small quantity imported pre 1968 via Armex.  I know this because we purchased some from them and still retain one in our old inventory.  I have absolutely no idea how many were brought in in the lot, but our sporting goods / gunsmithing / gunshop had purchased around a half dozen (or so, I would have to find / look at the old paperwork again and my memory is not what it used to be) of them at that time from them.

Depends if it was legally imported like Century’s LEO rifles, or if it walked across the border from Canada…

Silly differentiation, though I can see the ATF getting bent out of shape about it.

If it walked across the border and is a illegal alien the dems will champion it and find it a sancuary city.