Pennsylvania would define machine guns and pistol converters in weapons law

The bill would add definitions for “machine gun” and “pistol converter” to Pennsylvania’s prohibited-weapons law. The definitions cover automatic-fire weapons, certain frames, receivers, parts, combinations of parts, handguns with pistol converters, and pistol converters made with 3-D printers. A machine gun would include a weapon that fires, is designed to fire, or can be readily restored to fire more than one shot automatically with one trigger function. The definition would also include specified conversion parts and combinations of parts under a person’s possession or control. A pistol converter would mean a device attached to the rear of a semiautomatic pistol that interferes with the trigger mechanism and enables automatic fire. The definitions would take effect 30 days after the Attorney General publishes the required notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin; the notice provision would take effect immediately, and notice would be due within 10 days after that provision takes effect.