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Value/worth/history ???

frc
Greetings,I have acquired from a deceased friend what is I believe to be a pen gun. It is in its original box with a variety of .32 cal ammo.
The cover of the box has directions printed inside it along with patent #'s 17183 & 1775178 I believe these patent #'s refer to Peter Von Frantzius from the AL CAPONE ERA.
Does anyone have any detail knowledge of what this may be worth and any other history or facts about it. Thanks for any info you may afford me at this time. I would have posted a pic but I don't see any way to do it.
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Comments

12 comments

Date Votes
  • Spider7115
    You might want to let your pen gun go the way of Al Capone. Possession of an unregistered "pen gun" is a violation of Federal Law, punishable by a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison.
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  • He Dog
    And you do NOT want to post a photo of it on a public forum.

    Very sad to say, but you may want to find a very deep lake.
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  • rsnyder55
    In other words, it is worth $250,000.
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  • frc
    Thank you gentleman for your expertise and quick responses, I assume trying to research this any further would be fruitless no matter how interesting its history may be. I will dispose of the potential problem immediately.
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  • beantownshootah
    Not to confuse things, but aren't pen guns legal as an "AOW" if appropriately registered?

    This isn't a machine gun.

    Is it really too late to do that?
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  • Hawk Carse
    It might be a curio (of Curio & Relic) too.

    I don't know the law but you should before you either take this thing into your hands OR scrap it.
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  • grizzclaw
    I had what I thought was a pen gun, it ended up being a tear gas pen.
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  • tccox
    Well, I did a search and there is a guy who makes and sells pen guns. He says they are legal and you must pay the AOW or some fee.

    I hope frc has not destroyed a valuable piece of history. Tom

    PS: Spider, could you quote chapter and verse
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  • Bill DeShivs
    AOWs can only be registered if they are new manufacture.
    Unregistered NFA guns can not be registered-they are contraband.
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  • BigLoop22
    Gents,

    Isn't there a pen gun that bends & twists to resemble a little, single shot handgun? Isn't that one legal, without any ATF "tax", because it resembles a gun when you fire it?

    I thought the problem with a true pen gun is that it does NOT resemble a gun in any way, but it looks like a pen when you fire it, and it does not bend & twist to resemble a gun when you fire it. Therefore, the ATF considers it a disguised gun, and restricts its possession, right?
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  • Spider7115
    quote:Originally posted by BigLoop22
    Gents,

    Isn't there a pen gun that bends & twists to resemble a little, single shot handgun? Isn't that one legal, without any ATF "tax", because it resembles a gun when you fire it?

    I thought the problem with a true pen gun is that it does NOT resemble a gun in any way, but it looks like a pen when you fire it, and it does not bend & twist to resemble a gun when you fire it. Therefore, the ATF considers it a disguised gun, and restricts its possession, right?


    Yep. The "Stinger" was legal because it could not be fired "as is" like the old pen guns. See the picture below.

    There is no "grandfather clause" for old, unregistered pen guns. Even though they might be C&R, they're still subject to NFA regulations.

    FROM THE ATF WEBSITE:

    (M7) May a private citizen who owns an NFA firearm which is not registered have the firearm registered? [Back]

    No. The NFA permits only manufacturers, makers, and importers to register firearms. Mere possessors may not register firearms. An unregistered NFA firearm is a contraband firearm, and it is unlawful to possess the weapon. The possessor should contact the nearest ATF office to arrange for its disposition.

    [26 U.S.C. 5861(d)]

    http://www.atf.gov/firearms/faq/faq2.htm#m1


    "Stinger" pen gun
    stinger%20pen%204.JPG
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  • Spider7115
    quote:Originally posted by tccox
    Well, I did a search and there is a guy who makes and sells pen guns. He says they are legal and you must pay the AOW or some fee.

    I hope frc has not destroyed a valuable piece of history. Tom

    PS: Spider, could you quote chapter and verse


    See my comments above with chapter and verse. Newly-made pen guns must be registered with ATF by the manufacturer but old ones can not.
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