Why would do some people shorten the sear?

This really is not about new weaponry, but i have heard various mentions on a sear being shortend to allow fully automatic fire power. What i would like to ask first is what is the sear of the weapon? Wouldn't you need to do more "tweaking" then just the sear do to clip speed and jamming, not to mention sever overheating? What type of legal penalties would be taken on some one who does this to handgun or other weapons?

The Sear is the actual catch that retains the hammer, in other words the "latch" that the trigger controls, I am aware the sear can be modified to improve trigger characteristics ie; length of pull, and the amount of pull required to release. but I am not aware of any firearm that can be made fully automatic by manipulating or modifying the sear. in many semi auto firearms it is the "disconnector" that prevents automatic firing.

In the United States, the possession of an unregistered fully-automatic firearm is unlawful under The National Firearms Act of 1934. From the BATF:

(M8) What can happen to someone who has an NFA firearm which is not registered to him? [Back]

Violators may be fined not more than $250,000, and imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both. In addition, any vessel, vehicle or aircraft used to transport, conceal or possess an unregistered NFA firearm is subject to seizure and forfeiture, as is the weapon itself. [49 U. S. C. 781-788, 26 U. S. C. 5861, 26 U. S. C. 5872]

The conversion of a semiautomatic weapon is also frowned upon. A "conversion kit" is still considered a machinegun by the BATF.

(N1) May an unlicensed person make a machinegun? [Back]

Generally, no. But, in the event that documentation can be provided, along with the Application to Make a Machinegun, which establishes that the weapon is being made for distribution to a Federal or state agency, an individual may be permitted to make the machinegun. [18 U. S. C. 922( o)( 2), 27 CFR 179.105( e)]

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms FAQ

As such, the discussion of the specifics of such an unlawful modification risks violation of ATS Terms & Conditions.

16.) Discussion of illegal activities such as drug use, drug paraphernalia, hacking, etc. are strictly forbidden.

Im really sorry if a broke any rules with the post i did not think of it as "giving out" illegal info, i really am sorry.

Oops! My sear broke while firing my .45 , went full-auto. Put me in jail for Godsake! Kerry kiss my ass!

Screw him fully automatiic weapons are legal in most states with the proper paperwork and fees. A lot of things are legal if you want to through the proper channels.

zi2525, no apology required. I was just posting a reminder. Thanks for reading it, something SecretDestroyer obviously did not do.

By the way, SecretDestroyer, to whom is your post addressed?

[edit on 22-7-2004 by Spectre]

Reasons to file or manipulate the sear, in the AK series of weapons the sear block is very easy to file to make the weapon full auto, it will not be reliable nor safe, but if you know how the sear interacts it can be done, there was a run of romanian ak-47's in the late 90's that actually only needed a 50 dollar drop in part to make them fully automatic, these ran less then 400 dollars each. The BATF did find out and sent registered letters to the purchasers and seized the weapons.
No private individual may OWN a fully automatic weapon that was made AFTER 1986, only licensed class 3 dealers and manufacturers can own weapons made after this time, and they have to have a letter from a Law Enforcement entity stating they are procurring them for sale or testing. There are no more fully automatic weapons made for civilian use after 1986.So the prices of legal class 3 weapons are amazing, an m16 can be 13, 000 dollars or more depending on how good of shape it is in. The proces go up year after year as well.
Transferring and owning these class 3 weapons isn't very difficult, it is expensive though. You file for the tax stamp and within 90 days to as long as 6 months the BATFE either approves you or doesn't, after an exhaustive background check for criminal convictions and such, each state has different laws on owning these class 3 weapons. The fee is a 1 time 200 dollar tax stamp paid to own the weapon for fully automatic, an additional 200 for a suppressor and yet another 200 for a rifle with a barrel less then 16.5 inches and shotgun with a barrel of less then 18.5 inches, IF they have a rifle stock, folding or non folding. if a rifle or shotgun has a barrel under the minimum length and ONLY has a pistol grip mounted it is classed as an Any Other Weapon and has a tax stamp of 5 dollars.
I don't own any class 3 weapons but have shot many rounds through them over the years at different ranges, fun to shoot, but nothing I would protect my home with.