STAG ARMS TO BE SOLD IN WAKE OF GUILTY PLEA

Established AR-15 manufacturer Stag Arms LLC has entered a guilty plea to felony firearms charges related to the possession of machine guns not registered to the company.

As part of the ensuing plea deal, owner Mark Malkowski will sell the company, and will have no role in its operations or management, nor that of any other firearms manufacturers. The company will also be required to pay a $500,000 US fine. He's lucky that these are his own penalties; most convicts end up with a prison sentence, no money and no future job prospects; instead having to rely on places like Real Jobs For Felons to find work.

Additionally, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is revoking Stag's license to manufacture firearms, and the company has halted operations until a sale is arranged.

Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly commented Tuesday that "for the first time in Connecticut...a large manufacturer is pleading guilty to a felony charge relating to recordkeeping violations".

The charges stem from a BATF inspection of Stag's facility, during which agents discovered 62 receivers and completed machine guns which were registered to another entity, or unregistered. Further investigation indicated that approximately 200 Stag firearms could not be accounted for, although there is no indication that they are in the hands of criminals.