Connecticut gun maker admits breaking U.S. firearms law

Reuters

(Reuters) - A Connecticut gun manufacturer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to violating U.S. firearms laws and its founder agreed to resign and sell the company in a move to prevent its shutdown.

Stag Arms LLC President Mark Malkowski pleaded guilty on the company's behalf in U.S. District Court in Hartford to possessing an unregistered machine gun after a search of the New Britain-based manufacturer found 62 machine guns and machine gun components that were either unregistered or improperly registered.

Federal inspectors have been probing Stag since 2007, when ATF inspectors first cited it for violating firearms regulations. A search showed some 3,000 weapon components lacking proper serial numbers and 62 machine guns and machine gun components that were unregistered or registered to another entity, prosecutors said.

"It is critically important for those who are responsible for manufacturing firearms, especially high-powered semiautomatic rifles, to diligently comply with federal firearms laws throughout the production and distribution process," said U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Deirdre Daly.

"Stag's misconduct has resulted in hundreds of these weapons being lost or untraceable," she said.

Stag confirmed the plea in a statement, and said it is in "advanced talks with a potential buyer."

"While both Stag Arms and Mr. Malkowski believe that public safety was never compromised, they have agreed to enter guilty pleas and to pay significant fines, because doing so is in the best interests of the company and its employees," Stag said.

Neither the company nor prosecutors gave details on Malkowski's resignation, other than that it was part of the plea.

Connecticut adopted one of the toughest gun laws in the United States following the massacre of 26 young children and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. That move led at least one of the state's gun manufacturers, PTR Industries, to relocate to South Carolina.

(Reporting by Scott Malone in Boston; Editing by Dan Grebler)