I thought I saw this, but I can't find it so here it is again. Stag Arms: Guilty Plea, License Lost Company owner to get out of gun business, and stay out. Posted 3 days ago in Legal Issues, Opinion by Russ Chastain with 47 Comments Stag Arms founder Mark Malkowski. Stag Arms has reportedly resolved federal gun charges by pleading guilty and bribing the government–er, that is, by paying $600,000 in fines. As a result of the plea bargain, Stag Arms will lose its license to manufacture firearms, and company founder and president Mark Malkowski will sell the company and become a consultant. In the plea deal, Malkowski agreed to get out of the gun business and never return in an ownership or management role. As explained in a post at the Shooter’s Log, Stag Arms’s BATF troubles began in 2007, but became serious in 2014 when numerous violations were observed, including unregistered receivers, 62 fully automatic guns or receivers “that were either registered somewhere else or not registered at all,” and even some guns with obliterated serial numbers. Oh, and then there were 200 guns for which Stag Arms was unable to account. Here is the statement issued by Stag Arms: Stag Arms, LLC today announced that the company and its founder, Mark Malkowski, have reached a resolution with government officials stemming from an investigation that began last year relating primarily to the timing of recordkeeping during the manufacturing process and compliance with federal firearms manufacturing and registration requirements. Both Stag Arms and Mr. Malkowski cooperated fully with the government throughout the investigation. 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. Mr. Malkowski has also agreed to transition the business to new ownership and is in advanced talks with a potential buyer. Mr. Malkowski will continue as a marketing consultant to the business and the industry for a period of time following the sale. Stag Arms takes its obligations to comply with all laws and regulations very seriously and has made comprehensive changes to ensure that similar problems cannot happen again and that best compliance practices are maintained in all of its operations. If this had happened to you or me–or anyone else without a spare $600,000 lying around–we would very likely have been rudely tossed into jail and kept there. Must be nice to have deep pockets. Original article found here: Stag Arms: Guilty Plea, License Lost - AllOutdoor.com
His major problem was setting up in a communist front state and staying there. No one in the state could buy what he was making, so why should they care?
Has his finger on the trigger when he isn't ready to shoot...Hope the company comes out OK. I hate to see the Feds get away with implementing gun control by shutting down the manufacturers.
Stag will be allowed to operate under a temporary license for a period of time until the ownership can be transferred. I hope that Stag's sister company, Continental Machine Tool, can assume ownership. We have a long business and personal relationship with the Malkowski's and know them to be good people who got tripped up by the bureaucracy of mfg laws for firearms. That's isn't an excuse for not following the rules but it is a consequence of playing Russian roulette with the Feds
