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US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

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Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#11

What about silencers/suppressors? Haven't looked for a while, but it used to be fairly common to be able to find them on both Amazon and eBay, usually listed as "lawnmower mufflers", with pretty un-subtle hints: "This lawnmower muffler fits a 9mm exhaust and you can bang around your back yard all morning without disturbing your neighbor."

Other than in Hollywood movies, is there any crime that is enabled with a suppressor that isn't enabled with just the gun itself? Is everyone collectively harmed by one person possessing one?

Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#12

What about silencers/suppressors? Haven't looked for a while, but it used to be fairly common to be able to find them on both Amazon and eBay, usually listed as "lawnmower mufflers", with pretty un-subtle hints: "This lawnmower muffler fits a 9mm exhaust and you can bang around your back yard all morning without disturbing your neighbor."

It was a thing for a while, less so now though. To be fair, while they're illegal if fully finished (it's complicated, the ATF changed the rules recently), they're not exactly a threat to anyone. They just make weapons less concealable and only minimally decrease the audio signature. They're not like the movies. Congress and the ATF have been pushing to deregulate them because the paperwork burden required to make/buy them legally is gumming up the works at the ATF and they're unregulated in a lot of the commonwealth/European countries.

Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#14
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it strange that it's unlawful to have a muffler on your gun, and unlawful to NOT have a muffler on your car?

I mean you also drive a car in city limits and it is illegal to fire a gun in city limits in most places...

It is also illegal to shoot someone but we still have gun control laws.

Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#16
post #9

What about silencers/suppressors? Haven't looked for a while, but it used to be fairly common to be able to find them on both Amazon and eBay, usually listed as "lawnmower mufflers", with pretty un-subtle hints: "This lawnmower muffler fits a 9mm exhaust and you can bang around your back yard all morning without disturbing your neighbor."

Is this similar to the brass knuckles, I mean “belt buckles”, they sell in shady gas stations? Or the tobacco shops who sell pipes for anything but tobacco? As long as they don’t say it’s for illegal use it’s a gray area.

I remember the time I was looking shaggy and walking out the door of a supermarket from the wrong direction with a large open-topped bag (and no stolen goods) and the manager of the store, who looked like a detective from a 1970s movie, followed me out on my heels holding a big clipboard which I suspect he would have whacked me with if I'd given him any trouble and later would claim that he was just holding a clipboard and I got hit my mistake.

Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#18
post #15

Sorry to sound stupid but what is the point of an emissions defeat device?

Usually increased performance. ECUs that will happily dump an increased amount of fuel into the engine, for example. High flow exhaust parts that remove catalytic converters, for another example. Both are being sold on eBay.

Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#19
google answerbox says

> Section 203(a)(3)(B) of the Clean Air Act makes it a violation for any person to manufacture or sell, or offer to sell, or install, any part or component (i.e., “defeat device”) intended for use with, or as part of, any motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine, where a principal effect of the part or component is to ...

So, I guess I can see how ebay is at fault. But if that is literal text then it seems that both the end users (buyer and seller) are also at fault and should be parties to this lawsuit.

Re: US sues eBay for allowing sale of emissions defeat devices

#20
post #13

For the non-US and uninitiated, are these at fault for these coal burner people?

Only partially. There are lots of ways to get such things.

You only have to go after the largest volume folks, and then put bounties on reporting the small frys (both sellers and the trucks running this gear). Leverage where most efficient.
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