Christopher Machamer, 26, a former MLB pitching prospect who was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and played for their High-A affiliate Greenville Drive until his release in 2020, was arrested by FBI agents who searched his home and found what has been described as “untraceable AR-15-style guns.” Machamer lives in North Canton, Ohio, and attended the University of Kentucky where he played baseball before being drafted. He also played for the Lowell Spinners, a former Class A short season minor league team in Massachusetts.
Cleveland’s 19 News reported the former ball player was arrested after the FBI searched his and his parent’s homes and report they found the below items.
Found in Machamer’s home was:
- an AR-15 rifle with a barrel measuring approximately 9 ¼ inches, with the serial number removed
- an AR-15 lower receiver with an obliterated serial number
- 10 AR-15 rifles with barrels measuring approximately 9 ¼ inches, bearing no serial numbers
- nine AR-15 lower receivers, bearing no serial numbers
- one drill press (covered and surrounded in aluminum shavings)
- two “Ghost Gunner” brand CNC mills (both containing aluminum shavings)
- 25 serialized AR-15 style lower receivers
Found in a safe owned by Machamer at his parent’s home:
- five AR-15 rifles
- two short barrel shotguns
- six handguns
- eight suppressors
- one AK-47 lower receiver
- $3,000 in United States Currency
To be clear, not all of those items are illegal to own or possess. However, Machamer has been charged with possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, receiving or possessing an NFA firearm not registered to the possessor in the NFRTR and manufacturing a firearm in violation of the NFA.
Did he shoot someone with any of the guns or provided guns to criminals? Has he made violent threats against anyone? If the answer to those questions is “No” then he needs to be left alone.
They have to protect the ” ghosts “.
I’m curious to know what act (or snitch) placed him on the FBI’s radar in the first place. I’m sure many people own receivers without SNs, GhostGunners, and short-barrel ARs (isn’t that the definition of an AR pistol that’s not subject to NFA?).
Loose lips sink ships…
That’s what I would like to know too. How was the FBI made aware of what was inside his home?
Snitch………he probably sought buyers for kis little kiddoes.
NFA violations are a serious issue.
Otherwise print, shoot, repeat.
And any violations of the NFA should carry a simple fine in proportion to the 200 dollar tax not paid on an item.
This is the correct answer. NFA items are no different than any other weapon, other than the $200 tax. The punishment should only apply to the offender’s Freedom Tax evasion, not to the weapon itself.
There shouldn’t even be a punishment because the NFA is unconstitutional and should be abolished along with the ATF.
$200 sounds like a simple misdemeanor violation of an unconstitutional law (see Bruin).
Shame the FBI has nothing to do. Perhaps THEY could go down to the Mexican border and make themselves useful. Take other fed thugs, shoot a few illegals invading.
We’re from the government and we’re here to help!
that is, help OURSELVES to your savings and property.
Why does the FBI care about state charges on federally legal firearms? Ghost guns are legal according to every single law the FBI is allowed to investigate.
Home manufactured without serial numbers is one thing (although if he is selling it would constitute illegal manufacturing) but removing serial numbers is a specific federal crime.
Unless they know he actually removed them (and can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt) it’s not a crime to have a firearm with the serial number removed.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/ban-guns-with-serial-numbers-removed-is-unconstitutional-us-judge-2022-10-13/
So, not even the FBI cares about the ATF. Nice. I bet the FBI didn’t even bother to notify ATF about this case. I just want to know who snitched on him.
Yes. Something else going on if the FBI thugs, without the ATF thugs, are trying to make a antigun case.
The guy had CASH in his house? What intelligent responsible person doesn’t have cash on hand? True, in the Obiden economy loosing 7-10% annually holding an emergency fund in your hands.
I’ve had several times that paltry amount in cash here…. in “safekeeping”. Used it all awhile back and am working on refilling the piggety bank.
Three K won’t even buy much of a decent used car any more, and certainly won’t redo the engine in your current ride.
hallelujah
bruen is the beginning of the end
of the gca and the nfa
and not a moment too soon
TTAG, HOW ABOUT YOU GET THE REST OF THE STORY.
According to the REST of the story he was found to be selling both removed serial number lowers AND Ghost Gunner completed lowers to randoms on the street. At any given time he had 10 of them in his car for sale at $500 a piece. Sold a decent amount of SBRs and had nearly 40 lowers in his home with the intent to sell them too. The ATF TRACED the untraceable guns back to him during crime investigations as they were being used in multiple crimes.
After making a few million playing baseball this is what he does with his life? What a dummy
Anyone who removes serial numbers and places a firearm in the hands of a stranger they met on the street deserves to be held accountable. Sans that if the firearms were to be used for lawful purposes no harm no foul…unfortunately that’s not the way it is, in the minds of sick Gun Control zealots you should be lynched for talking about firearms.
Removing those numbers might be illegal but the FBI only knew about that because the searched his place.
LOL ATF traced the “untraceable firearms” (ie, the person who used the firearm in a crime squeeled).
Also, I doubt he made millions playing baseball. Single A for 2 years?
Correct on all points!
Yup. Do yer pirate selling in some city far away from where you live, and out of a car with “untraceable” number plates.
He had a decent gig going, but then started trading with the wrong crowd. That’ on HIM. And methinks its a gonna HURT something very ouchy.
If they can trace the untraceable then what’s the point in those numbers?
Feds didn’t trace the guns, they apparently followed the trail given them to the source of the criminally used weapons. Amazing how loose one’s lips can get then your own neck is on the line, and your new ‘owners” are pressing and threatening you with larger sentences if you don’t play piggly wiggly and squeal.
Of course, if this guy had some integrity in the first place he’d not have been dealing with the scum of the earth, which he appears to have been (past perfect tense) his gig may have lasted longer and been more profitable.
No sympathy for anyone supplying and enabling criminals in the plying of their hellish trade. This guy is part of how and why so many recent new “laws” have been piled on we who obey the laws and live honourably. If he really has been feeding the criminal element he is opposed to all this nation is about.
No one “makes a few million” in minor league ball.
From – Mar 31, 2023 High-A salaries increase from $11,000 to $27,300
CC provide link/footnote to that info.
Also, for any information showing that “tracing” a gun serial number does diddly squat to combat crime.
Canucks spent a cool BILLION dollars on a registration / tracking scheme that they finally scuttled after it solved a net of ZERO crimes. Queerbeckistan is doing it’s level best to keep it alive in that Provence, but the rest of Canada has shit-canned it… (If memory serves.)
“The ATF TRACED the untraceable guns”
They they were not, by definition, untraceable.
Everyone of us is in violation of some administrative federal law. They’re just waiting for a reason to “find the crime.”
” The ATF TRACED the untraceable guns back to him during crime investigations as they were being used in multiple crimes.”
How the hell do they trace an UNTRACEABLE forearm? ROFLMAO
It is time to disband the BATFE IMO
He thought he was a biden.
he wuz wrong.. and now he’s a bidin’ in the Crowbar Hotel.
All sounds like fully constitutional items to me.
the ITEMS were constitutional. It was his supplying the criminal class with weapons they could not lawfully purchase, they being “prohibited persons” (criminals)
Why were FBI agents searching his home?
Because he was manufacturing unserialized firearms, which is illegal for manufacturers, and by being in the business of selling firearms on the street without an FFL and without conducting federally mandated background checks.
He would not have been arrested were it not for the search. I see nothing in this article that indicates why hus place was being searched. I see nothing in the article that suggests he was trafficking. All I see here is that he was arrested based on a search.
Why were they there?
What prompted the FBI to obtain the search warrants? Do they send snitches and or undercover agents to monitor people as they target shoot at gun ranges?
I know firsthand that an ATF agent was undercover at a public gun range and watched with bated breath as I was zeroing a new red dot and began asking me questions about my SBR 5.56. He then showed a badge and requested to see my “papers” and the mandatory engraving on the receiver as the gun is in a trust! He was extremely disappointed that I had my “papers” and engraving but still demanded that he be allowed to take pictures of my gun even after showing that it was legally registered! I politely told him NO. As he had no probable cause to do so and he went away before threatening me with arrest for interfering in an agent’s investigation. I told him to get a warrant especially since all the trust papers and tax stamp were in order and politely presented!!
What state did this happen in?
‘mandatory engraving’?
Time to change/repeal some laws… Just sayin’…
Time to fire ALL armed fed civilian employees (thugs) other than perhaps the Marshalls.
I guess Christopher found out.
Lock him up. No telling how many guns he sold to criminals.
I keep hearing how small time gun sellers follow all the rules and yet here you are defending a criminal.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. There is no Truth at TTAG
His target market was, apparently, the criminal class.
thIS guy is NOT he typical small time seller that’s got all the Feds’ knickers all knotted up. I have guns I no longer want to keep, but can’t sell them to known and trusted friends that I am certain will use them the way i have. BUT “because gunms” I can’t….. THAT is the small time occasional seller who gets hurt by these stupid laws.
I think its been fifteen years now my stupid state has mandated BGC for every s”transfer”. Before that I could legally and safely buy and sell and loan and borrow anything to anyone. No more. FFL’s are now charging upwards of fifty bux, and there is now a ten day wait before taking possession of MY new gun. Glad i’ve some extra toys lying about in case my rowbot sinks out on the Sound onw dark and moonless night.
I haven’t read everything posted on TTAG, but I have read a fair amount. I haven’t seen anyone that I can recall argue that people who knowingly sell guns to criminals should be protected from prosecution, nor that all people who sell guns are legit. The overwhelming majority seem to be in favor of laws which specifically target people who use weapons to commit murder, assault, robbery, and other actual crimes. All of which are illegal at the state and federal level independent of any tools used in the commission of the crimes, with stiff penalties. I also haven’t seen many if any who argue that people who knowingly help criminals obtain weapons should be shielded from prosecution (they would be accessories to the crimes).
Although it wasn’t mentioned or implied, I just bet he had ARs that were select fire.
no question that IF this were the case, that too would have been on the “roster of sins”. SEEEeeeee? We KNEW we had do DO something about those S/F rifles……… deyz DAYNjrus.
No, finding S/F weapons would have elevated this bust two more full notches.
Chris got career advice from this guy……
https://youtu.be/UH239cPK_wU?si=Yyd_fjjnCeVMVAn_