Suppressors Is "potato gun" code for anything other than a launcher of actual potatoes?

[Cartman]

Just read a news story that involved a search warrant. This is a quote from the story: "The term “potato gun” is “slang used during the illegal importation of silencers,” according to the warrant."

I've never heard of a suppressor being referred to as a "potato gun". Then again, I'm not in the business of illegally importing "silencers", nor have I ever even held one since I live in California.

So I thought I would ask if anyone has heard this term used as described in the warrant. The recipient of the search asserts the only "potato gun" involved was a potato launcher. You know, for launching actual potatoes.


​

 

[farmerted]

I'm sure the police wouldn't lie on a warrant to illegally search a house.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Next probable cause will extend to 2 liter bottles and duct tape. They will know you bought them from real time review of your grocer's rewards card and matching it against your debit / credit / ebt purchase. Then again it'd just be so much easier if we had a dictator : NSA Director Pines for Dictatorship | Zero Hedge also worth the read: Prominent Liberal Unearths Evidence of New World Order | Washington's Blog

See ya in 'camp'

 

[0311 Hesco]

I'm sure the police wouldn't lie on a warrant to illegally search a house.

HAHA I love sarcasm...

 

[Alpha2]

An actual potato gun must be approved by BATFE. See 18 USC 922(x) B17 for reference. Little known fact.

 

[66427vette]

Sounds like a fishing trip.

 

[rancilio]

Best ammo I've seen is a ripe clementine. 1000 MOA 400y recorded.

 

[Cartman]

Sounds like a fishing trip.

I didn't post a link to the story as to avoid the thread going off the rails and possibly getting people in trouble with forum rules.. I truly have no idea if "potato gun" is some inside code for contraband and am genuinely curious. But you can be sure that from the story it seemed they were much more interested in, and took, things that were never mentioned in the warrant than things that were.

 

[Midwestside]

Must post 5 spud group to be official.

 

[bhart89]

I read the story and my thoughts were that the husband allegedly made a comment about owning a pistol while being a prohibited person. That said, the former air Marshall's conduct deserves firing.

 

[RyeDaddy]

I don't believe it's a general code word or commonly used slang. I've never heard it that way, but I don't do a lot of illegal stuff.

There was a specific website selling silencers, and silencer parts and calling them potato guns. They had a threaded tube and a removable end cap. The purchase of this "potato gun" also came with flat disks with holes in them (baffles) that youcould use to "mount the potato launcher to your pistol". Like selling brass knuckles at a gun show and calling it a belt buckle. Web site got busted and everybody in their records as a customer was investigated. The news story you read was probably referring to that bust. I remember checking out the website right after reading about them getting busted and thought "Wow, how stupid could you be? Who would buy something like that over the internet?"

I think i remember that web site also selling full auto sear conversions for Glock pistols and all kinds of shit without paperwork and calling them other things. IE a rear slide cover with the protruding finger to trip the bar, but the two pieces had to be welded together to make it functional and they called it a cleaning adapter or something.

Edit: Just searched and read the story you're talking about, I think it's pretty obvious what the deal is. It is possible her husband was a customer of the web site I was referring to above.

 

[ArmaHeavy]

I'm sure they were looking for potatoes of mashed destruction, served with a melted butter core, with a baconium trigger.

The tin foil casing is a dead giveaway as to what's inside.

 

[Cartman]

I don't believe it's a general code word or commonly used slang. I've never heard it that way, but I don't do a lot of illegal stuff.

There was a specific website selling silencers, and silencer parts and calling them potato guns. They had a threaded tube and a removable end cap. The purchase of this "potato gun" also came with flat disks with holes in them (baffles) that youcould use to "mount the potato launcher to your pistol". Like selling brass knuckles at a gun show and calling it a belt buckle. Web site got busted and everybody in their records as a customer was investigated. The news story you read was probably referring to that bust. I remember checking out the website right after reading about them getting busted and thought "Wow, how stupid could you be? Who would buy something like that over the internet?"

I think i remember that web site also selling full auto sear conversions for Glock pistols and all kinds of shit without paperwork and calling them other things. IE a rear slide cover with the protruding finger to trip the bar, but the two pieces had to be welded together to make it functional and they called it a cleaning adapter or something.

Edit: Just searched and read the story you're talking about, I think it's pretty obvious what the deal is. It is possible her husband was a customer of the web site I was referring to above.

Thanks RyeDaddy for the backstory. I thought there was some pretty improper stuff going on in that story, but realized I don't know enough to be sure about the "potato gun" thing. I thought I better ask before making some incorrect assumptions, and I'm glad I did. Still, I'm surprised about the details you gave.

 

[bhart89]

The way I read it the cops used the warrant as a pretense to find out who the air marshall whistle blowers were.

 

[Charger442]

There was a specific website selling silencers, and silencer parts and calling them potato guns. They had a threaded tube and a removable end cap. The purchase of this "potato gun" also came with flat disks with holes in them (baffles) that youcould use to "mount the potato launcher to your pistol". Like selling brass knuckles at a gun show and calling it a belt buckle. Web site got busted and everybody in their records as a customer was investigated. The news story you read was probably referring to that bust. I remember checking out the website right after reading about them getting busted and thought "Wow, how stupid could you be? Who would buy something like that over the internet?"

i have a gut feeling that one of these days "solvent trap adapters" are going to get similar attention and treatment from the ATF.

 

[JSTARSZ]

After reading the story it sounded like they used that excuse to go to her house and raid for information that she used to write a story on the air marshal service. Since they took more information than what was on the warrant seems someone overstepped their bounds or so the story made it sound like. I don't like seeing law enforcement used in that manner.

 

[mike in pa]

i have a gut feeling that one of these days "solvent trap adapters" are going to get similar attention and treatment from the ATF.

Apparently they will be addressing the "Solvent trap adapters" sometime in the future.

 

[Ring]

I don't believe it's a general code word or commonly used slang. I've never heard it that way, but I don't do a lot of illegal stuff.

There was a specific website selling silencers, and silencer parts and calling them potato guns. They had a threaded tube and a removable end cap. The purchase of this "potato gun" also came with flat disks with holes in them (baffles) that youcould use to "mount the potato launcher to your pistol". Like selling brass knuckles at a gun show and calling it a belt buckle. Web site got busted and everybody in their records as a customer was investigated. The news story you read was probably referring to that bust. I remember checking out the website right after reading about them getting busted and thought "Wow, how stupid could you be? Who would buy something like that over the internet?"

I think i remember that web site also selling full auto sear conversions for Glock pistols and all kinds of shit without paperwork and calling them other things. IE a rear slide cover with the protruding finger to trip the bar, but the two pieces had to be welded together to make it functional and they called it a cleaning adapter or something.

Edit: Just searched and read the story you're talking about, I think it's pretty obvious what the deal is. It is possible her husband was a customer of the web site I was referring to above.

thought that site was EU?

 

[RyeDaddy]

It was, and they had an importer here in the US and he shipped US orders direct to people's doors after import. They took payment via Paypal. Basically you made a purchase, guy has whoever in EU mail it to him, then he mails to customer. This all went down about a year ago now wasn't it?

I can't find it now, nor am I going to search for it but those are the details as I recall them.

 

[softcock]

I'm sure they were looking for potatoes of mashed destruction, served with a melted butter core, with a baconium trigger.

The tin foil casing is a dead giveaway as to what's inside.

.
Not bad ... ; )
-

 

[ArmaHeavy]

.
Not bad ... ; )
-

The Mark 2 version is better. Everything above, plus a sour cream outer core with the latest in cheddar cheese optical wiring, all brought to taste bud explosion by purpose built, chive initiators.

 

[Sweetyzfd]

Thought the same thing when I read that. I call BS