Shoreline man accused of turning firearms into machine guns, selling them to undercover ATF agent

SEATTLE -- A Shoreline man has been charged with illegally converting firearms into machine guns, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Wednesday.

Attorney Annette L. Hayes said Daniel Hungerford, 73, sold the modified firearm to an undercover Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent.

Hayes said the firearms were made to "fire rapid burst of ammunition - as a machine gun." Private citizens are not allowed to possess machine guns, she said.

"According to the criminal complaint, on April 10, 2018, HUNGERFORD sold an undercover agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) a .300 Blackout rifle where the lower receiver had been modified to accept an M16 automatic sear. The modifications made the firearm a three round burst machine gun.  When making the sale, HUNGERFORD did not complete any of the required paperwork or conduct a background check as required by federal law."

During a second visit days later, the undercover agent again purchased gun parts that had been modified to make a machine gun, Hayes said.

The case is being investigated by the ATF. Illegal possession of a machine gun is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine.