Stag Arms Pleads Guilty To Federal Firearms Violations

by
posted on December 23, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
stag.jpg
Connecticut-based Stag Arms, LLC, and the company’s owner and founder, Mark Malkowski, have both pled guilty in federal court to violating federal firearms law. The charges—that Stag Arms was in possession of 62 machine guns and machine gun receivers that were either registered to a different entity or weren’t registered at all—stem from a 2014 compliance inspection by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

As agreed to in a plea deal, Malkowski will pay the government a $100,000 fine, and has agreed to sell the business and to have no further ownership or management role in any gun manufacturer in the future.

Meanwhile, Stag Arms has agreed to pay a fine of $500,000, and its federal license will be renewed temporarily so the company can operate until a new owner purchases the company. Malkowski is in advanced negotiations to sell the company, and the eventual buyer would then be able to apply for a new license.

While both Stag Arms and 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 100 or so employees.

Latest

Stuart 45 Pistol Pre War Manuevers Web Main
Stuart 45 Pistol Pre War Manuevers Web Main

Guns Of The U.S. Tankers In World War II

Since the end of World War II, debates have raged about the effectiveness of American armored fighting vehicles in that conflict. Despite all the Monday morning armored quarterbacking, American AFVs were war-winners, driven to victory by some the finest fighting men our nation has ever produced.

MidwayUSA Foundation Awards Over $14 Million In Cash Grants In 2025

In honor of National Shooting Sports Month—held annually in August—along with the growing popularity of the sport with new participants, MidwayUSA Foundation announced it has distributed more than $14.2 million in cash grants to support youth shooting sports in 2025.

Making The KelTec PR57 In Wyoming

To make its PR57 handgun, KelTec invested in an entirely new manufacturing facility located in Rock Springs, Wyo. "American Rifleman Television" headed out for an inside look at the company's efficient production process.

Taurus 66 Combat: A New "Fighting Revolver"

First introduced in the 1970s, the Taurus 66 Combat is a medium-frame revolver that has seen several evolutions in its lifetime, and the latest update creates what the company considers "the final word in fighting revolvers."

Review: Taurus GX2

From cars to cellphones, as a product gets more sophisticated, it usually also gets more expensive. And, as modern handguns get more modular and optic-ready, their prices tend to go up.

Rifleman Q&A: A Garand Puzzlement

"We are a father-and-son NRA member tandem in search of an answer regarding the branding of an M1 Garand rifle. We own an M1 rifle that has markings indicating it was a “lend lease to England,” and it also has a .308 barrel/sleeve."

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.