Bump-Fire Wars to Heat Up?

Slide Fire Solutions SSAK47

Slide Fire Solutions was the first to come to market with an innovative bump-fire stock for the AR15 series of rifles which they called the SSAR15.  Their design is simple, light weight and works amazingly well.  As a testament to the innovative design, they have been selling their original SSAR15 stock as fast as they can make them.  Towards the end of 2011, Slide Fire Solutions introduced their new SSAK47 stock which performed the same bump-fire magic for the AK family of rifles.

Finger Stabilization Device

The concept of a bump-fire stock isn't new.  Bill Akins pioneered the concept with his Akins Accelerator stock for the Ruger 10/22 and SKS rifle back in 1998.  The Ruger 10/22 stock was sold to the public for a short time, about 200 units, before the ATF ruled the device was a machine gun and confiscated springs within the Akins stock that made it a machine gun under the law.  The SKS version never made it out of the prototype stage and was never offered on the commercial market.

Back in August of 2000, Bill Akins was awarded a patent on his bump-fire stock concept.  Bill contends that his patent covers the finger rest necessary for making bump-fire possible.  Bill has posted online that his patent protects this "finger stabilization device" and cites claim #19 of his patent.  All bump-fire stocks on the market rely upon this finger stabilization device to work.

Fostech Bumpski AK stock

In 2011 Bill Akins transfered the ownership of his Patent to Fostech Outdoors.  Fostech recently announced their Bumpski stock for the AK rifle as well as the AA2, which is a recreation of the original Akins Accelerator for the Ruger 10/22.  The AA2 lacks the spring found in the original Akins Accelerator and instead relies on isometric tension supplied by the shooters non-shooting hand.  This keeps the device legal in the eyes of the BATF.

On January 27th a press release went out from Slide Fire Solutions stating the US Patent Office had issued a Notice of Allowance (NOA) which states they are entitled to a patent under US law for their submission.

For immediate release 

SLIDE FIRE SOLUTIONS, LP RECEIVES NOTICE OF PATENT ALLOWANCE 

January 27, 2012 

Moran, TX - Slide Fire Solutions, LP today announced that the United States Patent Office has issued a Notice of Allowance concerning its patent application "Method of Shooting a Semi-Automatic Firearm." The allowed patent claims will give Slide Fire exclusive rights to make and sell gun stocks that enable a shooter to repetitively discharge a firearm incorporating Slide Fire's sliding stock technology. 

"We are thrilled that the patent office has agreed that our invention deserves patent protection," said the inventor of the Slide Fire gun stock, Jeremiah Cottle. "We have several other patents pending based on the same technology, both in the United States and internationally. We are optimistic that the patent office will issue patents on those applications as well." Cottle is the president Slide Fire Solutions. 

About Slide Fire Solutions: Slide Fire Solutions is a privately held company based in Moran, Texas and owns all rights in its ground breaking "slide stock" technology. Building on principles of "bump firing," Slide Fire's invention allows a shooter to discharge a firearm such as an AR-15 or AK-47 as quickly as desired, without springs and without automatically functioning mechanical parts. The exclusive design offers many hours of entertainment for recreational shooters. The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has concluded that the Slide Fire device is not regulated as a firearm under the Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act. 

For more information, please visit www.slidefire.com.

Contact:
Laura Shackelford
Director of Operations
Slide Fire Solutions, Inc.
325-945-3800

Since both Slide Fire Solutions and Fostech are now in possession of what appears to be conflicting patents to the laymen, one can only speculate what this might mean.

I will keep you posted of any new developments as I learn of them.