said by not :said by NormanS:So if I sell locksmith tools, or firearms I am offering criminal tools as a business?
No, but if you were selling tools and instructions on how to make guns full automatics, that would land you in jail. Learn to give proper analogies if you're going to do it. He was charged with selling ILLEGAL things. That's the crime here. Really even giving away ILLEGAL things is against the law, but in this case since he made .5 to 1 million + in profits doing this, it looked even worse to the judge.
You obviously do not understand how the law works. Selling information on converting semi-automatic firearms to select fire or full automatic is not only not a crime, but it is protected by the First Amendment. Selling parts to convert firearms from semiautomatic to select fire, or full automatic(there is a difference) is also completely legal. The problem comes when someone that has not paid his or her SOT(Special Occupation Tax, which is $500 for those selling less than $500,000 in merchandise and $1,000 for selling over $500,000 in merchandise), in addition to having a FFL(Federal Firearms License) converts a semiautomatic firearm to select fire, or full automatic. Of course, there are other requirements, but that covers the general issues and it is only important to those that are in the business. Still, the information(the correct information) is freely available.
There is a "constructive intent" heading in the ATF's regulations, but that requires one to meet certain criteria. Having the instructions and/or the parts alone, or selling those items, is not covered by that. Oh, but, by all means, continue spreading the damned lies you are attempting to spread here. I will make sure I am around to make you look as dumb as you actually are.
As far as this case is concerned, I believe the conviction to be wrong. Selling information should never be wrong. Mr. Harris was not forcing people to se the information he provided.
You might enjoy having government telling you what you can and cannot know, but I don't. I can promise you that I have more people on my side than you do on your side.
Now, I am going to go back to gathering information about converting firearms and hacking cable "modems".