Did you know that owning a machine gun (select fire firearm), silencer (suppressor), grenades, 12 gauge pistol (AOW), or a short barrel firearm is completely legal according to the federal government? These firearms (and in the case of the silencers, devices) are covered under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934. Remember, this is on the federal level. States will have their own laws governing the use and ownership of items covered by the NFA. Since I’m in Michigan, we can own select fire firearms and suppressors but cannot own short barrel rifles or shotguns as a ‘normal’ civilian even after the BATFE background check and tax stamp.
There is something in the works right now that would make the NFA process a little bit easier.
According to the National Firearms Act Trade & Collectors Association, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are preparing to remove the often burdensome Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) signature requirement from Form 1 and Form 4 for NFA firearms.
“NFA firearms” are highly regulated devices meeting the specific and somewhat counter-intuitive definition of “firearm” as that term is defined under the federal National Firearms Act (NFA). These “firearms” include machineguns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, destructive devices, silencers, and “any other weapons,” as that phrase is defined by the NFA. http://nfatca.org/
A problem most Americans run into when attempting to make or acquire an NFA firearm is that most CLEOs are not too keen on signing the federal paperwork. Some outright refuse. And there is no way for the individual to compel the CLEO to sign.
If you live in a state that allows it and this is put into place, your path to owning a Tommy gun from the roaring 20s or a Vietnam era M16 becomes a little bit easier. Of course, since the Hughes Amendment is still in place, expect to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a good Tommy gun from that era and at least $10,000 for a transferable M16.
The background check, tax stamp, and waiting period will remain the same.
Please join us in the discussion here.