NFA For SHTF, Part 2

Yesterday's Post - Part 1

This is NOT legal advice. If you mess around with National Firearms Act weapons and do something that you should not do, you will very likely go to prison. Seek competent legal advice.



Let's take a look at some specific NFA weapons from the various categories.

Machine Guns

If you were reading Soldier of Fortune, Guns and Ammo, Guns, or any other gun magazine in the early 80s, you remember the huge variety of beautifully engraved and gold-plated limited edition guns being sold by the American Historical Foundation.  They ranged from Buffalo Bill commemorative cap & ball Colts to M14s, M16s and Thompsons commemorating various wars and military units.  Here's an example of a Thompson carbine commemorating the Korean War.
It is being offered for about $1,900 at CollecterFirearms.com.  Back when it came out, it was about $900 if I recall correctly.  A buyer could also order it in full auto for about $1,500.  Because of Hughes, it would be about $30,000... if you can find one.  A commerative Colt AR15 was about $800 from AHF.  In full auto, it was about $1,300.  You can't get a new one now, but your local police department can buy a tricked out M4 in select fire for just a few bucks more than a semi-auto one.

SBR/SBS

Short barreled rifles and shotguns can be either a $5 Any Other Weapon transfer tax or a $200 transfer tax.  It depends on if it was made originally from the factory as an SBR/SBS ($5) or if it was made that way from a standard rifle or shotgun.  I recently saw a brand new Mossberg 500 with a pistol grip and 14" barrel on a dealer site for about $595 + $5 AOW transfer tax.  I've seen some really cool Ruger Chargers (factory built as pistols using the same action as a 10/22) that have been turned into SBRs with a $200 tax, a shoulder stock and a bipod.  If you remember the Steve McQueen show, Wanted - Dead or Alive, you remember the Winchester 1892 lever action rifle with a short barrel and a pistol grip that he carried in a low slung holster.  A few years ago, a custom shop started making them as SBRs needing the $200 transfer tax.  Then someone at Taurus got the idea to build it as a pistol from the get go and there is no transfer tax at all.  See how ridiculous this law is?  Make it as a pistol from the start, and it is not NFA.  Make it as a rifle and cut down the barrel and stock to the same length as the pistol, and it is NFA with a $200 tax.  Make it as a SBR from the factory, looking and functioning the same as the pistol, and it is a $5 tax.  Oh, and our neighbors to the north, Canada, with their oppressive gun laws?  A shotgun can have a 16" barrel instead of our 18" limit.  Purely arbitrary.

My blood pressure is going up, so more about suppressors, destructive devices, and AOWs tomorrow.