Wow some amazing gun collections on here. If I wasn't a poor college student I would have my own
(it's ok though I'll wait a few years till I have a good job and then buy up everything
)
Just out of curiosity, how do some of you have MG-42s/34s, AK-47s, STGs, PPsh, etc... I thought automatic weapons were illegal in most countries? I know I've seem some dudes firing MG-42s on youtube... how do you get permit for that? I'd love to own a MG-42 one day and fire it on full auto... Talk about being taken back in time.
Depending on what your local chief law enforcement officer is like, it's not hard at all to own class III - aka full auto - weapons. You find something you like, pay the ATF its bribe - err, I mean 'tax stamp,' and assuming that neither they nor your CLEO have an issue, you take delivery of your new gun. Last time I talked to my brother in law, the tax stamp was only $200.00.
The big part of the expense, really, comes from the cost of transferrable machine guns. Because the supply is limited (the vagaries of law make any weapon manufactured post 1986 non-transferrable), and the demand is so high, it's EXPENSIVE. Starting price for a Mac-10 is going to be $3000 plus - there's a couple on Auction Arms right now with buy-it-now's at $3000 for .45ACP and $3200 for an M10A1 in 9mm. An M-16 will run you north of $20,000, easily.
Seriously, if you want a machine gun, your best bet is to apply for a class 7 FFL, and then pay for a special occupational taxpayer certificate. Yeah, you'll have to renew every few years, and that will add up over time, but you won't have to pay for a new tax stamp every time you acquire a machine gun, and you'll also have access to post-1986 weapons as 'dealer samples,' and you'll be able to make your own without legal hassles. So long as you buy and sell a few here and there - preferably if you make a few to sell as either dealer samples or to law enforcement - so you can show that you've actually got a business going and it's not just for entertainment purposes, you'll be good with the ATF, and if you know how to run a milling machine well enough, your local law enforcement might even like you because they'll have a fairly cheap source of fun toys.
If I could convince my wife to move out of the godd****d People's Republik of Kalifornia, that's the route that I'd go ....