I can't believe the amount of misinformation presented here on this issue. I'm Canadian and I know more about US gun laws than the average American gun owner. Corrections:
> No. Fully automatic weapons are illegal to purchase or possess in the U.S.
Absolutely 100% DEAD WRONG. Full automatics, sawed off shotguns, suppressors, mustard gas grenades, and 105mm howitzers are ALL legally obtainable, depending on whether or not the particular state allows the ownership of NFA (National Firearms Act of 1934) weaponry.
Each NFA weapon requires a transfer tax to be paid on it when transferred. Machine guns, suppressors, destructive devices (DD), short-barrelled shotguns (SBS), and short-barrelled rifles (SBR), all require a $200 transfer tax. Any other weapons (AOW) like smoothbore pistols and pen guns are a $5 tax. Manufacturing tax is $200. To purchase, you need to submit a form 3/4 to the ATF with fingerprint card, passport photos, CLEO signoff, and cheque for the transfer tax. Typical turnaround is 3 to 6 months, sometimes shorter, often a LOT longer.
Machine guns can no longer be manufactured for civilian purchase. All machine guns in private hands had to have been registered before May of 1986 and are considered "transferable". Pre-May dealer samples are transferable only to class 02 FFL/class 07 SOT holders, but the holder can retain the firearm after they relinquish their permits. Post-May dealer samples are transferable as above but must be transfered to another dealer if the current holder gives up their licenses. Post-May samples also require the transferee to have a PD demo request letter on official department letterhead.
Suppressors, SBR's and SBS's can be manufactured by ANYONE so long as they submit a Form 1 with transfer tax and relevant info. Destructive devices can only be manufactured by Type 10 (?) FFL's, which is Manufacturer of Destructive Devices. DD's cover explosive ordnance, poison gas explosives, and large-bore firearms (any firearm over .50 cal).
And to prove this isn't all BS culled from my imagination, visit
Tom Bowers' Politically Incorrect Machine Gun Pages and click on the NFA Ad Board. M-11/9's, M-16's, MP-5's, 1919A4's, all manner of machine guns and nasty toys to be had. Pay special attention to the prices however.
> Possibly. It might break some kind of housing code, but if you had good sound-proofing and it didn't piss off your neighbors you could probably get away with it.
Usually it depends on the local ordinances, although from what I understand in most areas you can fire your gun anywhere you want so long as you're not endangering anyone or causing a disturbance. I know many American NFA owners who routinely shoot their suppressed machine guns in their backyards (with suitable backstops of course).
> Again, it varies state to state. Some states only require you to be like 16
Minimum age to purchase a firearm is 18, as defined by federal law. Some states have it higher, usually 21.
As for whether .22's are considered firearms, that depends on how you define "firearm". In Canada, a firearm is any barrelled weapon that is capable of discharging a projectile that can cause serious bodily harm or death. There are exceptions to this, the biggest one being that if the muzzle velocity does not exceed 500 fps the device is NOT considered a firearm. That means most BB and pellet, airsoft, and paintball guns are exempt. However, this also means that 40mm grenade launchers are exempt. I know of a dealer in Ontario that has three genuine Colt M203's for sale at $1200 a piece, and absolutely NO paperwork is required. Even a 10 year old can go in and purchase it. I plan on ordering one soon for my AR-15, just as a cool accessory and collector's item. Explosive grenades are obviously not available but there are inert training rounds around.
Hey Repairman_Jack, if you'd like I can get one of these launchers for ya (works out to around $850 US), strip all the parts off the receiver and send them to you as a complete parts kit. I'd offer the whole thing to you but I've asked around and apparently M203's don't meet the ATF's "sporting use" criteria, and even the stripped receiver isn't importable. Let me know if you're interested.
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