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It is a common misconception that machine guns, silencers (suppressors),
sawed-off shotguns, and short barreled rifles are illegal to own. This is
entirely untrue. Your Constitutional Right to Bear Arms is guaranteed by
the Bill of Rights. The National Firearms Act of 1934 (Title 26, USC Chapter
53) and the Gun Control Act of 1968 make formal provisions for the private
ownership of these weapons. Individuals (ie. non-firearms dealer or police dept.)
are allowed to purchase machineguns that are classified as "Transferable",
that is, weapons that were registered as machine guns prior to May of 1986. Since
there are a finite number of these weapons, prices are continually rising. Silencers,
Sawed-off Shotguns, and Short Barreled Rifles are still in current productions, so
the prices of these items remains fairly constant. For an Individual the requirements
to purchase these weapons are:
1. Be a US Citizen at least 21 years old
2. Be of sane mind
3. Not an abuser of drugs or alcohol
4. Have never been convicted of a felony
5. Pay a $200.00 Federal Transfer Tax on each weapon purchased. (This
is a one-time tax, not a yearly tax)
6. Fill out BATF Form 4 and submit to ATF. This involves getting a Signature of the "Chief Law
Enforcement Officer" in your area signifying that he has no knowledge
that you will use your weapon for anything other that lawful purposes
7. Have your fingerprints/photographs taken and submitted to BATF with
the above application.
After approximately 90 days, during which time the FBI runs your prints to
verify your identity, etc., the transfer will come back approved. Only after
the transfer is approved can you take possession of your item. It is
interesting to note that since 1934, when machine guns, silencers, short
shotguns/rifles began to be regulated, there has only been one case of a
legally owned weapon being used in a crime - and the user was a police
officer.
In areas where a person cannot acquire a Law Enforcement Signature
because these people would rather violate your rights than let you own
one of these items, there is another way. BATF allows Corporations and Trusts to
acquire machine guns, silencers, etc. without having to complete the Law
Enforcement Certification part of the form. If you have your own
Corporation, or you are an Officer in a Corporation, the Corporation can
acquire these items, and you, as a Corporate Officer, can keep the item at
your home, take it to the range shooting, etc. just as if the item were
registered to you. If the Corporation ever dissolves, the item must be
transferred out of the Corporation to another individual or Corporation (or
Dealer). Because a Corporation is not a person, an FBI fingerprint check
is not required which reduces the transfer approval time to about 30 days.
Virginia and Florida Law allows the ownership of legally registered machine guns,
silencers, short-barreled rifles/shotguns. If you live in a state other than
Virginia or Florida, please contact us to verify the laws in your state. At International
Police Supply, we are committed to providing you with the highest
quality products and services at the most reasonable prices. Please feel
free to e-mail us to discuss your firearms needs or to ask us any questions
about acquiring specialized weapons or accessories.
Machineguns are ILLEGAL for
individuals in the following States:
DE, DC, HI, NY, WA
; Class 3 dealer only in : CA, IL, IO, KS, MI, NJ, RI, SC
Silencers are ILLEGAL for
individuals in the following States (see map below):
DE, DC, HI, IL, MS, MT, NY, NJ, RI; Class 3 dealers only in : CA, KS, MO, MN

The NRA website is a good source of information on State Firearms Laws. If you have questions about what is legal in your state, check here....NRA WEB SITE
(this entire page is Copyrighted by International Police Supply, and may not be used in any form without prior permission of International Police Supply)
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