posted on Mar, 8 2016 @ 05:02 AM
originally posted by: koder
so the answer is yes. we can own whatever we want. with deep enough pockets
No we can't ... the 1986 Hughes Amendment made it so that the average Joe cannot own a fully-automatic or select-fire "machine gun" that was made
after September 1986. Any such firearms manufactured before then had to be registered and a $400 tax stamp purchased for it.
So, unless you are a licensed gunsmith or dealer or police department, you cannot own anything that fires more than one bullet per activation of the
trigger that was manufactured after September 1986 ... No H&K 416, no MP7, etc. Neither can you own anything manufactured beforethe cut-off date that
was not registered into the Federal database.
...As a result of the Hughes Amendment (which was an illegal vote by the way, since the time for voting had run out some 15-20mins before they
actually recorded the vote, so technically it should not have been allowed), the prices for fully-automatic or select-fire "machine-guns" has
continued to increase, putting them beyond the financial reach for most gun owners except the rich (isn't that always the case!).
A full-auto M16 now costs upwards of $20k for a beaten up model and substantially more for one in good condition.
Even a tiny piece of serial numbered metal which enabled a semi-auto AR-15 to fire fully-automatic - known as a "lightning link" - now cost over $10k
alone!!