BBF. so called machine guns are completely legal by federal law. When you purchase one you must pay a $200 tax stamp for transfer. Since the ban on new production the price of such firearms has skyrocketed. That is the big obstacle to purchasing a 'machine gun'. "Machine gun" ownership is completely legal by state law in 37 states IIRC.
When the law regarding 'machine guns' was put in effect the government still understood what the Second Amendment means. Since 'machine guns' could not be outlawed they would be taxed, $200 back then was an exorbitant amount. Anyway IIRC there has only been one legally owned 'machine gun' used in a crime and that was by a Deputy Sheriff. All of the 'machine guns' used in headline crimes have been illegally converted or illegally imported, often along with drugs or were in fact semi-auto rifles that the press call "machine guns" to stir up emotion.
Before the ban on new production an M16 could be purchased in Arizona for about $1000, the last I heard they had surpassed $20,000. Simple supply and demand. With a fixed supply the demand has risen.
I doubt they will be the first to be confiscated. With all the hoops to jump through to purchase a full auto firearm the gov't know exactly where they are and is not very worried about them. The gov't is worried about all the semi-auto magazine fed 'military-like' rifles. There are many 'AK47s' around. They are just like the AK47s you see in news footage from Africa with one very significant difference, they can fire semi-auto only. There are many more AR-15s. This is a rifle that looks just like an M16 unless you look closely and then you see there is no way to make it fire full auto. They are SEMI-AUTO ONLY. But they LOOK like the evil M16 so they must be evil too. There are millions of them in civilian hands. Perfectly legal law abiding civilian hands. A semi quote "the beauty of the Second Amendment is that it is not needed until they (the government) try to take it away"-Thomas Jefferson. When the government tries to revoke the Second Amendment it is ready to form a dictatorship. There is NO other reason.
Where guns are restricted in the USA the crime is high. Where concealed carry permits are easy to get crime is low. Lower even than in Europe or Britain. Anti gunners do not want to admit this. They rely on emotional outcries. It was ignored by the major media that the same weekend as the school killings, a man entered a western mall with a gun and started shooting killing 2 people. He would have killed many more but a citizen with a legally carried pistol ended the shootings by killing the criminal. But the major media will not report such an event since it goes counter to their agenda of gun control.
GUN CONTROL IS GOOD, GUN CONTROL IS GOOD, GUN CONTROL IS GOOD, they cry to the heavens, no matter how wrong they are shown to be by actions and crime statistics.
If you take two transparent overlays, one of high crime areas of the USA and one of gun restriction laws and lay them on a map they cover each other EXACTLY. Gun control advocates say this is because guns come in from outside but this is shown to be untrue. Where guns are easily carried, crime is low. Fact. Where gun carry is restricted or denied crime is high. Fact. Criminals know that they are in danger where citizens carry. They know where sheeple are disarmed they are safe to ply their nefarious acts. When an evil person sees a "GUN FREE ZONE" sign, they read this to mean TARGET RICH ENVIRONMENT, and it is. If the teachers had been allowed to carry concealed the massacre would have been greatly mitigated.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE. It costs, very much. One of the costs is lives. However not many. The anti gunners will cry 'but is it not worth it if it saves ONE childs life?'. Few will answer honestly but the answer is NO. Criminal behavior cannot be stopped. It can be limited but not stopped entirely. Criminals do not obey laws.
Read the quote of Thomas Jefferson below.
