if M-16's were legal again...

If you could buy cherry '66 Shelby GT350 convertibles that filled the lots in every major metro, sure, the price would go down. There would be a huge rush and for a short period there could even be shortages.

Then the actual cost of keeping something you saw on the road as frequently as a '66 Bug would sink in. The top would leak, premium gas would be oppressive, the miles would keep dropping because of the expense. If everybody on Main Street has one, then they get old, fast, for a very specific reason - guys don't like being run of the mill average - even tho most of us ARE.

Belt feds would be the step up to prove you were better than the next guy. After that, getting your hands on destructive devices. There's no real reason to own one, but you have to admit, being the guy on the block with a tactical nuke does make you the Man.

What some in the .Gov think, tho, is that there would be some misdeeds by allowing ownership, and they would attempt to prove they are more powerful, by limiting public access. In other words, not much would change at all. Because men keep attempting to best each other out of ego, we'd simply be exactly where we are right now: unhappy with the status quo and trying to be more important than the other guy.

In reality a lot of guys would simply buy the $10 part that makes their current AR full auto and keep it in their pocket to show off. At which point full auto would be worth exactly what it really is, man jewelry. You still wouldn't be allowed to use it hunting and the consequences of misuse would fall just as heavily, and even more often.

243winxb said:

In 1979 the process was about the same as today, except for the price of the M16. I contacted Sportsman Emporium, a police supply company. They had available 1 each, carbine & rifle. I mailed them a check. They sent paper work. Returned papers to them. Waited till ATF approved the sale/transfer. I go and pick up the carbine.

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How long did the ATF paperwork/stamp process take in 1979?
.

If you want you can follow the Federal court case going on right now to re-open the machinegun registry in the NFA (You would pay your $200 tax stamp and be able to make a full auto just like it was before 86).

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/16...for_leave_to_supplement_authority.html&page=1

The sad thing is that there are people that have "invested" in their pre 86 full autos and don't want to see this happen because they will take a hit. That's kind of crumby to put money before your Country but to buy and sell at the current market price I don't think is immoral.

The sad thing is that there are people that have "invested" in their pre 86 full autos and don't want to see this happen because they will take a hit. That's kind of crumby to put money before your Country but to buy and sell at the current market price I don't think is immoral.

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BS, I own pre 86 FA and would still be quite happy to loose money on my "investment" as I would then own many, many more toys. I bet I would be the first guy here to post a form 1 minigun thread...

jmorris said:

BS, I own pre 86 FA and would still be quite happy to loose money on my "investment" as I would then own many, many more toys. I bet I would be the first guy here to post a form 1 minigun thread...

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I did not say ALL owners, I said there are owners out there and I've talked to some personally, so not BS.

How long did the ATF paperwork/stamp process take in 1979?

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I dont remember, long time ago for this 70 year old to remember. Getting the paper work together took a while. Had to find someone to finger print me for the ATF card. Then my county sheriff had to sign and ok it also.

I know that there are a lot of wealthy contributors to NRA that really don't want to see the value of their NFA collections destroyed by the repeal of the McClure-Valkmer amendment.

chopinbloc I know that there are a lot of wealthy contributors to NRA that really don't want to see the value of their NFA collections destroyed by the repeal of the McClure-Valkmer amendment.

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There's even MORE of us poor folks that don't want FOPA (McClure-Volkmer Act) repealed.

FOPA was perfectly fine until the Hughes Amendment (that's what close the machine gun registry)

I doubt the M16 is rare they have been dumped by the millions in countries all over the world and left there just like soviet AKs.

I don't see a shortage anytime soon only these days they are generally outlawed for law abiding people but sold by crate loads to the worst criminals and warlords for dirt cheap prices.

With our economy the way it is we can sure use the income that can be generated by legaly selling them here.

I have seen people hear saying that such a change in the laws would make them lose 10s of thousands of dollars because they invested their money in Pre 86s.

They will take a hit, but I'm sure that they are happier that getting FA firearms will be easier than sad that their investment depreciates heavily.

It's hard to keep up with ammo demands for FA. I know I went through 1500 rounds in one sat and sun. Plus everybody wants to shoot up all your ammo and not clean up anything.

AR-15Nutt just my OPINION, BUT, those people who hold/own those $15,000 guns are the ones i believe who will not allow the repeal of our right to buy/own a $850.00 M16/M4/M14 or a "Tommy Gun" and any other full auto firearm.

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Huh?
The guy who owns $100,000 worth of machine guns has no more ability to prevent the repeal of the National Firearms Act than YOU.

While they might not be happy about a repeal, YOUR vote counts exactly the same as theirs.

Votes get politicians into office. Who donated the money to fund the campaign determines their priorities once they get there.

243winxb said:

In 1979 the process was about the same as today, except for the price of the M16. I contacted Sportsman Emporium, a police supply company. They had available 1 each, carbine & rifle. I mailed them a check. They sent paper work. Returned papers to them. Waited till ATF approved the sale/transfer. I go and pick up the carbine. Clubs had no rules on full auto, till i started shooting mine. In fact, 223 semis were just appearing, they were frowned upon also, but not banned.

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It was the same and it wasn't. Living trusts were not allowed as a substitute for CLEO signatures until about 2000. In 1979 most CLEOs would not sign off on a machine gun. They would basically tell you go to hell, you're not getting one.

fanchisimo said:

You wouldn't even really need a new rifle, either get a FA lower or a jig to drill the holes and the cost of the sear parts. That could make all current AR's into FA or burst. As to the gentlemen who said something about the cost, Most probably would rarely use the FA/Burst function, but I'd like to have the option. I would gladly pay the tax stamp for the ability to have FA weapons if the registry was re-opened.

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Drilling the holes isn't enough. If you look at the interior dimensions of an M-16 and an AR-15, they are quite different. You need to widen the AR-15 receiver interior in places to get the auto-sear to fit and function.

Ryanxia said:

If you want you can follow the Federal court case going on right now to re-open the machinegun registry in the NFA (You would pay your $200 tax stamp and be able to make a full auto just like it was before 86).

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/16...for_leave_to_supplement_authority.html&page=1

The sad thing is that there are people that have "invested" in their pre 86 full autos and don't want to see this happen because they will take a hit. That's kind of crumby to put money before your Country but to buy and sell at the current market price I don't think is immoral.

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The case does not have a snowball's chance in hell. What you said about machine gun owners is generally wrong. Most would love the chance to acquire modern machine guns cheaply.

I never understood how people get their panties in an uproar and allege price gouging on non-essential items. It's called the free market, supply and demand, risks of investment, smart purchasing, etc.

I don't begrudge anyone that bought Apple stock in 1970 and made a fortune selling it in 2012 for a ga-zillion dollars. Nor do I hate anyone that bought a house at the lows and sold it at the highs for huge profits. Same concept applies to guns and ammo. If it was important to you 5 years ago, you would have bought it. Someone else took the gamble and it paid off.

The "price gouging" complainers just want stuff today at yesterday's prices. Or, a form of risk-free socialism. They sit on their cash, then expect when prices go up, they can have it for the pre-increased prices. That's totally unfair to the person that invested in the items and had them appreciate. It would be crazy and you'd be laughed at if you expect to buy Apple stock today at 1980 prices, or a house Bellevue Washington today for 1990 prices.

With few exceptions there is nothing unethical about making a profit, as long as it's not oppressive to human rights, denying someone of life-sustaining items, etc.

The guy who owns $100,000 worth of machine guns has no more ability to prevent the repeal of the National Firearms Act than YOU.

I strongly disagree with you in a THR acceptable manner, the guy/shop/org who owns those full autos will be hammering on the doors of the anti-gun faction to keep the ban in place.

but i guess that is something you do not understand.., do you ?[/B]

If full auto guns were legal again and you could just walk into most any LGS and buy one for $800 or so you probably could not afford to feed it. I have shot a few different types of full auto gun and the thrill soon wears off, but it is loads of fun for a while. Put a big smile on your face it will !

I suspect "lightning links" could be produced for a dollar each in quantity...

I never understood how people get their panties in an uproar and allege price gouging on non-essential items. It's called the free market, supply and demand, risks of investment, smart purchasing, etc.

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Thanks to the Hughes Amendment a market that was already pretty distorted became anything but free, which is the issue. That free market needs to be restored.

IF..., i owned an M16/M4 i could feed it the same as my semi-autos, my need to go full auto or three round burst would only be used in an emergency...., do not ask what kind of emergency.., if anyone does not know, i can not help you. OK ?