Trent, would you amplify on this point. The 99% sham business figure. How do they get away with setting up a faux MGM business?
It's off topic, but it's your thread.. so I'll be brief.
In Illinois one of the few exemptions to the machinegun prohibition is for "federally licensed manufacturers". Companies with the appropriate FFL, who pay the special occupations tax, can deal in NFA weapons.
Now, with Illinois having a ban on "fun", there's not many customers for transferrable machineguns, silencers, short barreled rifles, or AOW. There are a FEW who have made successful businesses off of NFA in Illinois (F.J. Vollmer is an interesting local example, about 30 miles from where I live.. he's got plenty of United States Vs. Vollmer cases out there to review.)
Anyway, if you're operating a firearms business for profit (e.g. qualify and obtain an FFL), have a knack for manufacturing (and don't mind the increased costs of the manufacturing FFL), and pay the special occupations tax, you can make full auto weapons, silencers, etc in Illinois. You can also DEAL in them - you have to make SOME effort to do so. You can - at the request of law enforcement agencies - order in dealer sample (post-86) machineguns for the law enforcement agency to review under your supervision, and once the demo is done you can keep those machineguns in inventory.
It's one of the few ways "around" the machinegun ban in Illinois. It's not cheap, by any stretch of the imagination, in time nor money. You've got to run a bona-fide business to go this route.
Quite a few people I know have done this in Illinois and at least a couple of them have made rather successful businesses - one that I know of even lets you rent his machineguns on his indoor or outdoor ranges, right here in Illinois! (Even has group rates and weekend camping spots available..)