Theohazard
Member
I live in a state where full-auto is banned, so most of my knowlege of the national legalities of full-auto weapons was learned through the Internet. That said, I'm confused about the existence of pre-1986 dealer samples of full-auto firearms.
It is my understanding that the purpose of an SOT obtaining a full-auto "dealer sample" is to allow the dealer to get around the 1986 Hughes Amendment so he can demo (and then sell) full-auto weapons to law enforcement and military. But I've seen more than one mention online of pre-1986 dealer sample full autos, which makes me wonder: If that's accurate, what was the purpose of dealer samples prior to 1986? If new full-auto weapons were as available as any other NFA firearm prior to the cut-off date in May 1986, what would be the need for a dealer-only sample firearm back then? I've never heard of a dealer sample silencer or a dealer sample short barreled rifle, so why were there any dealer sample machine guns prior to the Hughes Amendment taking effect in May 1986?
It is my understanding that the purpose of an SOT obtaining a full-auto "dealer sample" is to allow the dealer to get around the 1986 Hughes Amendment so he can demo (and then sell) full-auto weapons to law enforcement and military. But I've seen more than one mention online of pre-1986 dealer sample full autos, which makes me wonder: If that's accurate, what was the purpose of dealer samples prior to 1986? If new full-auto weapons were as available as any other NFA firearm prior to the cut-off date in May 1986, what would be the need for a dealer-only sample firearm back then? I've never heard of a dealer sample silencer or a dealer sample short barreled rifle, so why were there any dealer sample machine guns prior to the Hughes Amendment taking effect in May 1986?