I believe that the number would be small. Very small.
And they would probably be visited by other collectors...
Honestly, I think only a few people would make such noise. The guys I know with $40,000+ MG42s would give anything to be able to build up one of the Yugo copy parts kit as a registered MG, and then blast away on it and save the rare one. Just because new ones will be made doesn't mean anyone's going to make
new WWII MG42s, or original Thompsons, or....the true collectors pieces will still be that.
The cheap stuff? MACs, Stens, Uzis, M16s (well, cheaper)...the guys who buy those things would go nuts. I know personally I'd file a Form 1 on every semi I've got, even if I didn't convert it over.
On top of the correct wording "allowing law enforcement appropriate control of fully automatic weapons" or whatever PC bogousity is necessary....remember:
Show 'em the money.
If today the '86 ban was gone, just how insanely wonderful would the ATF's revenue look like? I mean I'd file upwards to 10 form 1s right away....and I'm just a poor old Arkansas hillbilly. We're talking an instant "win the lottery" for those guys, with one stroke of the legislative pen.
While politicos hate a mean old pro-gun sound bite, don't matter if it's a "tax and spend" demo or a "don't tax and spend more" repub, the $mell of dollar$ wake$ 'em up every time.
We want the '86 ban to go away?
Show 'em the money.
On another note:
He's Jewish and he was proud to own guns originally designed to help wipe him from the face of the Earth.
I own a semi auto MG42. One thing about them Nazis. They're just like Egyptians, Canaanites, (ancient) Greeks, Romans....they're all gone. We're still here.