The old days....

[DaveTN]

During the time between the NFA of 1934 and the GCA of 1968 could a citizen legally purchase a machine gun?

Could you get a Thompson or an M-14? And if you could did they cost 10 to 20 times what a similar semi-auto cost?

[Jasongar8]

Yes and you still can buy a machine gun. Yes on both the Thompson and M14 (and you can still buy one for the right $$$$). Thompsons have always been expensive. But even in the early 1990's you could still buy a MG for under $1000. The prices exploded in the last 15 years.

[Photoguy67]

I remember in 1984 looking at a gun shop at some machine guns and an m16 brand new was $650 and a mac-11 was $300.... okay I am depressed/pissed off now....

[Guest coldblackwind]

Yup, back in the day my dad owned several. He had to turn them in when the laws changed. He actually had received a sten gun he ordered something like a week before, and had to send it back. Little out of the time period you were talking about, but still a great ad.

Edited January 1, 2010 by coldblackwind
added photo

[seez52]

Actually, my recollection was that prices were fairly reasonable pre 85. Of course money was worth more then, but the $200 tax was still a big hurdle for ownership. Today the $200 tax is chicken feed. Imagine what the $200 meant in 1934 when it was passed! We're just lucky they didn't think about tying the tax to inflation or cost of living back in 1934. I'm sort of surprised the issue hasn't come up since.

In the early 80s I remember two specific Thompson's that were for sale with FBI hard cases, multiple drums and stick mags selling for around $2500, and had a tough time finding a buyer. I bought an UZI and colt M16, both for less than $600 ea. along with an AC556. Mac 10s around $200, I turned down a Mac 10 for $100 because it was cheaper than the tax and that just didn't seem right--- dooh. Ramo .50s in the $5000 range I believe. Hindsight is 20-20.

[Superman]

Yup, back in the day my dad owned several. He had to turn them in when the laws changed. He actually had received a sten gun he ordered something like a week before, and had to send it back.

Why did he have to turn them in?

[willis68]

Very interesting thread, I would love to have a Thompson, maybe if I ever hit the Lottery, of course if I would have been old enough and had the job I have now in the 80's i am sure I would own a few

Edited January 1, 2010 by willis68

[Guest coldblackwind]

Why did he have to turn them in?

He lives in NY, NY outlawed them altogether (basically).

[Superman]

So people actually turned there guns in instead of selling them or moving? How sad, for them and us.

ETA-When did New York ban automatic weapons?

Edited January 1, 2010 by Superman

[Guest coldblackwind]

Don't know the exact date, it was the 70's or 80's though I believe, and was for all class 3 items, Including silencers, full auto, short barrel shotguns, aows, and short barrel rifles, NY doesn't allow any of them. At the moment, I believe there is something like 2 legally privately owned machine guns in the state belonging to someone other than law enforcement. When it first started there was a loophole where correctional officers could still get them, and both belong to corrections officers. Said loophole has since been closed.

[mcurrier]

I remember in 1984 looking at a gun shop at some machine guns and an m16 brand new was $650 and a mac-11 was $300.... okay I am depressed/pissed off now....

Same year I looked at Uzi 9mm for $700. Should have bought several.

[1gewehr]

Keep in mind that even though the prices seem low, the dollar was actually worth something then. Also, the $200 tax stamp was a much larger percentage of the cost of ownership. A simple formula is that during the '50's, the dollar could buy about 20 times what it can today, and wages were about 1/20th what they are now. That $200 tax in 1959 was equivalent to about $4000 today.

[Superman]

Keep in mind that even though the prices seem low, the dollar was actually worth something then. Also, the $200 tax stamp was a much larger percentage of the cost of ownership. A simple formula is that during the '50's, the dollar could buy about 20 times what it can today, and wages were about 1/20th what they are now. That $200 tax in 1959 was equivalent to about $4000 today.

Where do you get this from? Just curious cause the info I find suggests that $200 in 1935 wold be the equivalent to 3100 today

Edited January 4, 2010 by Superman

[1gewehr]

Where do you get this from? Just curious cause the info I find suggests that $200 in 1935 wold be the equivalent to 3100 today

There are about a zillion ways to measure comparable value. Using the government Consumer Price Index is virtually worthless due to the way the Feds have cooked the books over the years. A good website showing a variety of comparisons can be found here:

Measuring Worth - Relative Value of US Dollars

[Guest bnutriaz]

I remember back in 1998-1999, I was running a C3 in Florida and a guy came in and wanted to sell me 5 MAC 10/45 new in the boxes for 4 grand and I said "no way". At the time I couldn't sell the ones I had in the vault. Damn I wish I had kept the guys number!

Coop

[Burboy]

Back in 2006 I purchased an original all matching MP40 from an acquaintance. He had purchased it in 1976 from the Vet that brought it back from Vietnam. He told me up front that he paid the fellow $200 for it but he almost walked away because the $200 tax doubled the price of the gun. Of course he didn't feel too bad about that anymore when I handed him a check for $xx,000.

Before May, 1986 machine guns were pretty cheap. For the most part nobody wanted them. Then when the Feds closed the door all that changed. Within a few years people started to realize the investment potential and the prices began to climb. They seem to have peaked about 3 years ago and since then, with the recession and all, they have flattened out, maybe even gone down a bit.

[I_Like_Pie]

I remember show in the early 80's...the semi AR type rifles were $400 or so and the full auto ones were $700. People didn't buy the auto ones because they didn't want to waste money on the $200 stamp. Boy did that change.

Back then in the late 70's and early 80's you really couldn't sell an AR rifle and make any money....until they made the cottage industry around bolt on crap that got people all crazy. Then again northgate mall area back then had 6 different stores that sold guns.

[Guest bkelm18]

So what exactly changed in 1986? I'm young and ignorant. Forgive me.

[Superman]

They made it illegal for new automatic firearms to be sold to civilians.

[Jasongar8]

So what exactly changed in 1986? I'm young and ignorant. Forgive me.

Firearm Owners Protection Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See the Hughes Amendment.

[Guest bkelm18]

Firearm Owners Protection Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See the Hughes Amendment.

Ok I see. Thanks.