FAQ – Class III NFA Firearms

Frequently asked questions about machine guns, suppressors, short barreled rifles or shotguns

1) Are machine guns legal?

Machine guns are legal, but they area  registered firearm with the ATF NFA branch. For an individual to own a fully automatic firearms, one must purchase a pre-1986 firearm. One can purchase a firearm from a dealer or from a private individual. These guns are known as “transferable NFA Firearms”. Machine guns made after 1986 are only transferable between dealers (and only as “demonstration guns; guns requested for demonstration by the local head of law enforcement {sheriff, chief of police, etc.}). One must apply to own the NFA firearm through the ATF NFA branch. It requires the individual to either a) create a trust in the individual’s name (or others). This trust is seen as an identity, by the state of Florida, and officially links the ownership of the NFA firearms to those individuals named in the trust. The trust, fingerprints and payment are submitted to the ATF for review and a background check. This process could take a while and be a bit of an investment. Trusts cost up to $200, and the fee to the ATF is $200. Once complete, the ATF issues a tax stamp, affixed to the paperwork associated to the firearm.

2) Where do I get a machine gun?

Combing the popular NFA firearm bulletin boards like, subguns.com ,  or http://www.sturmgewehr.com.  The first thing you will notice is how expensive they are. It’s because there is a limited number of pre-1986 machine guns, and the have done nothing but become more expensive.
3) What is a short barreled rifle, shotgun or “any other weapon”?

An “sbr” or short barreled rifle is a firearm with a bolt face to end of barrel length of less than 16 inches. For a “sbs”, or short barreled shotgun, the length must be 18 inches. An SBR or SBS is considered an NFA firearm, and must be registered with the ATF. An “aow” or any other weapon would be something like a cane-gun, pen-gun or a pistol with a vertical fore grip.