That Acknowledged Right

Chances are, you are familiar with machine guns. Members of the NFA community already know that machine guns are legal to own and use in most places in the United States. We also know that they can be expensive, problematic and somewhat “hungry” in terms of keeping their diet of ammunition up to snuff. We also know the most common question that is often asked by those who are not familiar with legal, fully automatic weapons: Why on earth do you need such a thing?

To be sure, the Second Amendment is not about needs or wants. It is about an acknowledged right, albeit a right that has been improperly usurped by federal and state legislation and regulation. There is no reason to justify a “need” to own a machine gun. If you want one, and have the means to acquire one, you have that right. Do it. And actually use it because it is fun to do so. Take the gun to a range or an organized shoot. Stoke the weapon with proper ammunition and let her rip. A smile will crease your face. Likely a bit of a giggle. Introduce somebody to the weapon. Somebody who has never shot one before. And you can be all but assured that the smile and giggle will likely morph into laughter and glee.

No crimes are committed. No assaults, robberies or murders. Lots of smiles and laughs are witnessed, and folks who own the weapons appear to be eager to actually share them with the novices who are drawn to the sound and the action.

Let’s use the Fall 2018 Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot as an example. The NFATCA hosted a young lady, we’ll call her Steph, to come out to Kentucky and embrace the full-on experience that is Knob Creek (that’s not her in the pictures). After signing her notices and waivers, she was festooned with her exhibitor and shooter badges. Then it was time to meet the guns.

A certain, very generous NFATCA member (who has a habit of distributing delicious fried pies) took her under his wing and gave her a tour of the dozens of weapons that he had brought for the shoot. They ranged from personal defense weapons (PDWs) to belt-fed, heavy machine guns. The manual of arms for each weapon was briefed. The safety requirements for the show, in general, and each weapon were detailed. “And which gun would you like to shoot?”

“All of them!” And so began three days of turning a significant amount of ammunition into once-fired brass. Steph fired an MP5, an AK47, the “Twins,” a Ma Deuce and more. And she laughed heartily after every mag dump and belt. You know what? Others noticed. Lots of other people noticed. Steph was having fun. Many had their smart phones recording video of the grand time that Steph was having. Several of those videos have gone somewhat viral. Steph could not stop smiling.

We wrapped the show up on Sunday and took her to the airport. She was a bit exhausted, and we asked if she would do it again. An immediate “Hell yeah!” Because it’s fun. And that’s just it: We must make the extra effort to bring new folks into this world of NFA firearms. The “old guard” isn’t getting any younger, but they absolutely do have stories to tell and guns to share. So it’s time to circle a date or two on the calendar and pencil in some range time with somebody who needs to see what fun is all about. The NFATCA appreciates the camaraderie that has grown over our nearly 15 years of serving this community. Help us spread the word. Join or renew today. And if you have questions or comments, send us an email at info@nfatca.org. Or visit us online at www.nfatca.org or facebook.com/NFATCA.

Mixed Messages from Shows

As this report is being written, it is December and the show season has pretty much wound down. The NFATCA just returned from the SAR West Show in Phoenix, and there is a mixed bag of news to report. In general, dealer sales at a variety of venues are scattered from dismal to mind-blowing. Commodity items, such as AR models, seem to be in the doldrums, while truly desirable collector pieces are enjoying robust sales. At a recent show, reports separated by mere minutes clearly demonstrated the broadness of the spectrum: one dealer lamented that sales were off by more than 50% at the show while another guardedly reported that they had already done six figures before the public had even showed up. There seems to be a “new normal,” yet nobody is able to define it.

The same holds true for the vagaries of the industry and community, as a whole. The NFATCA dutifully presents news to the community at many events. And although we do seem to cover much of the same territory, it is surprising that there are so many who have not learned what some consider to be “the basics.” For example, at each meeting that we hold, we go over the fact that marijuana is, indeed, legal in many states yet is still illegal at the federal level. We highlight the language on Form 4473 that clearly states, “The use or possession of marijuana remains unlawful under Federal law regardless of whether it has been legalized or decriminalized for medicinal or recreational purposes in the state where you reside.” We remind dealers that merely seeing a medical marijuana card in the wallet of a potential customer is sufficient grounds to terminate a potential transfer. We remind dealers that merely knowing that a particular customer enjoys an occasional smoke of the banned item is enough to make it unlawful for the dealer to make a transfer. This still comes as a shock to many. Along the same train of thought, it is still surprising to learn that many licensed manufacturers are unaware of or are avoiding registering with the State Department under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Every manufacturer, by State Department definition, not ATF’s, must register and pay at least $2,250 every year, regardless of whether or not items are manufactured for export. It is not optional, and the only research and development exemptions granted by State are for accredited institutions of higher learning. Period. Yet we hear the lament that somebody, somewhere, read on the Internet that … So, it must be true. We all know how that works out!

Many are surprised to learn that the NFA Division is churning through the form processing cycle with increasing efficiency. Form processing times across the board continue to drop. Some are reporting Form 3 approvals in days and even just hours! All of this is occurring as volume has rebounded from last year’s July crash. July saw the peak of a surge, then an inevitable crash. Now we are seeing forms submissions normalize and even begin to rise. Even though we are through the worst of it, NFA Division Chief, Alphonso Hughes, has reported that he is determined to work towards further efficiency and time-to-process reductions. It is still all hands on deck, and the NFA community is enjoying the benefits.

With lower processing times and the improved ability to find exactly what you are looking for, the NFATCA suggests that NOW is the best time to make that move you have been putting off. Most agree that there is no pending NFA legislation that will be heading to the President’s desk in the near future. Prices continue to rise. And more people are getting into the NFA game. Pull that trigger! At the same time, more people are pulling the trigger on joining the NFATCA, or increasing the level of their existing support. To them we say thanks! And we invite you to join them and us as we diligently continue to make more NFA items available to more people, more often.