3 ms·

> Took a peek once I was out of sight, and it was definitely submachine guns Can't you order that stuff over the mail in the US?

saosebastiao 10y ago
You can buy functional relics that are well over 30 years old if they were registered before they were banned, and you're gonna need to be federally licensed to possess them, and you're gonna be paying in the 5 digit range for the privilege. Needless to say, these weren't those.
maxerickson 10y ago
For a firearm purchased by mail from another state they have to be shipped to a federally licensed dealer and the transaction has all the same requirements as if you were just buying from the dealer in person. There's lots more details than that, but it isn't a free for all.
Merad 10y ago
No. An example of a submachine gun is the ubiquitous H&K MP5 [0]. It cannot be easily purchased (legally) because it is a fully automatic weapon, meaning that it has a setting where pulling the trigger once can fire > 1 bullets, and it's less than 26 inches in length, classifying it as a short barreled rifle (SBR). A MP5 can be legally owned, with a few caveats: * It must have been manufactured and registered with the ATF as a machine gun prior to 1986. Guns meeting this criteria are fairly rare and very expensive. I don't know the price for a registered MP5, but I would guess > $20000. * You must apply for and receive a special approval to purchase a machine gun. * You must apply for and receive a special approval to purchase a SBR. However, a variety of companies make semi-auto (one trigger pull = one bullet) MP5 clones that can be purchased more easily. Clones are sometimes built with an extended barrel so they are not considered a SBR and can be treated like any normal rifle. A common strategy is to hide the extra barrel beneath a fake non-functional suppressor [1]. Alternatively some are made as SBRs for people who are willing to get the SBR approval. [0]: http://discovermilitary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mp5.jpg http://discovermilitary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mp5.j... [1]: http://mfiap.com/images/F30028878.jpg http://mfiap.com/images/F30028878.jpg
- etjossem 10y ago
  This kind of information is very useful to know - even if you firmly believe regulation of automatic firearms is a good idea. I'm not a gun enthusiast, but this summary helps shed some light on a debate many folks are badly informed on. Thanks.
- taway_1212 10y ago
  Thanks for the thorough answer! My impression was largely based on Gus van Sant's movie "Elephant", where the boys bought some real badass looking rifles over the mail.
  - Merad 10y ago
    Interesting. Well, I don't know what the movie portrays, but there are two ways that I know of to legally order a gun and have it delivered to your door (though I doubt either is exciting enough for a movie). * You can get a Curio & Relic (C&R) license from the ATF which is basically a collectors license. It applies to eligible guns (i.e. not machine guns or SBRs) > 50 years old such as [0]. When you do an online/mail order the seller will require you to send a copy of your C&R license before shipping. * Some guns aren't legally considered to be firearms by the ATF. This primarily (only?) applies to replicas of black powder guns [1][2]. Any other purchase must be sent to a licensed dealer, and when you pick it up from them you'll do the same paperwork as when purchased directly off their shelves. [0]: https://www.classicfirearms.com/m9130-hex-receiver-russian-mosin-nagant-rifle-arsenal-refinished https://www.classicfirearms.com/m9130-hex-receiver-russian-m... [1]: http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/traditional-rifles-shotguns|/pc/104792580/c/104701680/sc/104641380/pedersoli-traditional-hawken-percussion-rifle/1608685.uts http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/traditi... [2]: http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/black-powder-revolvers|/pc/104792580/c/104701680/sc/567338580/pietta-model-confederate-navy-caliber-black-powder-revolver/740536.uts http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/black-p...
sbierwagen 10y ago
Semi-automatic firearms are perfectly legal in all 50 states. (With some restrictions on barrel length, magazine size, accessories, etc) Fully automatic weapons are more heavily regulated. Large taxes, permits, etc.
mythrwy 10y ago
You can definitely order a black powder pistol (and the caps and balls and powder) through the mail, no background check required (I guess some states do have restrictions, mine apparently did not). I ordered one years ago and the delivery service left it with my neighbor who's id they did not check. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=735152&type=product&WT.ac=YMAL-735152&WT.z_pg_ref=prd740536 http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=735152&... Granted it's not a sub-machine gun and takes a bit to load but it is a repeating firearm every bit as deadly as one that uses conventional shells.

saosebastiao 10y ago

You can buy functional relics that are well over 30 years old if they were registered before they were banned, and you're gonna need to be federally licensed to possess them, and you're gonna be paying in the 5 digit range for the privilege. Needless to say, these weren't those.

maxerickson 10y ago

For a firearm purchased by mail from another state they have to be shipped to a federally licensed dealer and the transaction has all the same requirements as if you were just buying from the dealer in person. There's lots more details than that, but it isn't a free for all.

Merad 10y ago

No. An example of a submachine gun is the ubiquitous H&K MP5 [0]. It cannot be easily purchased (legally) because it is a fully automatic weapon, meaning that it has a setting where pulling the trigger once can fire > 1 bullets, and it's less than 26 inches in length, classifying it as a short barreled rifle (SBR). A MP5 can be legally owned, with a few caveats: * It must have been manufactured and registered with the ATF as a machine gun prior to 1986. Guns meeting this criteria are fairly rare and very expensive. I don't know the price for a registered MP5, but I would guess > $20000. * You must apply for and receive a special approval to purchase a machine gun. * You must apply for and receive a special approval to purchase a SBR. However, a variety of companies make semi-auto (one trigger pull = one bullet) MP5 clones that can be purchased more easily. Clones are sometimes built with an extended barrel so they are not considered a SBR and can be treated like any normal rifle. A common strategy is to hide the extra barrel beneath a fake non-functional suppressor [1]. Alternatively some are made as SBRs for people who are willing to get the SBR approval. [0]: http://discovermilitary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mp5.jpg http://discovermilitary.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/mp5.j... [1]: http://mfiap.com/images/F30028878.jpg http://mfiap.com/images/F30028878.jpg

etjossem 10y ago
This kind of information is very useful to know - even if you firmly believe regulation of automatic firearms is a good idea. I'm not a gun enthusiast, but this summary helps shed some light on a debate many folks are badly informed on. Thanks.
taway_1212 10y ago
Thanks for the thorough answer! My impression was largely based on Gus van Sant's movie "Elephant", where the boys bought some real badass looking rifles over the mail.
- Merad 10y ago
  Interesting. Well, I don't know what the movie portrays, but there are two ways that I know of to legally order a gun and have it delivered to your door (though I doubt either is exciting enough for a movie). * You can get a Curio & Relic (C&R) license from the ATF which is basically a collectors license. It applies to eligible guns (i.e. not machine guns or SBRs) > 50 years old such as [0]. When you do an online/mail order the seller will require you to send a copy of your C&R license before shipping. * Some guns aren't legally considered to be firearms by the ATF. This primarily (only?) applies to replicas of black powder guns [1][2]. Any other purchase must be sent to a licensed dealer, and when you pick it up from them you'll do the same paperwork as when purchased directly off their shelves. [0]: https://www.classicfirearms.com/m9130-hex-receiver-russian-mosin-nagant-rifle-arsenal-refinished https://www.classicfirearms.com/m9130-hex-receiver-russian-m... [1]: http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/traditional-rifles-shotguns|/pc/104792580/c/104701680/sc/104641380/pedersoli-traditional-hawken-percussion-rifle/1608685.uts http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/traditi... [2]: http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/black-powder-revolvers|/pc/104792580/c/104701680/sc/567338580/pietta-model-confederate-navy-caliber-black-powder-revolver/740536.uts http://www.cabelas.com/product/shooting/black-powder/black-p...

sbierwagen 10y ago

Semi-automatic firearms are perfectly legal in all 50 states. (With some restrictions on barrel length, magazine size, accessories, etc) Fully automatic weapons are more heavily regulated. Large taxes, permits, etc.

mythrwy 10y ago

You can definitely order a black powder pistol (and the caps and balls and powder) through the mail, no background check required (I guess some states do have restrictions, mine apparently did not). I ordered one years ago and the delivery service left it with my neighbor who's id they did not check. http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=735152&type=product&WT.ac=YMAL-735152&WT.z_pg_ref=prd740536 http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=735152&... Granted it's not a sub-machine gun and takes a bit to load but it is a repeating firearm every bit as deadly as one that uses conventional shells.