Machine gun owners can’t be “prohibited persons.” For example, unlike with “standard” firearms, NFA firearms (such as machine guns, silencers, etc.) are registered with the federal government and tracked from lawful owner to lawful owner – permission must be obtained prior to the transfer of these types of firearms and the ATF keeps a log of all currently registered NFA firearms. These NFA firearms have extra regulations and controls. This is sometimes incorrectly referred to as having a class 3 license.įull-auto machine guns fit into a certain class of firearms called National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) firearms. To make or sell machine guns (and other NFA firearms like silencers) the FFL must also be an SOT.
What types of guns can civilians own license#
their relevant state law does not ban that the firearm (whether banning machine guns outright or any firearm with certain features).Īs you can see, machine gun possession by non-FFLs is regulated based on the person (possessor), the firearm itself (when it was made), and where the firearm is possessed (which state).Īs with everything, there are a some exceptions to those requirements.įor example, someone can lawfully possess a machine gun made this morning if it is in connection with their duties as a government or law enforcement official, or if they have their Federal Firearms License (FFL) and have either made or possess the machine gun for possible sale to government/law enforcement personnel.the full-auto machine gun was made before 1986, and.the possessor isn’t a “prohibited person,”.However, machine guns for non-FFLs are EXTREMELY expensive as the available supply is limited.Īs an FFL, you can buy a brand new machine gun for less than $2,000 and have it transferred to you in a few days.Īs a private citizen (without an FFL) you can only buy an old machine gun (over 35 years old), it’ll likely cost north of $15,000, and you’ll have to wait around a year for the transfer via an ATF Form 4.įor example, a private citizen can lawfully own a machine gun only if: The best part about getting a machine gun as an FFL is that you can get it at dealer cost and fast.Įven without an FFL, a private citizen can still lawfully own a true machine gun if certain conditions are met. The absolute easiest way is for someone to get a Federal Firearms License or “FFL” (even a home-based FFL).ĭepending on the type of FFL, the FFL-holder can purchase and sell machine guns, regardless of when they were made (more on this below), and they can even legally make their own machine guns or lawfully convert current firearms into full-autos. Contrary to popular belief, it is perfectly legal for a law-abiding American citizen to own/possess a machine gun (sometimes called a full-auto firearm or automatic weapon).