By John Brown
So You Want to Buy a Machine Gun
I have been in the NFA business for a long time and it has been one of the most enjoyable experiences in my entire life. As is so common in your life, the story is: "You should have been here yesterday." Back when M16s were $1,500 and MAC 10s were selling for $300 is a time long gone along with the 5-cent Coca Cola and the 10-cent Hershey bar. Like everything else the prices continue to go up over time, regardless of the state of the economy. When you take into consideration that twenty years ago an M16 did sell for $1,500 it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if that same gun sells today for $15,000, then you made a pretty darn good investment. Compare that to your stock portfolio and the fog starts to lift. You immediately start thinking, "I wish..." There were a lot of individuals who made the decision to invest in a machine gun and have enjoyed the growth of their investment.
You should always remember when it comes to this type of investment, it's never too late. You have to remember that this opportunity has a limited supply that continues to dwindle in numbers every year. In November of 2009, we knew that there were only 182,619 transferable machine guns available to anyone that had the time and the money to buy one. Every year that number gradually falls due to a variety of reasons. Although prices do fluctuate, make no mistake, no other asset in your portfolio has a history like this type of investment. So what is holding you back? A variety of reasons, all which make little sense to those of you that have been collecting this most magnificent investment for a number of years.
The most frequently heard reason why many people don't make the leap of faith is, "I don't want to get a special license to buy a machine gun." Other common things we constantly hear are, "I don't want to give up my privacy rights when I do this allowing the government to come into my house anytime they want." For those of you that have been buying, selling, or collecting machine guns you have heard the frequent issues and have been plagued with the same old wives-tales with a ton of bad information. The truth of the matter is none of this is true. When you buy any NFA item all you need to know is, that it is, and has always has been, a tightly controlled process that insures that these types of weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. ATF has always handled the transfer of a machine gun from one person to another extremely carefully. You don't need a special license and you do not give up any rights when you buy a machine gun. You are simply applying for the transfer of a title from one company or individual to yourself, and paying the appropriate tax to the government one time for the cost of the title transfer. You pay this tax only one time. For the cost of machine guns this tax is $200. For that $200 you are paying for a clear title to a weapon. When you get your approved form back from your dealer it has a beautiful Internal Revenue Service tax stamp on the form that is proof that you have paid the tax. It is often humorous to see sometimes that when someone sells their machine gun, that stamp, which is no longer valid, is often auctioned off on eBay or some of the other collection sites. Most people keep their paperwork and the associated stamp for memorabilia.
Simply stated, buying a machine gun is a darn good investment. It will not only continue to increase in value over time but offers the opportunity to have some fun like you have never had in your entire life. When you find a good dealer the experience will be an enjoyable one that is virtually painless. The anticipation, the excitement, and the joy of procession are beyond words. Just talk to anyone that has a couple of guns and it's hard to continue to pass up this opportunity when it is such a good investment.
One of the other attractive options about buying machine guns is that many dealers in the market today offer various buying options to help stave off the impact of such a large sale. Taking 50% down or multiple payment options are not uncommon in today's market. When you buy simply ask and you may be surprised at how many options may be available.
The other opportunity that you want to explore when you break the ice and buy your first machine gun is to align yourself with all of the right resources for answers to all of the questions that you may have after you purchase. A good dealer, other enthusiasts, and especially an organization like the NFATCA can provide you with a wealth of information to keep you better informed. Good dealers and a membership with the NFATCA and their associated web site will be worth their weight in gold.
Our advice today is, buy now. The market is prime, the prices are good, and the opportunity is right. So what are you waiting for?
Still have questions? Come join us today at www.nfatca.org and let us help you make the right decisions to improve your investment future.
This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V14N12 (September 2011) |
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