What are the chances of another full-auto amnesty?

[<SLV>]

There are a lot of vets getting older, and I have a suspicion that they have tucked away "souvenir" guns they picked up during their service that were never registered under the previous amnesty. Just a few weeks ago I read the story of a young man who inherited a trunk from his uncle only to find an M-16 in it. I have a feeling that a lot of these weapons will start turning up as the last war generation passes on.

So what are the chances that the NRA (or similar organization) might lobby for another amnesty period for pre-86 full-auto weapons? How do you think it would affect the current marketplace? Prices slashed in half?

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Zero chance.

We will be lucky if we are still able to have semi-autos by the time the present administration leaves office. I have a feeling that what the compromise Nancy Pelosi speaks of in reference to a new AWB will actually be NFA registration of semi-auto "assault weapons". I think your Bushmaster will soon be regulated the same way a full auto Uzi or M16 are regulated. You will still be able to have it, but only if you register it, and pay a tax.

 

[BhmBill]

99.9992% chance there will never be amnesty for evil full autos, but I can see the laws regarding DD's, sbr's, sbs's, etc changing and MAYBE an amnesty or less restrictive laws regarding such weapons IF someone with an unwavering pro-gun and anti-gun control stance is president and controls the house. Palin, Jindal, etc.

 

[CoRoMo]

Zilch percentage of ever being enough public support to fuel the elected idiots to do the right thing... as usual.

 

[ArmedBear]

I don't think there's a chance.

These guns have been appearing a lot.

One of four things happens:

1. Person doesn't like guns, or is scared of being caught with the things, and calls the cops when they're going through the estate, so they make sure to stay out of trouble. They may or may not even know what they have.

2. Person knows about guns, and knows what they have, but quietly contacts a local FFL or other knowledgable person to dispose of the guns, convert them if possible (toss out M16 receiver and full-auto parts and re-use the rest), or whatever. They might want to be sure that Aunt Edna doesn't get into trouble, because the guns were in her closet.

3. Person knows a bit about guns, likes the collectibles, but doesn't know what they have. One day, at the range, they flip the safety the other way and find out that uncle Bob's old M1 Carbine is really.... This person is probably most likely to keep his mouth shut about it, especially if the gun was in their possession for a long time already.

4. Person knows what they have, and they stash everything and keep their mouths shut.

Which of these people is going to lobby their Congressman, exactly?

 

[Art Eatman]

The odds are somewhere between slim and none.

Slim left town.

 

[CleverNickname]

Slim to none, but better than Congress ever repealing 922(o). I don't particularly care for Ron Paul in a lot of areas but I could see him issuing an EO for an amnesty if he ever ran again and won. Although, him being elected is slim to none in the first place.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Tried one in 2005.

Failed miserably, dead in committee.

Here's a link to the legislation.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-2088

H.R. 2088:
109th Congress
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2005

To provide an amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register certain firearms in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and for other purposes.

 

[LickitySplit]

Tried one in 2005.

Failed miserably, dead in committee.

Here's a link to the legislation.

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h109-2088

Quote:
H.R. 2088:
109th Congress
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2005

To provide an amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register certain firearms in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and for other purposes.

It's been resubmitted for this Congress...

111th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 442

To provide an amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register certain firearms in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and for other purposes.

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Even if it made it through Congress, there is no way Obama would sign it. So it would have to pass with enough votes to override Obama's veto.

 

[drumenigma]

It would be great if they would allow an amnesty period for these things. Recently I read on another forum I frequent that a gentleman was in possession of a mint German Sturmgewehr. Someone else called the ATF for him and asked what their options were they were either 1. donate to a museum or 2. chop it up. Guess which one they picked......diced Sturmgewehr.

 

[LickitySplit]

It would be great if they would allow an amnesty period for these things. Recently I read on another forum I frequent that a gentleman was in possession of a mint German Sturmgewehr. Someone else called the ATF for him and asked what their options were they were either 1. donate to a museum or 2. chop it up. Guess which one they picked......diced Sturmgewehr.

Northeast Shooters?

 

[Mark in California]

It all depends.

It all depends.

The amnesty was required because the Supreme Court ruled in 1967 that the registration requirments of the National Firearms Act were un-Constitutional because it required self-incrimination. (You had to have the weapon before registration, however posessision before registration was a felony.) GCA 68 corrected that. The amnesty was requried to clean up all the unregistered firearms could not be registered without self-incrimination.

If the government got inself in trouble with the Supreme Court, or if their registration list were PROVEN to be faulty and then thrown out as proof of registration (meaning the government could not prove non registration), another amnesty period is possible.

 

[zoom6zoom]

I think there are three chances (Fat, Slim, and None), but the best way to attack it would be the tax angle. - "Look, I'm trying to pay this tax and they WON'T LET ME!" Must be the only time the .gov has ever refused to collect taxes!

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

I don't think 922(o) will ever be repealed. However, I think there is a chance that some official creates a loophole big enough to drive a truck through.

However the more loopholes are talked about the quicker they are closed.

 

[Prince Yamato]

Instead of moping, we could be looking for solutions to this problem. What are ways we could get the registry back open "For Collectors", "For Reenactors?", and eventually "For all lawful purposes"? The amount of pessimism on this forum is enough to make even Joel Osteen want to kill himself. Come on folks. Let's all put our heads together and see what we can do. We need one or two really good ideas and then we just need to make the right phonecalls to congressmen.

 

[Duke of Doubt]

Prince Yamato: "For Reenactors?"

Trouble is, little worth re-enacting in America involved automatic weapons. Even the Brady Gang wipeout in Bangor Maine, re-enacted two years ago --

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/10/06/bangor_recalls_brady_gang/

http://bangorinfo.com/Focus/focus_brady_gang.html

-- did not involve Tommy guns being fired, the way Stephen King "re-imagined" the event for his novel "It." Maybe the Bonnie and Clyde denouement, or the St. Valentine's Day Massacre -- except that the garage no longer exists.

 

[alsaqr]

Not a snowball's chance in hades.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

According to my late Grandpa he lost his m-@ carbine in a boating accident back in 1965. The year I was born.

 

[Gunnerpalace]

Instead of moping, we could be looking for solutions to this problem

There is a petition going nowhere right now, and with all the people freaking out it wont be a congress thing, We basically have to do it through judicial terms, Bill Akins lost his appeal so I dont know if we can try to bring him in this again, NRA wont touch it, and Levy is busy with Heller 2, I'm thinking the CA case (someone will come in with the name) where the 9th Circuit said it was legal but the Supreme told them to reconsider with a Marijuana case in mind,

With pot laws relaxing across the US and the Montana in-state gun law, I'm thinking we could layout a good case here, we need to do this though with A veteran (WW2) with a clean record, and take it from there,

My .02

 

[mgregg85]

Not a chance in hell if things keep going the way they have the past 20 or 30 years.

 

[JohnBT]

The odds?

Close your eyes, what do you see?

 

[Prince Yamato]

Trouble is, little worth re-enacting in America involved automatic weapons.

You could reenact something that took place on foreign soil. You could reenact basic training. You could reenact prohibition era gun-fights. Who the hell knows. Duke, you're a smart guy, make something up! All you need is a purpose, a reason that you can't do it under current NFA laws.

Here:

I want to stage the Battle of Iwo Jima in central Texas wine country. I want to stage it with 200 reenactors firing blanks out of real weapons. They all can't possibly afford vintage weapons and in addition, we don't want to damage antiques. Therefore we would like new weapons. Please Mr. Congressman, don't let history and our liberty die in the name of political correctness.

 

[foghornl]

With the current {ahem} "leadership", we have 2 chances:

None
Less Than None

 

[mr2guru]

There is X number of unregistered automatic weapons out there. Probably quite a few actually. WHY WOULDN'T the government want to know where they are.

The people who have them are probably keeping them for SHTF scenario and/or a revolution. Wouldn't it be in the governments interest to keep tabs on them?