NFA During the Clinton era....

[OneLungMcClung]

Hi. Question for all you NFA peops out there:

During the "Assault Weapons" Ban of the Clinton 90s, I want to know, was it more difficult to trade in NFA Class III firearms?

I know the two are totally seperate legal issues, but I was wondering if in the political climate of the time if it became harder to buy/sell these pieces?

I ask, because there may be storm clouds on the horizon.....

[XD45]

I can't speak for how it was in the clinton age, but I'd say if your looking to get into/get more NFA items do it before the election.

[danp]

My understanding was that the NFA superceded the AWB, but I must admit I don't know for sure. I got into the just before the AWB expired and had very little first hand dealing with it.

[RoyJackson]

My understanding was that the NFA superceded the AWB, but I must admit I don't know for sure. I got into the just before the AWB expired and had very little first hand dealing with it.

NFA goes back to 1934 with revisions in 1968 (I think) and 1986 (when all post '86 selective fire and full auto's were banned).

As to it being more difficult to buy NFA guns during Clinton's adminstration...well, I don't know (since I don't buy NFA guns), but I do know the BATF was more aggressive then...abusive might be a more accurate term.

[Gun Bowanna]

Actually, It was Great.
The prices (Compared to these days) were super cheap.
I remember selling a Oly m16 for $2,400. in '94 only to buy it back for $7,500. in '03. While the soon to be banned semi's were selling for up to $1 - 1200.00.
Transfer took 8 months to be approved.
Partner sold his m2 .50bmg for $18,500. (with spare barrels and pintles).
Mac's were about $450-500. All this during the crazed buying for "Assault Guns" and "High cap" pistols.
The only draw back at the time was the orcs workin the NFA transfers moving slow as mollasses. They just did not care. Their paycheck was a garunteed, gobmet job. Production or not.

Who woulda known, the good ol' days was now.

[Azzy]

Reading through some stuff earlier, if it was an NFA item, then it had none of the restrictions of the AWB, as it was a separate class.

[nfafan]

As others have mentioned, transfers were slow, but they eventually got thru. Some semi "black rifles" were in many cases more bux than NFA.

[RandomTask]

Yup, I'm still kicking myself in the crotch for passing up a deal on a full-auto HK MP5 in 1995 for $4,300.

[RoyJackson]

Yup, I'm still kicking myself in the crotch for passing up a deal on a full-auto HK MP5 in 1995 for $4,300.

Yeah...and I'm still kicking myself in the ass for not buying a Vector Arms selective fire UZI when they were $3500.

[JayBell]

NFA items DID have restrictions during the AWB.

the AWB affected ALL semiautos that fit the criteria, from pistols to rifles to shotguns, Full auto was not affected as they are not sedmiauto.
Basically, MGs were left out aside from new magazine sales restrictions, but if you had a semiauto NFA item, such as a SBR/SBS it was affected.

for example, you could still make a AR SBR, but you couldn't put a flashhider or collapsing stock on it, or thread the muzzle, or have a bayonet lug if it already had a pistolgrip....if it had a detachable magazine of any size.
you gotr ONE feature, and on AKs and ARs and such, it was the pistolgrip.
Same for something like a 10/22, or other semi rifle with a detachable mag.

the crossing line was ONE feature allowed on the various weapons classes.

you couldn't put a suppressor on a pistol if it met the criteria either, basically if it had a mag outside the pistolgrip, or weighed over 50oz, or had a shroud around the barrel, or threaded muzzle, you could have ONE feature above.

even some SBS could be affected, if it was semiauto , you could have a pistolgrip, or a folding stock, or a mag tube that held over 5 rounds, but only ONE of those features.

however, they DID screw up and make no restrictions on AOWs, so you could make a AR pistol, or AK pistol, etc, with all the bad features, as long as you regged it and added a forward grip on it t make an AOW