What is the best gun for me?
This is a very common question and we have developed a system for getting the best gun possible for each customer. The first thing you need to do is to ask yourself two questions:
1. What is the purpose of this gun? Will it be for home defense? Will it be a daily carry piece? Will it be for hunting?...
2. What is my budget?
With these two questions answered we can move forward and see which guns fit both purpose and budget, then review the available options with the customer.
For new shooters we will add one more question: How proficient are you / How comfortable are you shooting? We will customize our recommendations based upon your answers.
We encourage our customers to shoot their selections to ensure that they are comfortable with them and that they will be happy with their purchase.
How can I purcahse a gun from you?
The best way to purchase a gun from us is to come to our shop so that you can see the gun in person, and know it is the right gun for you. But we understand that not everyone can make it out to our shop so we offer the ability to buy the gun and have it shipped to an FFL near you. We can accept credit cards over the phone and can work with your local FFL to ensure that you are satisfied with your purchase.
How can I purchase a “Class 3” firearm or silencer?
Back in 1934 congress passed the National Firearms Act (NFA). This regulated a few types of weapons including; machine guns, short-barreled rifles (SBR), short-barreled shotguns (SBS), suppressors aka silencers, destructive devices (DD), and any other weapons (AOW) which is a kind of catch-all for other weapons they wanted to regulate. All weapons that fall into one of these categories are considered Title II weapons. Any weapons that don't fall under the NFA but do fall under the gun control act of 1968 are considered title I weapons due to them being Title I of the U.S. federal firearms laws.
To transfer Title II weapons you usually go to someone who holds a Federal Firearms License (FFL) AND holds a Special Occupational Tax (SOT). This is where the misconception of "Class 3" came from. The FFL that you transfer the title II weapon through must have a Class 1, 2, or 3 SOT, and they typically hold a class 3 SOT. The weapon you wish to transfer must also be legal in your state. State NFA laws make no sense, some allow machine guns (with any barrel length) but not SBRs. CA still allows AOWs I believe but not SBSs, so you have to do your own research here. Before a transfer of a title II weapon can take place, the ATF must approve it, even if it is between two FFLs. The most common forms an individual would be familiar with are forms 1, 3, and 4.
A form 3 is used between two FFLs with an SOT, and is tax free (no payment to the ATF is made). The ballpark time frame on this is around 3-4 weeks. If you purchase a suppressor out of state, you would pay the person, and if they are an FFL/SOT they would fill out a form 3 with your receiving FFL/SOT's information. Once it is approved, they would ship it to your FFL/SOT.
A form 4 is used as a transfer to an individual, corporation, or trust (all non FFL/SOTs, meaning you the individual!). Continuing the above example your FFL/SOT receives the suppressor and will give you two copies of a form 4 with some of the information filled out. You complete anything they are missing, sign it, and include $200 to transfer anything except AOWs, they are $5. This price has been the same since 1934 when the NFA passed. If you are transferring it individually you (currently) must also include a picture, fingerprints, a local chief law enforcement officer sign off, and a form 922g. A corporation and trust transfer does not require a picture, or fingerprints, or LEO sign off, or a form 922g. This process takes somewhere around 6 months and the wait is growing longer. Once approved, you can take your weapon / suppressor home after a standard form 4473 is filled out (that all guns require).
A form 1 is used to manufacturer a title II weapon. Typically this is used for SBRs and SBSs, since slapping on a new barrel is so easy. The process is similar to a form 4 except a FFL/SOT does not have to be involved. You as an individual, corporation, or trust fill out the form 1, include the necessary information (fingerprint, photo, LEO sign off, and 922g if doing it individually), and pay the ATF $200 (even for AOWs). After waiting the 3-6ish months you should get your approved form back and you can make the title II weapon. Note: there are also engraving requirements for your name (or trust, or corp name) and city, state on the weapon.
Private sales of some title II weapons are legal in some states, in that case a FFL/SOT is not required at all, but an approved form 4 would be necessary.
After you have your title II weapon with your approved stamp there are a few differences in how you can use it over regular guns. First it is recommended that you always carry a copy of your approved form. Technically/legally you only have to show this to an ATF officer, but we all know police officers aren't legal scholars and showing them an approved ATF form calms them down. Some states even take the stance that title II weapons are illegal, and it is a defense if you have an approved form 1/4. Second, you can not take title II weapons out of state without approval (except for AOWs and suppressors). To get approval you need to fill out a [18] 5320.20. The ATF turns these around very quickly, inside 2-3 weeks in my experience. They will only approve 5320.20's for a date range of 1 year, so you have to put in one for each state each year if you wish to travel with them. Third, you must report any lost or stolen NFA weapons, though it doesn't seem like there are any penalties. And lastly you can't loan any title II weapon to someone. If you transferred it via a corporation or trust anyone on the trust or corporation can posses it. This doesn't mean others can’t shoot it, but you have to be there. Also you do not give up any 4th amendment protections, if the ATF came to your door you could tell them to go get a warrant if you wanted to. This rumor probably came from if you have a FFL/SOT, then the ATF can conduct inspections at the business, which if it is your home, then they will come to your home.
Okay so I have $200 for the tax and a few hundred for a machine gun, where can I buy one?
In 1986 congress passed the Firearm Owners Protection Act making it illegal to have any new machine guns be registered after May 19th 1986 (you can still buy/sell ones that were registered). This cut off supply and the price skyrocketed for all machine guns. The price isn't so much set based on the quality of the gun, but based on the rarity (supply and demand). There are some pricing charts that give you an idea of how much they cost, the entry point is usually a Mac-10 at 3-4k currently. M16's run 11-19k, and belt feds will get up to 60k+. This price insanity only applies to machine guns, suppressors and other title II weapons can still be made so they aren't too overpriced.
So why do people use a trust?
The primary reason is to avoid the LEO sign off, though recently the nfatca and others have said that the ATF is "close" to removing the LEO sign off for individuals. A secondary benefit is because they are modifiable, you can bring on and off people to your trust. So if you have a group of friends or family that you want to be able to use your title II weapons they could if they are on the trust, and you wouldn't have to officially transfer the weapon through the ATF. People claim (mainly lawyers) that you shouldn't draft your own trust using quicken or other tools. If there is a problem with your trust down the road you would be in violation of federal firearm regulations, though you can modify the trust at that point.