YES YOU CAN LEGALLY OWN A MACHINE GUN.

The process of machine gun ownership is quite simple:

For purchases in Michigan, we help you locate the machine gun you want, you then buy it. We then work with the seller to get the item transferred to us. Once we have possession of it, we work together on your paperwork and then we submit the paperwork (form 5320.4 AKA Form 4) and the $200 transfer tax to the BATFE. Once approved, you simply return to us and pick it up (You do have to submit an BATFE form 4473 at the time of pickup, but no background check as this was already done by the BATFE).

For purchases outside the state of Michigan, we can help you but you would likely be better off dealing with someone locally in your state. If you want us to help we will but you will still need to locate a NFA/Class III dealer in your state in order to transfer the gun to you.

You can register your machine gun as an individual, a trust or a corporation and each option has positives and negatives:

Individual Ownership*

The simplest option would be to register as an individual.  This is the lowest cost option for machine gun registration. In this case, you are required to submit fingerprints, a photo and have local law enforcement (CLEO) sign your forms. The big drawback with this option is you have to be with your machine gun at all times when it is in use as well as be the only person with access to where it is stored.

For example, if you accidentally left the machine gun in your friend’s truck and he drove off you both would be technically in violation of NFA rules or if you keep your silencer locked up at home but your wife or children have access to the key or lock combination, you are potentially in violation of NFA rules.

This is the slowest BATFE paperwork approval option. You really should just get a trust. See the next section.

Trust Ownership*

A trust is, in my opinion and that of many others, the best solution for machine gun ownership. A trust can be easily and inexpensively created and there are some good online options online. Though, it is our opinion that utilizing a local attorney experienced with NFA Gun Trusts is the best idea. Be sure to do your homework and verify that the attorney you use has experience with the rules in your state. We believe the BATFE is going to reject the generic $99 trusts that are currently available online in the near future.

A trust allows you to add anyone who might want to use your NFA items or might want to store it/them for you to the trust (they must be legally able to possess them). In this case, anyone listed on the trust can legally have possession of the machine gun.  As a bonus, you can also setup some trusts to automatically 'pass' the machine gun to future generations and they do not have to pay a $200 transfer tax again.

Corporate Ownership*

A corporation has basically the same benefits as a trust. If you already have a corporation and plan to keep it active, you can go that route.  Any officer of the corporation can have access to the machine gun.  The same e-file system that is available to trusts is available to corporations. Be aware that the cost of maintaining a corporation is much higher than a trust.

*No matter what form of ownership you choose always seek a legal opinion from a licensed attorney in your state.

Final thoughts:

As you can see, owning a machine gun is actually easy and there is no excuse for you not to go for it.

The only drawbacks to ownership that I can come up with are the waiting time for the processing of the BATFE paperwork, possible difficulty locating the exact one you want and the current market prices for fully-transferable machine guns.

There is a reason the full-auto selector switch is often called the ‘giggle switch’ or the ‘fun switch’.

Please let us know if we can help you locate a machine gun to buy.