Law change drives the high price of machine guns

Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | 10/20/07 | Steve Visser

[sig226]

Randy Powell has a .50-caliber machine gun he would like to sell you — but he can't afford to.

The monster, sitting in a cage in back of his gun store and shooting range in Lawrenceville, can cut down a tree — and could easily fetch $30,000 in a perfectly legal sale. But for Powell, the sale would be the equivalent of hawking a Picasso or vintage wine.

The gun increases in value exponentially each year.

"I bought that gun for $10,000 about 10 years ago," he said. "I could make a lot of money if I sold it but it's an investment more than anything. There is no wholesale market. If I want another one, I may have to pay more than that."

If Clifford Harris Jr., the budding hip-hop mogul known as T.I., had lived a more law-abiding life he could have used his fortune to legally buy the .50-caliber, the silencers, the M60, Uzis or other machine guns that Powell has in his shop. "It is a real adventure to shoot it," said Robert Thornton, a machine-gun expert, of the .50-caliber. "You can hear the bullets strike the target 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 yards away."

Instead Harris is facing federal charges that include illegally possessing three machine guns and two silencers and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He pleaded not guilty to the weapons charges in court on Friday.

Most people, while they have the right, don't have the ability to buy a machine gun like Powell's. For instance, a Heckler &Koch MP5K machine pistol would fetch $15,000 on the civilian market, Powell said.

[sig226]

The Journal Constitution actually got a story substantially correct. I wonder if the reporter will be fired for fact checking a gun story and not loading the piece with garbage from the likes of Sarah Brady. I think a few notes of thanks to the editors might help advance our causes with the paper. I think they are usually pretty far to the left.

They can be contacted through this page.

[sinanju]

I think a .50 BMG was actually used in a bank holdup once, once, in the sixties.

[padre35]

So TI had a small aresenal of nice shooter goodies?

The Atlanta CJ had a good reason for fact checking those laws, they are trying to gin up support for TI.

[SIDENET]

The Journal Constitution actually got a story substantially correct.

I guess there's a first for everything.

[Rabble]

The clock being correct twice a day come to mind!

[umgud]

This little puppy is still in service after 88 years.

[Sender]

Don't worry, just like housing prices or the stock market, there will eventually be a "substantial correction" in the prices of class 3 firearms.

When the price of survival exceeds the price of illegality, such as after a major catastrophic event, the price of these items will drop substantially.

For now, the price is too steep. Tomorrow, maybe the price of a tank of gas. Your mileage may vary.

[ozzymandus]

Class 3 firearms will never go down. It’s been illegal to register any more of them since 1986. Black market guns may be a different matter, but I’m not interested in a 10-yr vacation in Club Fed.

[sailor4321]

The article was surprsingly accurate but failed to raise any question about whether the 1986 law is good or bad law (I happen to think it is very bad, unconsitutional law -— another case of nanny state restricting our rights).

[Shooter 2.5]

Did they stop building houses twenty years ago?

[Sender]

Oh, the price will assuredly go down. I’m talking about after a major disruption in life in this country. Club Fed won’t be a concern at that time.

[Sender]

No, but if they did, housing prices would soar unrealistically until...something happened to change all that. Then everyone could build a house.

[mylife]

ammo prices are out of control.

I shelled pout 250 for 1580 rounds of Bulgarian surplus today

[SFC Chromey]

...but, but , but, you don’t need ‘thousands’ of rounds of ammunition for hunting! ;)

[mylife]

I dont hunt

[mylife]

Thank you for your service SFC Chromey

[cpdiii]

...but, but , but, you don’t need ‘thousands’ of rounds of ammunition for hunting! ;)

I practice a lot.

[Myrddin]

I've been stocking up on small pistol primers lately. My favorite recreational round is the 38SPL. Small rifle primers are the key ingredient for my other two favorites...454 Casull and .223. Most of my 7.62x39 is Wolf. It's not reloadable, so I added some Winchester reloadable brass to my supplies as well. I keep a stock of 100 gr "Plinker" .308 bullets. Just fine for 7.62x39, 30-30, .308, 30-06. A stock of 200 gr .45 cal bullets works for 45Auto, 45 Colt, .454 Casull and S&W 460. There is value is common calibers that work across a range of cartridges. Common calibers is also a help in cleaning gear (brushes, jags, mops, cleaning rods).

[mylife]

bulgarian 5.45x 39 is $120, a case get it while its hot.

[mylife]

308 is out of control... close to $600 per thousnad rnds