11 Comments
User's avatar
jukk0u's avatar

There is a term I've heard: "A monopoly of, or on violence." This is what tyrants want and need. It is what the 2A was designed to prevent Gov't from obtaining.

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Courageous Lion's avatar

EXACTLY! Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying, "If the government fears the people, there is freedom. If the people fear the government, there is tyranny." Which is it today?

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David Wolosik's avatar

Turning a right into a privilege by having you pay for it and they keep on expanding!

"If the state does convert your right into a privilege and issue a license and a fee for it, you can ignore the license and a fee and engage the right with impunity." - (Shuttlesworth v. Birmingham AL 373 US 262 1962

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Courageous Lion's avatar

The way you can test a right is simple too. If there were no "government" and you are not harming anyone by the act, omission, commission or ownership, it is a RIGHT.

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MiloMindbender's avatar

The NFA1934 was inspired by the "Bonus Army" as much as the violence brought about in the liquor trade. The government has a fear of armed citizen petitioning the annointed for anything they were promised.

After the way they burnt out the bonus Army encampments and abused the protestors they feared the next one would have armed angry veterans and veterans families that would be less easy for the feds to repel and disperse.

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Courageous Lion's avatar

No doubt the Bonus Army was part of the impetus behind this insane unconstitutional "act". And the way they went around it with a "tax" without any opposition to speak of actually surprises me.

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Edwin's avatar

I have had SBRs and a couple of suppressors since forever, well it's not that long, but it might as well be. That $1000 which wasn't too hard to afford but I only did it that much.

I have one single pistol, no suppressor.

Accurate rifles are interesting, other less so.

Your mileage may vary.

I don't own a brace, of course back when I accumulated this stuff, wait times were 30 - 40 days. That was reasonable.

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Courageous Lion's avatar

Imagine that $1000 was what you had to pay in 1934 with the average salary for a year being $1800. Fortunately for those willing to jump through the hoops inflation wasn't added on because that $200 comes out to $4,490 today. If they were to use the same bullshit logic today on AR15's we would be driven into a civil war. ATF be damned.

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Edwin's avatar

The terming of the wait times as reasonable was not to be taken to be taken as any kind of acceptance of the NFA rules.

I spent $1000 dollars as a minimal investment, one that would assure me three SBRs and I was even more pissed about the suppressors, one an OPS 12th and one a SWR SpecWar, both in 5,56mm. I obtained the M92 Zastava via an auction, I had originally won a standard AK47, but Ed said they didn't supply one, but had another M92 available (with fake suppressor pinned) if I was interested, I was so I sent for the 3rd tax stamp.

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Courageous Lion's avatar

I wasn't cognitively criticizing your choice. Not in the least. I've never decided to get any NFA items because I never felt the need to own one. Especially if they had to be registered which is always the first step to confiscation throughout history. If the SHTF it won't matter what you own or use for sure.

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Edwin's avatar

I wasn't insinuating you did, but felt it best to make sure no other readers drew that incorrect assumption. It was my oversite, meaning my terming it as "reasonable" should have been in the proper context. If you do have to register something with the NFA, at least a month or so isn't so bad.

These people now waiting a year (or more) is ridiculous. And they pay their good money now, and wait. And wait, and wait. The system should be changed on that basis alone, if not scrapped (preferable).

They would get no complaints from me, and I could probably recoup my lost tax stamp money with an actual collector.

You are right, if SHTF your weapon registration status won't win you any brownie points.

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