2A Questions: Please Explain

[M4Sherman]

Huh Could someone explain a few things to lil ol redneck me.

One: What is the "Brady Act’s “interim”

Two: Does this mean movie people can buy Full auto Ak's or just get some from the Government?

Allow importation and transfer of new machineguns by firearm and ammunition manufacturers for use in developing or testing firearms and ammunition, and training customers. In particular, ammunition manufacturers fulfilling government contracts need to ensure that their ammunition works reliably. S. 941 would also provide for the transfer and possession of new machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.

and lastly : What kind of guns can't be imported except MG's?

Restore a policy that allowed importation of barrels, frames and receivers for non-importable firearms, when they can be used as repair or replacement parts.

[carguychris]

One: What is the "Brady Act’s “interim”

It was the time period under the Brady Law when a 5-day waiting period was required before the NICS instant check system was up and running. The NICS system is, of course, now up and running, so the interim period has long since expired.

Two: Does this mean movie people can buy Full auto Ak's or just get some from the Government?

Not sure, not familiar with this provision.

and lastly : What kind of guns can't be imported except MG's?

There are two groups.

Group #1: The 1968 GCA banned the importation of certain compact imported handguns by establishing a "sporting purposes" points system; certain features earn points, and a handgun must earn a certain minimum number of points to be imported. This law was established to ban the importation of cheap so-called "Saturday Night Special" subcompact semi-autos that often came from Spain and Italy.

Notable effects of the 68 GCA "sporting purposes" test: the West German-built Walther PPK was banned since it was very small and used fixed sights, leading to the development of the slightly larger-framed and therefore legal PPK/S; Makarov PM pistols that aren't C&R-eligible had to have adjustable sights to be imported; the Glock 28 .380ACP pistol can't be imported because, like the classic PPK, it is small-caliber, has a subcompact frame, and has fixed sights.

Group #2: Imported semi-auto rifles were banned in 1990. In order to come in, imported semi-autos with EBR features must incorporate a minimum number of American parts to be allowed. It is somewhat of a pre-AWB AWB. If you hear people talk about "922r compliant" firearms, that's what they're talking about, since the regulations are found in 18 USC 922r. Present-day importers skirt the regulations by bringing in Eastern European semi-auto EBRs as incomplete subassemblies, installing the minimum number of American parts, and then assembling and shipping the rifles. (The most prominent firm doing this is Century Arms International.) Some foreign rifles have been purposefully redesigned without the "evil" features to avoid this problem; the most notable is the Russian-built Saiga.

Both of these regulations have endured largely because the U.S. gunmakers strongly support them for obvious business reasons. The 68 GCA "sporting purposes" test is directly responsible for the establishment of American budget semi-auto manufacturers such as Jennings, Jiminez, Bryco, and Phoenix.

[M4Sherman]

Thanks mate, That explains it very well.

[carguychris]

This law was established to ban the importation of cheap so-called "Saturday Night Special" subcompact semi-autos that often came from Spain and Italy.

Clarification to my own post...

I did not mean to imply that this was the only reason why the 68 GCA was implemented. It's one reason of many.

Also, here's a list of the ATF's handgun points system, culled from an online Glock FAQ. A handgun must earn 75 or more points to be imported.

Characteristic Points
Length: for each 1/4" over 6" 1
Forged steel frame 15
Forged HTS alloy frame 20
Unloaded weight w/mag (per oz.) 1
.22 short and .25 auto 0
.22 LR and 7.65mm to .380 auto 3
9mm parabellum and over 10
Locked breech mechanism 5
Loaded chamber indicator 5
Grip safety 3
Magazine safety 5
Firing pin block or lock 10
External hammer 2
Double action 10
Drift adjustable target sight 5
Click adjustable target sight 10
Target grips 5
Target trigger 2

[Hkmp5sd]

Does this mean movie people can buy Full auto Ak's or just get some from the Government?

Full auto's aka Machineguns were banned from importation by the 1968 Gun Control Act. The domestic manufacture of new machineguns was banned by the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act.

With the exception of federally licensed dealers/manufactures, there are no new machineguns either made in the USA or imported.

All "transferrable" machineguns legally registered prior to May, 1986, are still available for civilian sale and possession.

The Brady Act "Interim" did not apply to machineguns. The "interim" was the period between February 28, 1994 and November 30, 1998, when the official "Brady Act" took over. It dealt with the waiting period for handguns and the procedure of how the background check took place. In most states, it was replaced by the NICS "Instant" background check.

Again, it had nothing to do with machineguns or with semi-automatic firearms that look like machineguns.

[Hkmp5sd]

S. 941 would also provide for the transfer and possession of new machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.

It looks like you have come across some proposed legislation that never made it into law. Although most actors are happy to deny you possession of machineguns (or any gun for that matter), they were very unhappy to find out the new machinegun ban included them and their movie making industry. They have tried several times over the years to get an exclusion from the law, but have not succeeded so far.

[44 AMP]

Does this mean movie people can buy Full auto Ak's or just get some from the Government?

If you are talking about the guns used in movies, many are not real guns. They are blank firing props. Many of the real guns in the movies have been converted to blank firing only. And in the cases where actual real registered machine guns are use, they are not "bought" by the studios, they are rented.

Stembridge Rentals (IIRC) has been the major supplier of full auto guns to Hollywood for decades, and I believe there are others as well. The guns a legally the property of the rental company, and are registered to them. The are rented to the movie producers, filmed, and returned to the rental company storage after the filming.

There have also been stories of movie companies having their own machine shops make "guns" (likely blank firing only) for films and destroying them afterward.

Since the movie people don't buy real guns (only rent them) the laws about ownership and purchase of full auto firearms generally don't apply.