NFA Weapons During Fed AWB Years

[TheCAPCadet]

Not sure if this would have been better placed here, or the NFA category, but oh well.

I'm curious as to what happened to NFA weapons during the Clinton AWB from 1994 to 2004. Did the AWB have any affect on NFA weapons at all? Or were you still able to go through the process to attain and register NFA weapons?

[Webleymkv]

As I understand it, the '94 AWB had little or no effect on NFA weapons. The '94 AWB focused primarily on high-capacity magazines and cosmetic features such as flash hiders, folding stocks, and pistol grips while the NFA regulates machineguns, suppressors, short-barrel rifles and shotguns, "destructive devices".

The majority of NFA weapons which would've had features banned by the AWB were machineguns. However, the AWB grandfathered in pre-existing weapons and the NFA machinegun registry was closed by the Hughes Amendment in 1986, so all legal machineguns (those registered prior to 1986) would be grandfathered in anyway.

This is actually a common misunderstanding due in no small part to the media. Quite often, when the term "assault weapon" is in the news, video clips of fully automatic weapons are shown thus falsely giving the viewer that "assault weapons" are machineguns. Likewise, the term "assault weapon" was coined because it sounds so similar to the term "assault rifle" which actually refers to a very specific thing (an intermediate caliber rifle with select-fire capability). In reality, the guns labeled by politicians as "assault weapons" are in fact nothing more than semi-automatic firearms which bear a visual resemblance to fully-automatic machineguns.

[testuser]

The AWB had no impact on the NFA proccess or the transfer of NFA weapons. The NFA registery was closed, of course, in 1986, so no new weapons have been added since then.

Magazines were limited to 10 rounds, but, most NFA weapons use cheap mags made prior to this time. I know I bought plenty of 30 round AK mags in the 90s.

[Tom Servo]

Likewise, the term "assault weapon" was coined because it sounds so similar to the term "assault rifle" which actually refers to a very specific thing

Precisely right. Consider this tidbit, directly from the Violence Policy Center's broadside on "assault weapons:"

The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons (anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun) can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.

[TheCAPCadet]

Roger that. I'm well familiar with "assault weapons" (resident of California, owner of a few), sadly.

Thanks for the info!

EDIT:

I thought the Hughes Amendment stopped the new registration of full-auto weapons... not NFA weapons as a whole (SBRs, SBSs, etc.)?

[Technosavant]

Keep in mind the 1994 AWB only prohibited NEW ones of the banned configuration. Everything before was grandfathered. So anything already existing was just peachy.

[Webleymkv]

I thought the Hughes Amendment stopped the new registration of full-auto weapons... not NFA weapons as a whole (SBRs, SBSs, etc.)?

It did. Newly-made suppressors, Short Barrel Rifles/Shotguns, and AOW's are perfectly legal so long as one goes through the proper legal channels and processes to obtain them.

[Bill DeShivs]

The NFA registry was not closed in 1986.
The machinegun registry was closed.

[TheCAPCadet]

Thanks, all. That's what I thought. TestUser's post threw me off for a second --

[Stressfire]

what happened to NFA weapons during the Clinton AWB from 1994 to 2004

The value increased