auto

[leduan27]

i live in colorado and i would like to know how i can get full auto guns, do i need to get special permit?? where can i buy them???

[shaggy]

I'm in the process of writing up a detailed FAQ on the subject that I'll either post on my own website and link to, or just copy & paste here as it gets asked. Questions related to how to go about obtaining an NFA weapon get asked often enough here that there should be a walkthrough of the process for the uninitiated.

I'll give you a the process in a nutshell...

Since your state (CO) allows NFA weapons, you can get one there. You'll need to contact your CLEO (Chief LAw Enforcement Officer) - the sheriff, chief of police, or district attorney with jurisdiction over the place where you live. Find out if they'll approve you to obtain what you want to buy and sign a BATFE Form 4.

Find the weapon you want through a class 3 dealer in your state or from another individual in your state. A great place to look is www.subguns.com or www.sturmgewehr.com As an individual you can only buy what are commonly known as "transferables" - machineguns which were made and registered with BATFE prior to 5/19/86. Bring a ton of cash - an entry level MG like an M11-9 will run about $3000. A non-Colt M16 will run about $10,000

Once you find the gun you want (and get it sent to a class 3 dealer in your state, or buy directly from another individual in your state), you will complete the BATFE form 4 in duplicate, have the CLEO sign the certification on the back of the F4, attach a passport sized photo to each copy of the form. You'll also need to get fingerprinted on FBI fingerprint cards which have thr proper routing numbers for the Firearms & Explosives division (call BATFE in Washington DC), and one copy of the US Citizenship certification form. Submit all that along with a $200 check for the transfer tax to the BATFE (address is on the form) and wait.

About 3 months later the seller (whether a dealer or individual) will receive one copy of the approved form 4 with a $200 tax stamp affixed. At this point, and only at this point, can you go and take possession of the weapon.

If you later decide to sell the gun, you will have to use the same procedure and pay another transfer tax. Make copies of the approved F4, keep them with the weapon at all times, and keep the original copy in a very safe place.

What you are doing is essentially paying a transfer tax. Once its paid, you pass a background check, and get the approved form, then you can transfer physical possession of the gun. There is no license, but each weapon is tracked owner to owner by BATFE, and you must pay the tax and have the background check before you can take possession.