dream
Let me start by saying I love automatic weapons. I was trained on their use and repair by the military, so I know a little bit about the machinery.
However, there are just not enough people and money to effect the repeal of the NFA. The fact is that the people who like and want machineguns are a very small minority of the shooting community. They were in '34, and the numbers are even smaller today.
People have been trained since the '20s that machine guns are used by criminals. News reports, and all manner of popular fiction repeat this point endlessly. NOBODY except a small number of enthusiasts associates machineguns with anything other than crime or war. Reality doesn't matter. The majority of people are incapable or unwilling to accept it. They "know what they know", and what they know is what they see in the movies and on TV. Until we can change that I see little hope.
If we had some billionaire to finance the effort (like the anti-gun Sorros), we MIGHT have a chance. Eventually. Today, sadly it is nothing more than a dream.
About the tax, the ONLY good thing is that the NFA tax has never been adjusted for inflation. The tax was $200 in 1934. A lot of money then. Not nearly so much today. Would you be so ok with the tax if it was $10,000?
As far as those who blame the NRA for "supporting" the NFA in 34, please remember that in those days the NRA was not the political entity that it is today. Basically the NFA went into effect before any serious opposition could be mounted. People in those days didn't realize what was going on, nor what the consequences would be. After all, it was just another "tax" law.
As far as the '86 freeze, yes, one can say the NRA let us down. In fairness, they went for what was seen as the greatest good for the greatest number. More people would be helped by the Firearms Owner Protection Act, than suffer from the machinegun registration freeze. Sad for the full auto crowd, but it is a done deal, for 20 years now.
Could we get the '86 freeze lifted? Possibly. If it was approached the right way. I think the right way would be the way they did it to us. Quietly. Sneakily. Add it on to something that MUST be passed, at the LAST MINUTE, with a voice only vote. And don't tell the press. After all, it is only an administrative rule change, right?
And, yes, the NFA (and all its additions) is unconstitutional. In our opinion. Until, however, the Supreme Courts states that, it is the law of the land. And considering the Supreme Court today, I don't want them to make a ruling on ANY 2nd Amendment issue, because I believe we will lose more than we can gain. Just look at the recent ruling on emminent domain. Unless/until we get a court where we can be confidant of a ruling in our favor, I don't think it is worth the risk.
I realize this is the "better the devil we know..." view, but while the legal requirements/restrictions are onerous (and insulting to free citizens), they are better than a complete prohibition.
I do not mean to imply that we should stop trying to change things for the better, just that to expect complete sucess in today's political climate is overly optimistic.