Please.[collected from three threads] it would be easier for all of us to just give Barry all of our weapons and call it a day (...) I don't want to live in a police state (...) that doesn't mean I want to live under a military dictatorship (...) whether you're a wolf, or a sheep
I've been an RO, and when someone brought an NFA weapon to the range, I asked to see the tax stamp. 99% of folks had it. Most offered it up front. I never even really checked the slip closely. If they had the stamp, they'd jumped the hurdles. Neat gun, must've cost a pretty penny...enjoy shooting it.
The other 1% are the ones to worry about. These guys would usually get very irate and argumentative about government conspiracies or somesuch. They were booted immediately. Maybe a few were just being obstinate or self-righteous, but we didn't take the risk.
(As those old "pre-82" auto sears have dried up, I've noticed a lot less of that in recent years)
If someone's walking around with an unregistered NFA weapon, what else do I need to worry about with them?
Call me a fascist or a turncoat to the 2nd Amendment, but NFA laws are nothing to play around with, and the last thing I'd have wanted is an LEO tearing me a new one for allowing an unregistered NFA weapon on the range. By allowing it, I could potentially get snared into some sort of liability.
You raised an interesting point about tax forms and privacy. It's well worth following up, and would make an interesting thread in its own right.
As it stands now, it's simply much easier to carry a copy of the stamp and live with the minor inconvenience. Is it right? No, but it beats the monumental amount of hassle that could be the alternative.
Trust me, if I were President (Vote Servo 2012!), I'd sign an executive order suspending enforcement of the NFA. Until then, we have to deal the hand we're dealt.