NFA question (got sort of long, sorry)

Joe Portale

New member
I am asking this for a friend of mine. He wants to pick up a M16A3 for a few reasons that make sense to me. He owns and lives on a small ranch about seventy miles from Tucson. He has been what can almost be seen as under seige from UDAs (undocumented aliens in the politically correct language, ILLEGAL ALIENS AND DRUG RUNNERS in plain speak)

On any given week, he says that at least two to three hundred people cross his land. The Border Patrol responds to his calls, but usually too late. He has lost sections of fence, found live stock butchered, some times killed without any meat taken (he understands hungry people and can alomst forgive them, but not the joy killing of his cows), his barn broken into, and other such things.

The final straw came a few months ago. He was away on business and his wife was home alone. When she heard a noise from the front of the house. She saw four or five HEAVILY armed men standing on the porch. She is no fool. She slipped out of the house and hid in the barn until they simply left. She is a retired Army nurse who spent two tours in a front line medical unit in 'Nam, so when she told me that these guys were shouldering AK's I believe her. My buddy has the usual array of firearms found on a ranch, hunting rifles, shotguns and handguns. I talked him into getting a AR-15. But if he needed to go heads up against full auto's he would be in tough shape.

Anyway, back to the original question. The top LEO is the county sheriff. He will not sign any document, for anyone to get the tax stamp to buy a NFA firearm. I suggested a lawyer to force the issue a bit. Does anyone know what the possible avenues of appeal are? Can anyone explain to me the hoops that need to be jumped through if he can't get the letter? This is a good, honest hard working man who is scared for his family and has a right to be.




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Joe Portale
Tucson, Arizona Territory

Vote at the polls, now. Or, we will be voting from the roof tops, later.

"Criminals prefer unarmed victims.
Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.
I am neither".
 
There are a number of people who can sign the CLEO part, and the BATF will tell you a variety of names for that if you ask.

That said, in some areas all the authorized persons will flatly refuse to sign, leaving you SOL. Some people have gotten forms thru with a comprehensive stack of CLEO rejections, but most don't.

Go visit www.1934.org - they've filed a lawsuit demanding removal of the CLEO requirement.

And remember: a single well-placed shot can/will out-perform full-auto. Just because they have full auto doesn't mean you have to waste ammo as fast as they do.

Moving is probably safer and cheaper.
 
If all else fails, I would buy 15 pitbulls and forget to feed them.
 
Full-auto fire is not the overpowering tactic Hollywood makes it out to be. By and large, full-auto is a waste of ammo. Those who rely on it are often poorly trained and can't hit most of their targets anyway.

Disciplined semi-auto fire from a trained person who has taken cover will win in the end. Learning to take and use cover is critical; this tactic alone will negate most of the UDA's full auto fire. If you get caught out in the open, 1 or 2 torso hits on you will ruin your day just as fast as a full-auto spray.

I would counsel your friend to take the enormous amount of time and money he will have to expend on getting the NFA signoff (and buying a transferrable M16) and apply them to quality training w/ the AR15 he already owns.

Tell him to get his wife the same kind of AR and the same training. A duo like that (esp. when the woman has combat experience) should do well against the banditos.

[This message has been edited by Glock-A-Roo (edited October 23, 2000).]
 
I'd buy a lot of "normal" guns. Leave 'em loaded, and stash 'em where you can get to 'em at a moment's notice... One can even build false walls in barns, etc., to stash stuff. HABITUALLY carry a handgun, and, following Mr. Cooper's advice, use it to get to a real firearm. The $3,000+ it could cost to get an NFA M-16 variant could buy a whole buncha semi-auto AK variants. Don't leave stuff sitting out where it can help the bad guys either - fake wall "gunsafes" (drywall goop over styrofoam) are easy to make, and easy to open. Get some thicker doors, with New York City-style locks.

I'd go, minimally (hey, I live near the center of a major city), with a coupla 12 gauge pumps handy, a 12 gauge double (external hammers) near the front and rear door, and a few scattered rifles. A "safe room" with a cell phone (if in service area) or CB radio base (hey, a linear wouldn't hurt...) would be a plus.

As far as the CLEO not signing - Tell him the next time you drop the form off that if he refuses and anyone on the farm is harmed, that you're going to bring civil suit against both him and the department. At the same time, volunteer both yourself and a section of your property for use in training his people. Do a good-guy/bad-guy on him for once...

Then, if he still doesn't agree, every time evidence of the illegal aliens is seen (or suspected), call his office and request documentation.

Now, I'd buy the MG, but then I've wanted one for a while now. But I'd still recommend that you stock up on several el-cheapo rifles. If you're in the barn, it'd be better to have to root under the feed sacks for a cached rifle than to run toward an occupied house...
 
When I had a full auto, a very good attorney advised me never to use it in a self-defense scenario, because it would play very poorly to a jury. If sheer projectile count is an issue, I would think a 12 guage would be sufficient. Or maybe 12 guages all over the house.

Having said that, if your friend is intent on
an M16, the city or district attorney can sign, as can the police chief. We in Milwaukee went through this bull a few years back. The cost to sue the sherrif into doing his lawful duty is about $30,000. And, the next time around, the applicant will have to go through the same process. I don't know anyone who's tried Dennis Olson's method. It makes sense, I just don't know any.

What an awful situation to be in.

Dick
Want to send a message to Bush? Sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/monk/petition.html and forward the link to every gun owner you know.
 
Thanks for the advice folks. I have passed your messages on to my friend. I also came up with this jewel posted by Dennis. Since he is a small business, (ranching and drilling) it seems that he should form a corporation. It doesn't take much to do that here in AZ. Then he can have the M16 bought and owned by the corporation. No CLEO letter, no finger prints, just the form 4. I also checked the ATF page and saw that a coproration can purchase NFA weapons for security purposes.



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Joe Portale
Tucson, Arizona Territory

Vote at the polls, now. Or, we will be voting from the roof tops, later.

"Criminals prefer unarmed victims.
Politicians prefer unarmed peasants.
I am neither".
 
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