The "license" is actually a federal registration and tax.
News Shooter, I don't know the law in Massachusetts - - Whether or not there is a STATE law prohibiting full auto ownership. If so, the feds will not approve your Form 4, the application for the necessary $200 tax stamp.
Under current federal law, you cannot legally own a machine gun which has not already been registered. A licensed DEALER will have all the forms and can give you the details of the application process. If you happen to luck into finding a private owner who wants to sell his machine gun, it is legal to do a private transfer
within your home state.
If you want to see how the Form 4 appears, go to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) FORMS page at - -
http://www.atf.treas.gov/forms/5000.htm#firearms
and scroll down to - -
ATF F 5320.4 (Form 4)
Application for Tax Paid Transfer and Registration of a Firearm
For more information, go back to FORMS page, look in the left-hand column, and click on HOME.
Hope this answers some of your questions.
Best,
Johnny