What if you found a Thompson submachine gun?

Here ya go..... ogle ALL YOU WANT!

http://www.sturmgewehr.com/webBBS/nfa4sale.cgi

To own one of these, you contact the owner, pay the man, get fingerprinted and mugshot and get your nice local police official to sign a letter that he will "allow" you to own the weapon (good luck with this one), submit an application to BATF along with $200 for the tax stamp, and commence to waiting.....and waiting......and waiting......for the approval of the transfer. Then go to the dealer and collect your gun and start to HAVE FUN!!!!!

Oh by the way, leave your credit card with the nice man at the gun store who sells ammo. Saves you time taking it out of your wallet so often.
 
This is serendipity,,,

Just today in a different forum (www.okshooters.com) I saw an ad for a Thompson with extra 30 round magazines,,,
$12,000.00

Click here please,,,
Thompson_002.jpg


I don't think I have stumbled on an ad for a SMG before.

.
 
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They're out there. That's a West Hurley gun, made in the 70's and 80's by an outfit that had assumed the Auto Ordnance name, but was not a successor company. $12k is about right for these, and they're nice shooters.

A "real deal" M1 or M1A1 will run around $15k - $20k, and an original 1928A1 (like the one shown) more than that.
 
Just a thought...

Wouldn't you love to hear the local news interview the latest lottery winner and have him/her tell the reporter that the first thing on their purchase list would be a Thompson? The look on the reporter's face would be priceless.

I wonder how many of them are owned (legally or no) by wealthy individuals who have always had the urge...
 
Found

Just joined, Hi everyone.
Saw this old thread; Well I did find a lot of Thompsons that had been stored under mysterious circumstances since 1945.
Hope you enjoy the pics as much as I enjoyed the adventure.
 

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IF you FIND a machinegun, you may inquire of the NFA Branch of the BATF to determine IF the deceased "Family member" every registered it and just "LOST" the paperwork.

IF it is in the registry, they will tell you and explain the TAX FREE transfer for the Estate to a relative.

IF it was never registered, be prepared to surrender it. That simple !
You may be able to surrender it to a local PD or Sheriff's Office ...who would appreciate the gift ! They can register it to the AGENCY and keep it for law enforcement purposes. It becomes a non-transferrable LEO dead machinegun.
 
will the amnesty happen again or is that unlikely?

also, I am one that wouldn't impulsively make a phonecall and turn it in. I would take my time with the decision. All I am saying is I wouldn't rush or do anything rash, but I have never been one to procrastinate either. Many museums will pay hefty dollars for things such as fossils or skeletons, but I guess this is different since its illegal.

thanx for the pictures schatz. I know that somewhere somehow there are these relics still in existence. I wouldn't be surprised if some pro gun bigwigs had one. just sayin...
 
It just so happens, that this very thing happened to a friend of mine. I won't mention any names, or even the type of weapon.
Being that I was a police officer, the person came to me for help. The gun was picked up by ATF, and the investigator contacted the NFA branch and research was performed on the gun. Once the gun information was obtained and ATF found no malice or ill intent, they allowed the person and helped him go through the NFA paperwork and allowed him to register the firearm.
Now before you think this might be standard procdure, I would assume that it will vary depending on the investigators discression. It was stated by ATF, that they could have destroyed the firearm, but they found no ill intent, so that was the reason to move forward with the NFA branch
 
It would be neat to find a nice Thompson SMG. Problem is that the price is just to high - several years in federal prison. i would call the BATFE ASAP.
 
I would be very tempted to keep my mouth shut, but my problem is I already own three legal machine guns one of which is a Thompson. If I was caught I would loose all the machine guns plus a few dozen assorted rifles and handguns and spend the rest of my life in jail.

DSC00775.jpg


I hope I never am faced with that decision because I would be very tempted.

People that own these guns keep the stamp locked in a safe and carry a copy when they go to the range. If you are at a range and asked to show your stamp you could get into deep voo doo if a cop asks to see it and you can't produce it.
so owning one of these guns without a stamp means you are taking a risk by shooting it so the gun is something you can look at but not shoot.
 
My understanding is that you only have to show the stamp to a ATF agent due to it the stamp being in the same category as your W-2 and other tax information
 
My understanding is that you only have to show the stamp to a ATF agent due to it the stamp being in the same category as your W-2 and other tax information
Click to expand...

If you are at a range firming full auto and a police officer asks you to show proof the gun is legal it would be a good idea not to argue with him.

the bottom of page two says the form must be shown the any ATF agent, but I bet that if you refuse to show the form to a regular LEO you will be held until an ATF agent can get there
 
Three options:
1: Turn it in, risking troubles for possession of an illegal item.
2: Hide it like your life depended on it and hope for a repeal of the ban.
3: Get a large grinding wheel and turn the whole thing into dust - the surest way to destroy any evidence of it.

#1 is the only legal route.
 
As much as I hate to be a party pooper, and I can easily understand the sentiment behind statements like "I would just shut up and keep it", announcing in a public forum that you would willingly commit a Federal crime, given the opportunity, doesn't seem like a smart idea to me. Yeah, I know, yiou were only kidding, right?

But saying you would keep it, and/or advising the "finder" to keep it is advocating an illegal act. And it's against forum rules to do that, even as a hypothetical.

So, If all you have to post is "I'd keep it" or something similar, adding nothing of value to the discussion , please don't bother. That way the big mean NAZI MODS won't get mad or upset with you. And, yes, I'm one of them.
(please note that the phrase "NAZI MODS" is my sarcastic humor, and I am in no way implying that any of the mods are, or were Nazis, or support any Nazi aims, goals, or philosophy. Its a sarcastic comment on some of the complaints we hear when we remind people of forum rules)

Before you get all bent out of shape about us being censors and stomping on your rights, remember this is a private forum, and we (Mods included) are guests. The rules are the rules, and breaking them gets you punished.

As to "found" machineguns, if they were never registered with the ATF, there is currently no legal way to register them. Posession is a crime, and sadly, even giving one to a museum is still a crime (although a slightly different one). The only legal avenue is to contact, and surrender the gun to the ATF. Period. If the gun has some historical significance, you could try to get the ATF to donate it to a museum, but you cannot, you can only give it to the ATF. You cannot "dewat" it and keep it, either. And before somebody says "take off all the parts and destroy the receiver", that would also be a crime. Sorry.

StrongSide, it would be interesting if you could provide a time frame when your "friend" got help from the ATF and was allowed to register it. As far as I know, it could only have been pre-1986. The registry was closed by the Hughes Amendment to the Firearms Owner Protectection Act in 1986, a Federal Law. Opening the registry (making exceptions to the law) for a nice guy with no criminal intent just doesn't seem like something the ATF would be likely to do these days.
 
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