Thread: NFA question

Hi,
I was wondering... if a MG has to be made before 1986 to be legal, how do prop companies that provide FA prop guns that are (presumably) newer than 1986. Are these type of weapons some how exempt?

Lets say for example a person wanted to start up a business, specially to provide FA weapons, non shooting and shooting, for the movie industry, how would one go about that. I can not imagine that all the FA weapons in movies are part of the pre-1986 builds. Maybe, but.

Also, as it pertains to companies like Red-Jacket. Who build "new" machine guns, and sell them to whoever.

New machine guns can only be sold to LE or military.

Movie companies rent them from NFA dealers also. They don't own them.

Every NFA dealer on the planet dreams of being like Long Mountain Outfitters and supplying movie guns.

O I see (I think) so the NFA dealer can make new machine guns, just can only rent them to the production companies for temporary use in films?
I suppose the term rent means more of a NFA contract to both provide the MG's, and person-ell to provide tech support and what not.

NFA dealers can own any machine gun, buy only with a letter from a law enforcement agency stating that that dealer is responsible for demoing machine guns for agency use, with that letter they can own anything, without it they are limited to pre 86 guns only. That company can then rent them for use by whomever under their supervision only. I would guess that the majority of the guns in movies are props made to fire blanks only, and therefore not subject to NFA restrictions. I sure as **** would not want the live fire of full auto weapons on my set, it would get extremely costly and dangerous.

the movies do have quite the collection of FA and they have thier own armory.
if you watchold movies you can at times see in say an M16 the BFD that goes behind the birdcage
that is wellded in place so it cannot be taken off without destruction of the end of the gun.
my grandfather use to play bit parts in moves and we got the guided tour one day.

So, I would presume that the FA we see in the movies are all blank only devices, so no real need to have NFA certs.

Originally Posted by Garg

So, I would presume that the FA we see in the movies are all blank only devices, so no real need to have NFA certs.

They are real MGs. They just have something under the flash hider to allow the bolt to cycle with blanks.

There are several was to do this.

Some are transferable MGs worth $50,000 or more that are borrowed from private collections.

I believe the GE Mini-gun used in Predator was from a private collection.

Here is a pic of me holding an AK-47.
Guess why you have seen this exact gun before............

Go ahead. Leave me hanging LMAO... Is that your shop in the background??

No, that is at LMO. I was arm-wrestling with them over a 40mm grenade launcher.

There are some scratches in the stock of that AK.........C.Thomas Howell put them there in Red Dawn.

Recognize the funny looking Uzi pistol to my left? You probably have seen that one also.

I am sure whatever guess I could make would be wrong.
Looks like fun though

Thanks for taking the time to explain that to me coctailer.
The reason I asked was I was curious, as there must be a local market for NFA items for productions. There seems to be a lot of movie productions in the area as of late.

Originally Posted by Garg

I am sure whatever guess I could make would be wrong.
Looks like fun though

Thanks for taking the time to explain that to me coctailer.
The reason I asked was I was curious, as there must be a local market for NFA items for productions. There seems to be a lot of movie productions in the area as of late.

Not much of a market really. There are tons of guys in the PDX area that rent MGs to production companies.

If it is a big-budget movie, they will rent from LMO, or they will have their own collection to use. I heard a rumor that California has more transferable MGs than any other state in the Union............... Ironic.

Here is a pistol like the one next to me.
YouTube - Total Recall ( Cool Fight Scene!)

OOOOWW, OOOOOWWW, OOOOOOOWWWWWW, Pick me, Pick me, I know where those guns were used.

Proud of myself
I guessed the uzi was from total recall before you posted the link.
Does this mean I win a cookie? LOL

Thanks for the knowledge, love this board.

Originally Posted by Rammit

NFA dealers can own any machine gun, buy only with a letter from a law enforcement agency stating that that dealer is responsible for demoing machine guns for agency use, with that letter they can own anything, without it they are limited to pre 86 guns only. That company can then rent them for use by whomever under their supervision only. I would guess that the majority of the guns in movies are props made to fire blanks only, and therefore not subject to NFA restrictions. I sure as **** would not want the live fire of full auto weapons on my set, it would get extremely costly and dangerous.

Dealers yes, but manufacturers can make them without a letter as well as purchase them from SOT's going out of business with no letter.

also, aren't Class 3s limited to the particular model detailed in the demo letter? I didn't
think it was carte blanche. thanks for refreshing my memory

Originally Posted by waltermitty

also, aren't Class 3s limited to the particular model detailed in the demo letter? I didn't
think it was carte blanche. thanks for refreshing my memory

Yes.

Type 01 dealers may buy only the MG listed in the demo letter.