Collecting Machine Guns for Pleasure and Hobby

The Hobby of Collecting Machine Guns

People have been collecting guns all over the world for decades. It is akin to people collecting swords. But now a new hobby has emerged of collecting machine guns. In most countries in the world, owning a machine gun is illegal, but in the United States 34 states of the union, it is legal for citizens to own and shoot with machine guns

Machine guns are automatic fire arms that fire rounds in succession at the rate of several hundred rounds per minute. Machine guns are different from automatic rifles and one of the main differences is that machine guns are belt fed and are generally heavier that automatic rifles. Machine guns are classified into light, medium or heavy machine guns. A light machine gun can be carried, but generally most machine guns are effective when fired from a tripod stand. In US law a machine gun is “Any weapon which shoots ... automatically more than one shot, without manual  reloading, by a single function of the trigger”^1\
History
 The machine gun has had a checkered history and was invented in the mid nineteenth century by Dr. Richard Jordon Gatling, whose weapon came to be known as the Gatling gun. He patented his invention in 1861. The Gatling gun was the first rapid firing gun and can be rightly called the ancestor of the modern machine gun. Dr Gatling  said  “ it occurred to me that if I could invent a machine-a gun- which could by its rapidity of fire, enable , one man to do as much battle duty as a hundred, that it would to a large extent supersede the necessity of large armies and consequently , exposure to battle and disease would be greatly decreased.”²

 a)    A bipod for Light machine guns. This was followed in 1885 by the Maxim gun which was the first machine gun that was self powered, in that it used the recoil energy of the previous bullet to load and fire the next bullet. The modern machine gun is a development of the Maxim gun.
Machine Guns Types and Description
All machine guns for firing use a  basic mounting which is  as follows
b) A tripod for a machine gun that obviated the man as a third leg.
c) A pintle point is used for connecting a machine gun to the frame of a ship or aircraft. A pintle point is basically a steel post that connects to the frame.
d) The last types of machine guns are those that do not use a human interface and are electrically fired like in a helicopter.
Collecting Guns
 People have been collecting guns all over the world for decades. It is akin to people collecting swords. But now a new hobby has emerged of collecting machine guns. In most countries in the world, owning a machine gun is illegal, but in the United States 34 states of the union, it is legal for citizens to own and shoot with machine guns. In case you wish to start a hobby as a machine gun collector than please insure that the state you reside allows you to own a machine gun as many states like Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, New York, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Washington State and the district of Columbia, have a total ban on privately owned machine guns.
Laws
 However despite the above a quarter of a million Americans own machine guns. The National Firearms Act 1934 is the nodal act that governs collection of Machine Guns for any purpose or as a hobby. Before 1934, there was no bar on owning machine guns, but the NFA passed in 1934 made it mandatory to register the weapon with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire arms (BATF)^3.. Machine guns by and large have never been used in a crime as the procedure for owning a machine gun is very stringent. It must be noted that machine guns cannot be purchased across the counter and a lengthy period from 60to180 days elapse before you can own a machine gun.
 The procedure for getting a license is as follows
 a)    Live in a state where class III weapons are legal
b)    Be a US Citizen
c)    At least 21 years old
d)     Not convicted of a felony or domestic violence
e)    Never been dishonorably discharged from the army
f)     Never been adjudicated mentally defective.
In addition you will need an approval from the local law enforcement officer, this could typically be a county sheriff, chief of police, prosecutor or judge. You will also be finger printed and pay $ 200 for each machine gun being transferred to you.
In case the local police do not sign your approval certificate then you will be at the end of the road
Another point that is important and cannot be overlooked is that for civilian possession, all machine guns must have been manufactured and registered with ATF prior to May 19, 1968 for transfer between citizens. Post 1968 machine guns can only be sold to the government, law enforcement agencies and military entities by a class II manufacturer, who has paid for Special Occupational Tax stamp (SOT). Machine guns’ collecting as a hobby has many facets, but most focus on the historic, technical or artistic merits of the machine guns which make them appealing to collectors Though there are restrictions in owning machine guns the thrill for a weapon connoisseur cannot be easily understood. It is a newer hobby in the United States. Unfortunately it is not permitted in tens of countries around the world like India and Europe. Chinese citizens cannot purchase any types of weapons. While buying a machine gun the following may be considered
 Last Word
 Though Machine guns manufactured after 1986 are out of bounds, yet there are thousands of machine guns that are available for you to buy. Collecting machine guns is an enjoyable hobby for a man who has handled such weapons.