Why isn't Class 3 more popular?

[EagleKeeper]

Is it the wait? The $200? Or is it that people just don't know its legal (example from this weekend, showed some friends my Alpine and one guy said "Wow, that isn't even legal is it?"). Even popular gun sites like SlickGuns.com don't have a Class 3 or silencer/SMG/full auto section. What gives?

[Davo5o]

FUDDS!

[Fireman1291]

Impatient people. Most of my buddies reply with "F--k that" when I tell them the current wait. To which i reply "suit yourself, I'll have a silencer in 6 months and you won't because your impatient" "Sucks to be you"

[docwalker]

I told some of my friends to buy when I did and they balked. I am almost at 6 months on the first and 5 on the second. When I finally get to take them home I am sure there will be a mad rush from some friends to buy. They will get to enjoy the wait and longer.

[Prince Yamato]

Most people incorrectly believe that "it's a hassle". It's not. It's actually pretty easy. There's still a huge amount of misinformation out there concerning ownership.

[markm]

Because Class 2 is all you need!

[rogerme]

I think your referring to NFA items. The reason's they are not more of them out there is vary from cost to paperwork.

[jta]

Most people incorrectly believe that "it's a hassle". It's not. It's actually pretty easy. There's still a huge amount of misinformation out there concerning ownership.

This is what I think also. We live in a gotta have it now world and this is not the game for that.

[hunter2]

You got that right. I almost feel the same way. Three months and waiting this friday to go to the dealer and 11 more for it to come home. Last one was one month to dealer and just over 10 till it was mine. No wonder people say forget it....

[OJB4]

I was misinformed and thought silencers were illegal until February of this year and that only certain dealers could have full auto guns. I'm 33 years old and have been shooting/hunting since I was 13.....20 years of misinformation. It's my fault for not looking into the matter myself however. When I ran across a website that said "Silencers are legal" I dug into it more and found out that they are legal in my state. Now that I know it's legal it's gotten a lot more popular as far as I'm concerned......I just need to wait to be able to send some forms out now.

Combine misinformation, long waits, a $200 tax stamp, etc and that is why they aren't more popular. More for me though!

[morris]

I think the wait kills it for most and then the lack of knowledge after that

[jlwilliams]

Because everybody 'knows' that if you have 'class 3' guns the ATF can come into your house at any time of the day or night to inspect them. And all sorts of other BS that people think they know.

A lawyer actually told me that they can do that if you have a MG. He really believed it and said it with the conviction of a lawyer who knows he's right.

[Ronzo]

Here in Las Vegas class three IS popular. There are a bunch of machine gun experience businesses both stand alone and as a division of some gun stores.
We have a SMG match every month except June,Julyand August because of the extreme heat.
My first SBR form 1 gun was registered in 2007 and then I found this wonderful forum and now own several suppressors and a few SBR's. When I go to the range I almost always let an interested person shoot whatever I bring. A few of my freinds have bought suppressors but so far no SBR's for my buddies. The only reason I don't have a machine gun is because I am almost done with my MP5K reverse stretch clone.
All my Form 1's are hand written and my lawyer proofreadmy trustand said it was GTG in the state of Nevada. ATF wait times are just proof that good things come to those who wait. YMMV, Ronnie.

[crazy-mp]

Here in Missouri until last August the average person had to get a C&R license for the last 4-5 years. So that made most people walk away, now that the C&R license restriction is gone people are coming up with all sorts of colorful excuses,

My top 10 list:
10. "The List"
9. Having a gun threaded voids the factory warranty
8. It cost how much
7. You mean I cant take it home today
6. I will wait for them to DE-regulate them
5. They don't work
4. Sheriff does not like me
3. I am waiting for my paperwork to come back to get a silencer (apparently they have a way to get stamp before they buy suppressor)
2. Loose accuracy
1. Favorite *I am not a hit-man*

[ronin111]

Here in Missouri until last August the average person had to get a C&R license for the last 4-5 years. So that made most people walk away, now that the C&R license restriction is gone people are coming up with all sorts of colorful excuses,

My top 10 list:
10. "The List"
9. Having a gun threaded voids the factory warranty
8. It cost how much
7. You mean I cant take it home today
6. I will wait for them to DE-regulate them
5. They don't work
4. Sheriff does not like me
3. I am waiting for my paperwork to come back to get a silencer (apparently they have a way to get stamp before they buy suppressor)
2. Loose accuracy
1. Favorite *I am not a hit-man*

It always amazed me that most people wouldn't bother when we needed a FFL in Missouri. They acted like it was such a big deal to get a C&R. I think it's that fact they had to wait and the C&R was just another wait.

[Bendersquint]

Here in Missouri until last August the average person had to get a C&R license for the last 4-5 years. So that made most people walk away, now that the C&R license restriction is gone people are coming up with all sorts of colorful excuses,

My top 10 list:
10. "The List"
9. Having a gun threaded voids the factory warranty
8. It cost how much
7. You mean I cant take it home today
6. I will wait for them to DE-regulate them
5. They don't work
4. Sheriff does not like me
3. I am waiting for my paperwork to come back to get a silencer (apparently they have a way to get stamp before they buy suppressor)
2. Loose accuracy
1. Favorite *I am not a hit-man*

It always amazed me that most people wouldn't bother when we needed a FFL in Missouri. They acted like it was such a big deal to get a C&R. I think it's that fact they had to wait and the C&R was just another wait.

Most people also think that having a C&R will allow the ATF to come into their home at will and inspect their personal guns.

[crazy-mp]

Before getting my 01 I had a 03 (C&R) for almost 8 years ATF never asked for a inspection, and the only trouble I had with it was a few dealers that didn't know what a C&R was or could be used for.

[doubloon]

...
Most people also think that having a C&R will allow the ATF to come into their home at will and inspect their personal guns.

And pull up your floorboards to look for signs of illegal gun powder.

[nickeldicker]

You got that right. I almost feel the same way. Three months and waiting this friday to go to the dealer and 11 more for it to come home. Last one was one month to dealer and just over 10 till it was mine. No wonder people say forget it....

LOL...ive got 3 pending.....2 are fairly new and just no what ever but i have one pending that sarted as a from 3 to my dealer and then form 4 ...im a 10 months now......im hoping for the full year!!!!!lol

[yellowfin]

The wait, the $200 tax, the horrid inflation of the prices due to the regulation, comparatively low % of gun stores that are Class 3 dealers, and the pre-Internet decades of obscurity I'd say account for most of it. A lot of people, myself included until recent years, developed their gun ownership and purchase habits in the absence of knowledge of NFA stuff since the info was, not accidentally, largely blacked out. When everything else is much more readily available it's hard to notice what you don't even know to look for in the first place.

[sillycon]

The biggest hurdle amongst folks I know is cost/lack of means.

Add to that the wait time and having to work through/with government bureaucracy and it kills it dead for most people.

What kept me out of NFA for a *LONG* time was:

1) age
2) lack of means
3) the long wait for the stamp

Keep in mind that most folks in the US aren't "cash flow positive". Think of being barely beyond "paycheck to paycheck" and dropping a months rent or half a mortgage payment on something only to have to be without your money and your "toy" for 8+ months.

I can't think of anything better to keep "most" people away.

Hell, I find it absolutely giggle-worthy that legal ownership of suppressors/NFA is less common than illegal drug use, even though we have more gun owners than drug users in the USA. People prefer the simplicity of committing a misdemeanor over the complexity of navigating regulations.

If that doesn't speak to the laziness of the average American, I don't know what does!

[EagleKeeper]

The wait, the $200 tax, the horrid inflation of the prices due to the regulation, comparatively low % of gun stores that are Class 3 dealers, and the pre-Internet decades of obscurity I'd say account for most of it. A lot of people, myself included until recent years, developed their gun ownership and purchase habits in the absence of knowledge of NFA stuff since the info was, not accidentally, largely blacked out. When everything else is much more readily available it's hard to notice what you don't even know to look for in the first place.

See I thought that as well, because the wait and $200 is the biggest burden to ME. But I'm talking about people that have no clue silencers are even legal, so they don't know about the wait or the $200 tax. Or maybe the wait/tax is why the word doesn't get out more.

[ick]

Anything that requires any sort of EFFORT, even minimal effort, is AVOIDED by the general population.

I have found this truth to be self-evident in all things. People are extremely lazy.

Examples:
I had a guy buy his insurance from GEICO at $700 "because it was over the phone and I didn't need to do much of anything" instead of getting off his rear-end and get auto insurance from a local agent at less than HALF the cost.

My neighbor understands the serious health concerns of fast food but continues to eat at a "handy" McDonalds. Reason? Lazy.

Why do so many vendors offer discounts through rebates? Because the percentage of rebates that are actually "requested" is something like 20%. This is also why companies love to sell "gift certificates and gift cards". It is as close to "money for nothing" that a company can get. The reason? People are sloppy and lazy.

[mg81]

A lot of things fall into Class 3, I only have serious experience with two kinds:

For suppressors:
At my gun club most everyone enjoys shooting my suppressed weapons, but suppressors are not cheap. Figure at least $1K and probably closer to $2K (suppressor + dealer fee + ATF fee + barrel work + high sights, etc). On top of that, the resale market sucks for used suppressors. So no recouping the money you have spent. There are many quality firearms that could be purchased for that price.

Unless you have a private place to shoot they are mostly a bragging point/novelty, because if your at a public range or even a private club you are guaranteed to have some some joker shooting a Ultra Mag at the same covered range you want to be at so you will have to wear ear muffs anyway.

Shooting off the back porch when guest are over is the main reason I bother to have suppressors, we can all talk and shoot. Very enjoyable. Even the gun shy city guests don't mind that much when they don't have to deal with a muzzle blast.

For Machine guns:
It is just really expensive to buy and shoot, but at least they seem to appreciate in value and you can resell them and get your money back out. But it is really getting hard to enjoy shooting the beltfeeds anymore, those pallets of super cheap surplus ammo are just laying around anymore. Figure on the low end $2 a second for shooting, on the high end you are at $6+ a second for trigger time ($120-$360+ per minute of trigger time). That does not even count in the fact that the guns are slowly (or not so slowly) destroying themselves and they need a constant stream of maintenance/parts.

The fun of shooting fridges, tv's and old cars with MG's is starting to run out. Pretty much it is only new shooters who have never shot a MG that are having trigger time with me these days.

Not to mention you need a place to go and shoot. Not many ranges enjoy you tearing the s--t out of their field and backstops with your beltfeed.

So I guess my answer is money is the reason class 3 is not more popular. You need money to buy your toys, feed your toys and to get a nice place to enjoy your toys (unless you are just a bragger type and just want to show off/talk about your "badass" class 3 toys to people but never use them, that will keep your costs down dramatically).

[Glock35]

exactly. Lazy to learn let alone do