I don't know the answer to that one about the fed laws.
But when I lived in Maryland in the late 80s, I was interested in maybe buying a full-auto gun of some sort. I checked into the state laws and had to read the passage that caught my eye a half dozen times. That passage said that although it was legal to have a full automatic firearm in your possession, it was ILLEGAL to have such a firearm in the immediate vicinity of ammunition or fired casings for this firearm.
The next time I went into one of the local gun shows (Valley Gun Shop - for you guys from Maryland), I asked one of the guys there about it. He said that this was accurate and was actually the law in the state, but said it was never enforced. Well, that killed my idea of buying a full auto, simply because I could have been prosecuted any time at all the local authorities wanted to. Certainly I wasn't going to have a full auto and NOT shoot it!
Since moving to Florida, I can't say I have had much interest in full autos. Price is one hindrance, of course. But I think if I could get ANY full auto, it would have to be a Steyr AUG. That gun would have to be a LOT of fun in full auto!
But when I lived in Maryland in the late 80s, I was interested in maybe buying a full-auto gun of some sort. I checked into the state laws and had to read the passage that caught my eye a half dozen times. That passage said that although it was legal to have a full automatic firearm in your possession, it was ILLEGAL to have such a firearm in the immediate vicinity of ammunition or fired casings for this firearm.
The next time I went into one of the local gun shows (Valley Gun Shop - for you guys from Maryland), I asked one of the guys there about it. He said that this was accurate and was actually the law in the state, but said it was never enforced. Well, that killed my idea of buying a full auto, simply because I could have been prosecuted any time at all the local authorities wanted to. Certainly I wasn't going to have a full auto and NOT shoot it!
Since moving to Florida, I can't say I have had much interest in full autos. Price is one hindrance, of course. But I think if I could get ANY full auto, it would have to be a Steyr AUG. That gun would have to be a LOT of fun in full auto!