So I was watching a show on drugs (primarily marijuana) on the history channel and they went over how the first federal ban on Marijuana was in the form of a tax stamp in 1937.  They said that Harry Anslinger, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics who was pushing the ban got his idea from the NFA of 1934, and that in the case of the NFA they made little or no tax stamps available available for registering MGs.  My BS flag immediately went up seeing as how so many people registered MGs up to the FOPA of 1986.  So are they just outright lying, or did the federal government at first not issue any tax stamps for MGs.  

I also have to mention a line from the show that went something like "now Anslinger had to convince congress that a weed was as dangerous as a machine gun".  

seeing as how $200 was a big amount of money in the 30s and 40s and guess it is possible

Quoted: seeing as how $200 was a big amount of money in the 30s and 40s and guess it is possible

correct


the $200 tax was prohibitive at the time.


it is trivial now.

AFAIK, and I may be completely wrong, the issue went to the supreme court and they where eventually told to issue the stamps.  Edit: or is that how it was w/ the marijuana stamps?

It used to take 6 - 12 months (and beyond) to approve a single stamp.  That had to blow when you needed 2 stamps to transfer 1 gun due to it being out of state.

Now its down to 30+ days

Quoted: Quoted: seeing as how $200 was a big amount of money in the 30s and 40s and guess it is possible correct the $200 tax was prohibitive at the time. it is trivial now.

I remember reading an article that indicated that none were registered in the first year, and only an handfull in the next few.

Quoted: I remember reading an article that indicated that none were registered in the first year, and only an handfull in the next few.

Before '68 you could transport & possess a non-functioning MG, IIRC.  From what I've heard, you'd just store the bolt of your BAR seperately from the reciever and the taxman couldnt do anything about it. If they caught you actively shooting it you would be offered the oppertunity to buy the stamp on the spot or surrender the weapon.

Kharn