I am writing a research paper for a college class on the 1934 NFA.  I need to find some sort of advertisement or price list of machine guns prior to the enactment of the NFA.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

Are you talking about the machinegun ban of 1986 or the actual NFA '34? If you are referring to the NFA of 1934 then there was no difference between the pre and post machinegun prices. The only difference was the addition of a $200 tax. Up until 1986 most machineguns were about the same in price as their semiauto counterparts, like M16's and AR15's for example. Others had risen in price since they could no longer be imported since the 1968 amnesty, such as original H&K MP5's, which is why you see so many sear guns and converted semiauto receivers out there and no original factory weapons.

I've got several old Soldier of Fortune magazines stashed somewhere that had a few prices for machineguns. I was looking at them about a year ago wishing I could only go back in time.

Interesting thing about the $200 tax.  Congress set the tax equal to the value of a Thompson SMG at the time (about $194 if I recall correctly) in order to keep the weapons out of the hands of criminals--effectively doubling the cost of the firearm when you add in the tax.  Funny thing, then the only people who could afford the guns were the criminals.

AFARR  

I think I remember an ad for a hardware catalog that had Thompson smg's for.... was it for like $85? Damn just don't recall.....
Can't remember where I saw it. Maybe look for firearm historical sites. NRA has a huge museum.....dunno

OH, welcome to AR-15.com....

Thanks everybody for the welcome!

I have actually been reading AR15.com for quite a few months now but have never posted anything.

Specifically I need some sort of advertisement or price list for machine guns from the 1930's to back up a my argument that a $200 tax is way too much to pay.  In Unintended Consequences in Bowman's paper John Ross also mentions that a Thompson Gun could be purchased from Sears Co.  If any information is available on this I would like to find it.

My paper deals with the NFA and the GCA.  I wanted to do something on gun control but my teacher didn't want me to get into something too "emotional" so I decided that something historical would be good.  

If anybody has any of the info I am looking for or some other interesting facts dealing with the NFA or GCA I would love to hear them.

Well, there is the fact that only one registerd machine gun has ever been involved in a criminal act. I believe that one was owned by a police officer. I can't say what the source of this statistic is. May be urban legend.

Good to see you're finally posting here.  Just avoid the occasional flamewar and enjoy the collective encyclopedia of knowledge that the members here hold.

Helidriver is a good friend of mine and we go to the same college.  He is an agreeable fellow, and a gunowner as well so no nomex underwear needed here. [:D]

I was starting to wonder if I was the only College gun nut in Idaho.
[BEER]

I have a copy of "Thompson Submachine Guns", essentially a reprint of owner/operator manuals, published by Desert Publications. In the last chapter is a compilation of reproduced price lists with illustrations.

Select Fire Weapons

Model 21A - Standard grade w/one 20rd mag...$175.00
Model 21AC - Standard grade w/one 20rd mag and Cutts compensator...$200.00
Model 28A - Standard grade w/one 20rd mag...$200.00
Model 28AC - Standard grade w/one 20rd mag and Cutts compensator...$225.00
Model 28AC - U.S. Navy model w/horizontal foregrip and sling, one 20rd mag and Cutts compensator...$225.00

Semi-Automatic Weapons

Model 27A - Standard grade w/one 20rd mag...$175.00
Model 27AC - Standard grade w/one 20rd mag and Cutts compensator...$200.00

Hope this helps.