Silencers

[MAJ MALFUNCTION]

Cans were added to NFA during the great depression, when the powers that be feared that people would use them for poaching (out of desperation for food). Or at least that the reason the ATF states...

 

[Gideon]

GCA 35 had nothing to do with the bonus army. Or is there some wierd connection I am missing? Is this like when Walter is tossing Donny's ashes out to sea and starts talking about Nam?

"Jesus, Walter. Not everything revolves around Nam."

The two instances weren't related literally or cited as such, however, we have to draw that line, because the Bonus Army is the only event involving people who would be effected by the NFA to occur near the time of its creation.

If the NFA was made to stop organized crime, it would have been a ban, or a much higher tax on those weapons it regulated. When the Thompson SMG was $10, and they added a $200 tax that could easily be afforded still by rich crime syndicates. How convenient that they should make a law about crime that doesn't stop any crime JUST AFTER 5 divisions worth of trained and disgruntled (and easily armed with $10 automatic weapons) soldiers had been bivouacked in Washington for a while.

The point being, that gun laws in the U.S. have never been about stopping criminals. So when you pull out that old argument, "Criminals are gonna get guns anyways, so guns laws make no sense." Just remember that the people on the other end are thinking, "We know, we aren't worried about criminals, you scare us way more because you may actually be justified in using these weapons".

 

[Fyrtwuck]

A gangster could still afford a $200 tax stamp...the thousands of veterans of World War I who marched on Washington in 1933 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army) could not.

They didn't make the law in the 20's when organized crime was in its prime, banking on bootlegging and speakeasy money, they waited until poor and forgotten veterans had a legitimate need and grievance.

The gangsters may have been able to afford it, but most were convicted felons and couldn't pass the background check.

 

[patrickcudd]

The gangsters were rich and voilent because of prohibition of alcohol.
Lawmakers answer.......ban some guns...

The gangs have money and are violent these days due to the drug trade....
Big city .gov answer....ban handguns....

Yup it works!!!!

 

[jeffsoward]

The gangsters may have been able to afford it, but most were convicted felons and couldn't pass the background check.

But I think his point may have been that they also didn't really care about the "Don't buy for the other guy" policy. They pay some dude $20 to do it and then move on. trafficking hasn't changed since then.

 

[Wall]

I don't imagine gangsters were filling out 4473's & form 4's back then just as they don't now.