Clarification on Machine Guns in the U.S.

Claim: An article from May 16, 2025, by NBC News states, “Machine guns have been illegal in the United States since 1986.”

Verdict: This is inaccurate. Machine guns can be legally bought and sold in certain states.

The reference to “1986” pertains to the year when the Firearms Owner Protection Act, or FOPA, became law. One of the law’s major provisions prohibited the sale of machine guns made after May 19, 1986. However, it did not outlaw the sale of machine guns that were manufactured before that date.

According to the ATF, legal machine guns must have been “legally owned prior to the effective date of the prohibition on May 19, 1986.”

Machine guns are regulated under the National Firearms Act of 1934, which means that the process for purchasing them is quite complex and expensive. Yet, machine guns produced between 1986 and May 19, 1986, are available for purchase across the country today.

In summary, NBC News’ assertion that “machine guns have been illegal in the United States since 1986” is indeed false.