Machine Guns

A **machine gun** refers to a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained fire with rifle cartridges. However, in informal usage, the term "machine gun" can refer to any fully automatic firearm, from submachine guns, to assault rifles, and general purpose machine guns.

## History

The earliest models of multi-shot firearms were organ guns, which were multi-barreled firearms capable of firing multiple projectiles at once. This stood in contrast to the most common model firearms of the day, which were typically single-barrel weapons.

One of the earliest models of the machine gun (in terms of rate of fire) was the Chambers Flintlock Machine Gun, a 7-barreled weapon that could fire up to 240 rounds in two minutes, leaving it with a rate of fire of 120 RPM. While considerably slower than modern machine guns, this was considerably faster than semi-automatic firearms. Being designed in 1792, it debunks the notion that the Founding Fathers could not foresee automatic firearms. The Chambers Machine Gun saw use in the War of 1812 on naval ships, and nearly 50 models were purchased by the United States Navy.

Another notable model was the Gatling Gun, designed by Richard Jordan Gatling in 1861. This was a hand-cranked firearm, with six barrels revolving around a central shaft. Each barrel fires once per revolution at about the same position. In terms of rate of fire, this weapon could reach around 200-400 RPM.

The first recoil-operated machine gun was the Maxim machine gun, designed by Hiram Stevens Maxim in 1884. Rather than relying on a hand-cranked or flintlock operation, this machine gun was the first model that used the recoil power of the previously fired round to load the next round into the chamber. In simple terms, this was the first machine gun to function in the manner of modern automatic firearms (M-16, AK-47, HK MP5), where the weapon continues to fire rounds in succession as long as the user holds down the trigger.

## Design

Recoil-operated machine guns can be divided into two main categories, open-bolt and closed-bolt.

The most simple designs are open-bolt firearms that use a blowback system, which is typically the case for submachine guns such as the Uzi, Thompson Submachine Gun, M3 Grease Gun, and the Sten Gun. In such firearms, when the trigger is actuated, the bolt travels forward, and feeds and fires cartridge from the magazine/belt into the chamber in the same movement. The energy from the fired shot sends the bolt into the rear, during which the spent cartridge casing is ejected, before a new one is chambered and fired by the bolt. Open-bolt automatic firearms are typically easier to design and manufacture, which explains why the Sten Gun was mass produced in the United Kingdom during the Second World War, and why such firearms are extremely common in the hands of militias and rebel groups worldwide.

Closed-bolt firearms such as the M-16 use two separate motions for feeding and firing cartridges. When the bolt travels forward, a cartridge is fed into the chamber from the magazine/belt. The user must then pull the trigger in order for the firing pin to strike the primer and fire the round. The action is then cycled, or pushed backward, by the energy of the shot, which sends the bolt into the rear. In this process, the spent cartridge casing gets ejected, before the bolt moves forward again and chambers a new round. While such designs are arguably more complex, the primary benefit is that the recoil is considerably reduced.

## Legal Ownership

In most countries, the ownership and acquisition of fully automatic firearms is strictly prohibited for persons outside the military or security forces. However, with certain exemptions, numerous countries continue to allow citizens outside government agencies to possess and acquire such weapons.

Laws restricting the ownership and acquisition of machine guns have proved to be largely unsuccessful, as non-government persons in nations across the world continue building and possessing such firearms.

### United States

Federal law strictly regulates the transfer and ownership of fully automatic firearms with the National Firearms Act of 1934 and the Hughes Amendment to the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986. Under the NFA, those wishing to purchase fully automatic firearms must pass a background check with the BATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) and pay a $200 tax stamp. Under the Hughes Amendment of 1986, all fully automatic firearms manufactured after May 19, 1986 are illegal for most citizens to possess, outside the military, law enforcement, and licensed dealers. Numerous states such as California, New York, and many others outright prohibit the possession of fully automatic firearms by most people except active-duty military, law enforcement, and dealers.

Due to the 1986 prohibition on new machine guns, prices for fully automatic firearms are extremely high, often exceeding $10,000 USD.

### Canada

In 1977, Bill C-51, passed by the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau, passed numerous gun restrictions, including a prohibition on fully automatic firearms. Owners who registered their firearms on or before January 1, 1978 were allowed to continue owning and acquiring such firearms. Some gun owners converted their firearms to semi-automatic only capability to avoid the prohibition, but in 1991, converted automatics were also classified as prohibited. As the number of licensed owners of fully automatic firearms is diminishing overtime, this keeps the prices of automatic firearms extremely low as only grandfathered owners can acquire and possess such firearms.

### Switzerland

All fully automatic firearms as classified as Forbidden Weapons in Switzerland. In order to acquire a forbidden weapon, a citizen must submit a purchase permit to the police, and forbidden weapon purchase permits are granted on a may-issue basis throughout Switzerland. However, Swiss citizens serving in the military are permitted to keep their service rifles (SG 550) at their place of residence.

### Effects of Legal Restrictions

Legislation restricting or prohibiting the ownership of fully automatic firearms has largely been unsuccessful. Non-government entities continue manufacturing and possessing such firearms across the globe, from Europe, to Asia, to Latin America. The simplicity of open-bolt blowback submachine guns makes them a weapon of choice for militias and rebels throughout the world.