CLAIM: In a May 16, 2025, article, NBC News claimed, “Machine guns have been illegal in the United States since 1986.”
VERDICT: False. Machine guns are bought and sold regularly in states where the possession of machine guns is legal.
When NBC News references “1986,” they are referencing the year when the Firearm Owners Protection Act was signed into law. One aspect of FOPA banned the sale of machine guns manufactured after the law’s effective date, which was May 19, 1986. However, FOPA did not (and does not) ban the sale of machine guns manufactured before May 19, 1986.
The ATF’s website makes clear that the machine guns that are legal are “those lawfully possessed before the effective date of the prohibition, May 19, 1986.”
Hellbound and Down 