33 replies to this topic

[LIONHART]

RKR,
Thanks for the info, and for your time, but there are a number of registered DEWATS in Washington State. No, the RCW doesn't mention DEWATS in general. I'll contact the ATF in Seattle. If anybody should know, it should be them.

[geodkyt]

STUPID STATEMENT REMOVED BY POSTER. Doh!

Edited by geodkyt, 14 July 2003 - 03:35 PM.

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

Curtis Earl stelight welded the barrel and breach (to comply with De-Wat regs) of the famous ornate Midas Touch Thompson for a customer in California. Now if that Colt could be subjected to such an indignity, then all other De-Wats pale in comparison. Do not know if the Midas gun was Re-Wated in subsequent sales to owners in Class III states.

[Sig]

Delvin

How about this? Start a corporation in the nearest NFA friendly state of your choice.
That could be your answer. I have not done this but maybe someone here can guide you.
I know corporations can buy. I know you can arrange to store the weapon legally in a variety of ways OUT of the state of Washington, as I am doing this now. I live in Canada and my NFA collection has been in storage in bank safe deposit boxes, Class III dealers and in friends homes (in locked cases under my key control) and I have stored them in two different states.
What I am not sure about but feel fairly comfortable that it can be worked out is how the Form 4 is filled out for address with a corporation. Is a physical address required (I think yes) and if so can you get a physical address? Would a resident agent address for the corporation qualify ( I dunno )? Resident agents are usually a requirement.

I have heard others talk about dual residence, there you would need to qualify for residency in another NFA friendly state. This is another story.

Michael

[geodkyt]

QUOTE (Sig @ Jul 14 2003, 07:20 PM)

I have heard others talk about dual residence, there you would need to qualify for residency in another NFA friendly state. This is another story.

ISTR that Washington residents still share a remarkably close relationship under the law with Alaska, and that Alaska has remarkable "liberal" (as in non-regulated) residency requirements -- and once you own the weapon legally (as an Alaskan resident), you can move it to a third state (including one where you do not have residency), so long as you retain control (safe deposit box, locked steeal box at friend's house where you keep all keys, etc.) and your possession in that third state is in accordance with that state's requirements.

I don't remember the exact details of Alaskan residency, but ISTR that you can homestead a chunk of land, provided you live four weeks a year on it, and make "improvements" every year, such as graveling yor dirt driveway one year, and planting a lawn the next, etc. ANd, as a bonus (AFAIK) this qualifies you for your share of the Alaska Oil Dividend each year (a dividend paid to all residents of Alaska, from proceeds of the Alaskan oil industry), which you could use to finance your hobby. Any Alaskan residents out there to confirm or deny?

[pdursin]

Lionheart,

Have you checked to see what ATF considers to be a legal Dewat today? I'm no expert, but I think that ATF has tightened the standards somewhere along the way. When my Thompson was originally dewatted, the right side of the receiver was cut with a torch. I'm not sure you can get away with just plugging the barrel any more.

[John Jr]

A live unregistered MG may NOT be dewatted. Thats out. A registered Dewat can be reactivated. If its registered as a Dewat, I am sure your state will not allow it. I would incorporate in an NFA state where you have a friend you REALLY trust and make your friend an officer of the corp so he can hold the gun for you. You could use a bank lockbox. Do it now in a state you might consider moving to. This way when you retire you have another bright thing to look foward to. MG prices are just climbing and the longer you wait the worse its going to get.

Hope this is some help.

Jr

[H Harrison]

Lionhart, you would be much farther ahead to just purchase one of those no function dummy guns with a steel receiver built from real Thompson parts. my 2cents....

[Norm]

Lionhart,

I say go for it!

The worst thing they (WA state) can say is no.

Norm

[Thomsongunner]

The post above is correct. You cannot make a new dewatt. It would have to have been registered during the 68 amnesty. These are treated as live machine guns and have the same paperwork, but there is no 200 transfer tax. They can be "rewatted" into live guns by paying the 200 dollers and then reactivate it. The old dewatts they used to sell before 1968 are no longer legal unless they were registered. If they are not registered they are considered contraband now. Dewatts that are legal in places like canada and england are not legal here since they still have the original reciever intact. Certain states do only allow dewatts but im not sure which ones.

Roland

[LIONHART]

If that is correct, why then, was Curtis Earl advertising a Dewat Service for $25.00 even in 1986? I already know about the 1968 Amnesty. However, isn't possible to take a REGISTERED NFA MG and Dewat it, to transfer on a Form 5? That's my question, like Curtis Earl use to do? I didn't say anything about a Contraband Weapon that was NEVER registered.

[Arthur Fliegenheimer]

Of course any legally "registered" class III weapon could be de-wated for sale to those in states that do not allow functioning Class III's. That is what Earl did without any regard to the rarity of the weapon he was de-wating. The real question is what does ATF consider a legal De-Wat by today's standards. Some states may only allow unassembled three-piece weld cut receivers. Some states may only allow the bolt welded closed and the barrel welded and filled solid. This type of de-wating would be more severe than the Japanese model guns, which were never made to fire live ammo, yet had movable bolts. If the process of de-wating today, as required by ATF, or an individual state, is this severe, then one might re-think subjecting a "registered" Thompson to this indignity.

[Thomsongunner]

Ok, now i understand what you are asking. I thought you were asking about someone turning an unregistered gun into a dewatt to register it. You are saying taking an already registered live gun and dewatting it. That i do not know about, but thats a pretty pricey thing to do. I would think you would be better off with one of D. richardsons replicas for about a quarter of the cost. It would be a shame to weld up a funtioning gun. I guess you will have to check with the atf on that one to see if it is still legal to do. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I was just trying to help. A lot of people bought the dewatt guns sold after the world wars back in the 30's and 40's and never bothered to register them when the time came that they had to, now they are just good for parts and can never be reactivated. These are the guns i was referring to. Roland

[LIONHART]

Thanks for all the replies!