# I have one of Bonnie and Clyde's BARs in the corner of my office right now. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842 "2014-05-20T17:00:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/43 "2014-05-21T15:27:37Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Geeze, read the thread. He’s a government employee, and in the course of his duties is in temporary possession of an automatic weapon. No Class 3 license required. Thanks for taking the time to answer but mailmen and food inspectors are also government employees. Neither job requirement permits owning/handling machine guns. I have no idea if **Sicks Ate** has a Class 3 or not. I am curious about how long it takes to complete the process. Can you provide any info about actual wait times? ---
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/44 "2014-05-22T03:34:41Z")
Please allow me to correct a common misconception. A Class 3 FFL license allows a dealer to own, buy, sell, and repair fully-automatic weapons as well as other NFA items. For an individual, trust, or corporation, legal ownership is confirmed with a tax stamp issued by the BATFE. Current wait times for Form 1 paper forms is 4-6 months. The new online system is supposed to reduce that, but it’s been down for months. An individual does not, and indeed cannnot, get a “class 3” license for NFA items. It’s not a thing. As an individual, I can let you handle, use, and possess my NFA items in my presence. I cannot loan you an Uzi or suppressor for the weekend. However, since virtually all of my NFA items are owned my trust, any named trustee can be in possession of any of the trust’s items. This way, my wife and children can use and transport them as they see fit, and when I get run over by a truck, there’s no need for my estate to transfer ownership to anyone; they just scratch my name off, and continue laying down suppressing fire on the JW assholes in the neighborhood! While I don’t know the details of how the ATF or other gubmint entities are structured re: handling weapons, I have no problem with believing in, and allowing, ATF or other employees to handle such items as a matter of their job. What’s he gonna do? Rob a bank? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/45 "2014-05-22T12:46:09Z")
Why not? The previous owners of the gun did. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/46 "2014-05-22T14:06:47Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > Why not? The previous owners of the gun did. That’s where they keep the money, after all. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/47 "2014-05-22T14:13:33Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I thought there were two guys, or am I thinking M-60? M60 or a generally crew served piece like that. Although I think in the Marines some extra ammo for the BAR was shared among the squad for purpose of humping. > [@thirdname](#): > > What was the point of that weapon, anyway? A machine gun with a 20-round box magazine? You’d only be able to shoot for like 2 seconds before reloading. Why not belt feed? Combining portability and rate of fire. In some situations a few bursts can turn the tide or allow the regular riflemen to get position. But there aren’t enough of those situations to justify lugging a “Ma Deuce” everywhere. > [@doorhinge](#): > > p.s. Are you actually (legally) allowed to handle a full-auto weapon? Handle? Sure! Fire? Probably. Some felons can legally fire one. Owning is another story. But I would say 90% of the population could qualify. That’s assuming you are “Amerikun” and within our borders. If you are German or something else, your mileage will be waaaay off. > [@ducati](#): > > An individual does not, and indeed cannnot, get a “class 3” license for NFA items. > It’s not a thing. This gets into splitting hairs in a government agency sometimes accused of making it up on the fly but -------- depending on a lot of things it is possible. If you are deemed a serious collector, you can get a license that lets you buy but has limitations on selling. In the old days lots of folks were licensed to repair but not to buy or sell. Its more complicated than even those who have played the game know and the rules are constantly changing. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/48 "2014-05-22T15:33:08Z")
Well, at least I now know what “BAR” stands for. I think I would rather own a “bar” instead. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/49 "2014-05-22T15:40:24Z")
> [@DrumBum](#): > > Well, at least I now know what “BAR” stands for. I think I would rather own a “bar” instead. 😃 One may need a BAR to keep the peace at one’s bar. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/50 "2014-05-22T17:22:17Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > I was designed to be hand-held like a rifle, during a marching fire maneuver, in WW1. It was adopted as a squad automatic weapon in WW2, even before the term was invented. If you think it was unwieldy as a SAW, what about the Garand as an assault rifle? FTR, the Garand was a MBR (Main Battle Rifle) and never an assault rifle. The 30-06 round was too big, no removable box magazine, and no selective fire. Unless you were being sarcastic and whooshed me. I don’t think the BAR would be unwieldy as a SAW. I wouldn’t want to fire it from my shoulder for long; I think you’d be more likely to fire it from the hip. But you’d be most likely to fire it from a prone position with it up on it’s bipod. Sure, it couldn’t lay down suppressive fire like a Browning M-1919, but it didn’t weigh 31 lbs either. The weight of a BAR probably didn’t bother B&C that much as they weren’t humping it on 10 mile nature hikes; they were mechanized. They only had to carry it to or from their stolen cars to their hideouts or robbery targets. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/51 "2014-05-23T12:46:01Z")
Looking at how petite Bonnie was, she probably had to brace herself against something to keep from being knocked over when she fired it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/52 "2014-05-23T13:25:46Z")
I’m betting she used the 20 ga semi automatic [shotgun.](http://texashideout.tripod.com/guns.html) ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842/53 "2014-05-23T17:49:57Z")
> [@thirdname](#): > > What was the point of that weapon, anyway? A machine gun with a 20-round box magazine? You’d only be able to shoot for like 2 seconds before reloading. Why not belt feed? I think others have covered the major parts. With the BAR you got a single soldier carrying a weapon that could lay down suppressing fire at a rate that didn’t require changing barrels, and the 20-rd mag allowed for getting close to the ground. Short bursts could also be accurate, at least when compared to a machine gun requiring a 2-3 man crew. I like to think of it as a weapon with a very specific purpose 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-one-of-bonnie-and-clydes-bars-in-the-corner-of-my-office-right-now/688842.md?page=2)