# In the now-famous Kid Rock video of him shooting Bud Light cans, is Rock's gun illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 13, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631 "2023-04-13T17:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/1 "2023-04-13T17:26:56Z")
By now, you’ve surely seen the video of Kid Rock blasting away at cases of Bud Light because they put the imagine of a transgender person on the can – a can not even available to the public. I’m not commenting on Kid Rock’s attempt at social commentary. My question is, assuming that the video was shot(ha!) in the United States, is the gun being used illegal? It appears to my untrained eye to be a fully automatic weapon. He pulls the trigger one time and multiple rounds are fired. Isn’t that illegal? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/2 "2023-04-13T17:30:08Z")
No, [you can obtain a federal license to have a fully automatic weapon](https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/machine-guns-automatic-firearms-in-michigan/#:~:text=Michigan%20prohibits%20the%20manufacture%2C%20sale,to%20a%20person%20licensed%20by). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/3 "2023-04-13T17:35:21Z")
We don’t even know if it was his gun. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/4 "2023-04-13T19:54:38Z")
Yep, there are a number of ranges where you can “rent” automatic weapons to fire like [this](https://machinegunsvegas.com/full-auto-experience/). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/5 "2023-04-13T19:57:26Z")
Illegal - who cares. Tasteless - for sure. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/6 "2023-04-13T20:03:43Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Yep, there are a number of ranges where you can “rent” automatic weapons to fire like [this](https://machinegunsvegas.com/full-auto-experience/). You mean like this? > **[Shooting of Charles Vacca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Charles_Vacca)** > > On August 25, 2014, 39-year-old Charles Vacca was accidentally shot and killed while instructing a nine-year-old girl in how to shoot a Mini-Uzi. The accident occurred at the Arizona Last Stop Gun Range (also known as "Bullets and Burgers") in White Hills, Arizona, where Vacca had worked for about 18 months. According to county law officials the shooting is being viewed as an industrial accident. The minimum age set by the shooting range to fire a weapon is eight years old provided that Accordin... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/7 "2023-04-14T00:11:25Z")
[Moderating] > [@bob\_2](#): > > Illegal - who cares. Tasteless - for sure. Apparently the OP cares. This is Factual Questions. Whether something is legal is a factual matter. Whether it’s tasteless is not. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/8 "2023-04-14T00:18:00Z")
Full-auto rifles are not illegal to own. A good friend of mine has a full-auto M-16. I’ve shot it a few times, and once (just for fun) emptied a 30 round magazine with a single squeeze of the trigger. Just to say I did it. 🙃 It’s the funnest way to turn money into noise. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/9 "2023-04-14T00:20:16Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > No, [you can obtain a federal license to have a fully automatic weapon](https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/machine-guns-automatic-firearms-in-michigan/#:~:text=Michigan%20prohibits%20the%20manufacture%2C%20sale,to%20a%20person%20licensed%20by). Yea, you can buy one. But the prices are crazy, because there is a fixed supply. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/10 "2023-04-14T01:29:50Z")
Piggybacking onto this thread to ask if I’m the only one who, for several years, heard the name Kid Rock, and assumed that he was a gangsta rapper? In fact, I still have to veer away from the assumption when I hear the name. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/11 "2023-04-14T01:33:03Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > …the prices are crazy, because there is a fixed supply. Owing to legislation signed by Ronald Reagan. > [@](#): > > (o)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person to transfer or possess a machinegun. > > (2) This subsection does not apply with respect to— (A) a transfer to or by, or possession by or under the authority of, the United States or any department or agency thereof or a State, or a department, agency, or political subdivision thereof; or > > (B) any lawful transfer or lawful possession of a machinegun that was lawfully possessed before the date this subsection takes effect. > **[Firearm Owners Protection Act](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_Owners_Protection_Act)** > > The Firearm Owners' Protection Act (FOPA) of 1986 is a United States federal law that revised many provisions of the Gun Control Act of 1968. > Under the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) was given wide latitude on the enforcement of regulations pertaining to holders of Federal Firearms Licenses (FFL) (which enable an individual or a company to engage in a business pertaining to the manufacture or importation of firearms and ammunition, or the interstate an... ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/12 "2023-04-14T02:10:29Z")
I believe that Kid Rock may just have crazy money. But why buy when you can rent? I’d say the answer to the OP in this instance is yes, it was likley a legal firearm. Still in bad taste. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/13 "2023-04-14T05:39:14Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > You mean like this? Posting a link to an accidental shooting in response to a question about the legality of particular firearms is inappropriate for FQ. Please keep all answers factual and on-topic. > [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > But why buy when you can rent? Opinions about firearms are off-topic for FQ. Again, please keep all answers factual and on-topic. There are other forums and other threads where responses like this may be posted. Please post appropriately. ---
**Author:** ![Apodder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apodder/32/17727_2.png) [@Apodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apodder)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/14 "2023-04-14T18:03:14Z")
That’s what he’s hoping you’ll think… ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/15 "2023-04-14T21:05:14Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > By now, you’ve surely seen the video of Kid Rock blasting away at cases of Bud Light because they put the imagine of a transgender person on the can This is the first and only place I have ever heard of this. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/16 "2023-04-15T07:10:16Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > By now, you’ve surely seen the video of Kid Rock blasting away at cases of Bud Light because they put the imagine of a transgender person on the can – a can not even available to the public. I’m not commenting on Kid Rock’s attempt at social commentary. Also not commenting on his incompetence as a shooter. His aim seems to be really poor. As someone who claims to be an all-American gun supporter, he sur doesn’t seem to be very good with guns! ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/17 "2023-04-15T07:20:11Z")
And that was with the help of someone off-screen with a shotgun. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2023, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/18 "2023-04-15T15:09:40Z")
[Moderating] > [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > Also not commenting on his incompetence as a shooter. The appropriate way to not comment on something off-topic is to, ahem, not comment on it. How good a shooter he is is completely irrelevant to the legality of the weapon. If there is nothing further to say on the topic of a thread, it is permissible to allow the thread to simply die of old age. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/19 "2023-04-16T18:14:56Z")
Thank you all for your responses. I thought that a fully automatic weapon was illegal in civilian hands. Ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![KMS94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ad7895/32.png) [@KMS94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMS94)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2023, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631/20 "2023-04-16T22:25:16Z")
Under their own state/district laws, it is illegal in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia to own a machine gun, regardless of it being legally registered with the federal government. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-now-famous-kid-rock-video-of-him-shooting-bud-light-cans-is-rocks-gun-illegal/982631.md?page=2)