There are several solutions to the law enforcement certification problem. They all require persistence, but less work than being a legitimate NFA dealer, in my opinion. Becoming a class 3 dealer is one solution though. Another solution is to be incorporated. If you are a professional and are already incorporated for your job (doctor, lawyer) your corporation can buy NFA weapons, and the photo, police signoff and fingerprints are not needed. Just a Form 4. The corporation might be buying weapons for an investment, or for security, or for another good reason. You could incorporate yourself just to get NFA weapons also, although you should talk to a lawyer or another knowledgeable person about the downsides of being incorporated before just doing it. As the weapons are registered to the company, and not the owner of the company, they will have to be transferred out, tax paid (unless the transfer is otherwise exempt from the tax, ie from a government entity, or for an unservicable weapon), if the corporation is ever dissolved. As corporate assets, creditors might get them in the event of bankruptcy of the corporation, or a judgment against the corporation. In my opinion the best thing is to have the weapons owned and registered to the person who actually owns them, and not an intermediary. I also am aware that in some areas of the country the incorporation route may be the only way to own NFA weapons, as a practical matter. Also be aware that corporations have no 4th amendment right against self-incrimination, and the restrictions the NFA places on the use of information provided to ATF under the Act (26 USC sec. 5844) only apply to information provided by natural persons, not corporations. You are giving up some of the privacy provided by law to flesh and blood people when you acquire your guns through a corporation.
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Any firearm whose possession is otherwise prohibited by subsection (a) is ok, under b(7), if the gun is a C&R one and lawfully possessed under federal law. This would not provide an exemption to the requirement for a state permit for a machine gun, as 12020(a) does not regulate mg’s. That is section 12220 (ban) and 12230 et seq. (permits). Rules for DD’s are at section 12301 et seq. Silencers are regulated at section 12500 et seq. The state Department of Justice has totally discretionary authority to issue permits to possess DD’s or machine guns. Civilians are totally prohibited from owning silencers.
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