So Now They Want Us To Make Machineguns

Here's Why U.S. Special Forces Want Russian Machine Guns

The article discusses  something that anyone who watched Charlie Wilson's War probably already knew.

"...when U.S. special forces provide some of these groups with weapons, they have to scrounge through the global arms market to buy Russian hardware as well as spare parts."

So they want American companies to produce the weapons to simplify things. But there are some hurdles, such as the would be manufacturer having to acquire the blueprints, drawings, etc themselves and a few other requirements:

"Companies will also have to 'address the manufacture of spare parts to support fielded weapons.' In addition, they must be prepared to start up and shut down production as needed, as well as provide varying quantities of weapons."

Sounds like a company would have to, oh, I dunno, have an alternate or concurrent buyer for when the military takes a break in purchasing. Which is exactly what would have already occurred if not for the NFA!

A civilian market would allow a manufacturer to maintain enough production to stay solvent while waiting on the military to decide it wants X thousand more units.

As I expand upon in Automatic For The Free People, the restrictions on automatic weapons, especially the complete prohibition on post-'86 automatic weapons, is damaging to our national defense. The situation with the Special Forces attempts to procure certain automatic weapons reinforces that notion.