Unregistered Semi-Automatic Rifles
I was watching an episode of Burn Notice, a USA Network action show about a fired spy's antics in Miami, when the hero warned his IRA girl-friend about getting caught with "unregistered semi-automatic rifles" in the trunk of her stolen car. Well, getting caught with a stolen car is bad, but in Miama, as far as I know, and in most of America, semi-automatic rifles are not registered. You have to pass the National Instant Check System in order to legally purchase one from an FFL holder, but there's no way to register it, even if you wanted to, and it's not illegal to carry it in the trunk of your car. But I hear this a lot in Hollywood TV shows. Suppose they're trying to get us used to the idea?
Yeah. Probably
Yeah. I thought of that, too. May well explain it.
Even the FFL holder who runs the little gun shop I frequent here in New York was surprised when I told him open and concealed carry required no permit of any kind in Montana, except within city limits, which may require a permit for concealed. New York requires handgun owners to have permits (may issue) and their handguns to be registered.
Probably just ignorant
I think it's more likely that they're Hollywood writers who live in California, where there is such as thing as a "registered semi-automatic rifle" (for certain rifle models with very foolish owners), and are thoroughly ignorant of anything outside their own small neighborhood.
Edit comment