User blog comment:Griever0311/Ask A Marine Part Deux/@comment-1790643-20100319021130

Until 1988 you could buy pretty much anything here as long as you didn't have a criminal record and the cops had no reason to suspect you'd misuse it. That all changed when someone went on a killing spree around a town with a Kalashnikov and an M1 Carbine.

@Price: As far as I'm aware, you can buy automatic rifles in some US States, I've certainly seen a few videos of this, but most arms manufacturers only sell Semis to civilians.