1986, and not technically true, but you're close. 1) You need a special stamp from the Feds, which puts you on a list. 2) Some states still outlaw them. 3) Because the law effectively froze the supply of ownable automatics, they're incredibly expensive collector's items, making them largely unaffordable for the average civilian. Further, because of #1, the typical paranoid gun hoarder won't get one.