Making unregistered WW2 firearms legal.

[bigmacglenn]

This is one of the main reasons I bought a Chilean Mauser 95 Short Rifle (Loewe, Berlin) as it's classified as an Antique w/ absolutely no paperwork...and as fine a rifle as any later produced Mauser, in my opinion...
Cheers, Glenn

[theotherhomer]

The best thing you could do isn't the most legal thing, don't tell anyone you have a full auto Thompson, MP40 or STG44 that's unresgistered. Most people buried them in burlap sacks in the woods, too. But it's sad there's nothing to do at this point to register them.

[pitfighter]

It is a regular ruse when running ads for war weapons on the internet local papers etc., to have someone from government try to sell you an unregistered machine gun - my craigslist militaria wanted ad had a guy calling me with a .55 Boyes rifle he wanted to sell me for cheap - I just refused to discuss it and advised them to surrender it to law enforcement. It is simply not worth ruining your life.



Pit.

[bigmacglenn]

They will indeed try to entrap people; I worked in a collectibles/gun shop in Colorado Springs when a guy walks in asking me how to make a silencer...This is right after the Columbine High School shooting...and anti-gun hysteria was high...
cheers, Glenn

- - Updated - -

[RayG]

I have read that there were cases were the vet has the signed bring back papers in his name that ATF will waive the 68 law and the vet can register the gun as ATF will consider the original signed bring back papers as an initial registeration, Ray

[pitfighter]

Ray G,

This is the case, you are correct - also if you are able to - discreetly contact ATF and inquire as to whether they have a record of the registration of the specific serial number and model of the bringback on the NFA registry. If they do, you can then have them produce this paper record and you are good to go.
However, this is rarely the case, as it appears record keeping from that era leaves something to be desired.


Pit.

[RayG]

I guess I didn't make my self very clear, sorry. But I was referring to the paperwork that was signed by an officer allowing the vet to bring back the weapon from a war zone. Apparently there may have been cases were some officers allowed vets to bring back auto weapons. Now don't hold me to this, but I read that there are cases were ATF recognizes those bringback papers as having registered the weapon with the government. Again, this is what I read, whether it's true or not, I don't know for sure. Ray

[pitfighter]

I have never heard of this being the case.

I have firearms with capture/bring back papers, the wording relates to a customs declaration for importation, not the legality of the firearm within the US.
Yes, many were full auto, and required dewatting back in the US, but even these had to be registered in 1968.
If they missed that registration my understanding is that they are contraband - capture papers or not.

I would like to be wrong.

Attachment 412797
Example of capture papers - these are for one of my Lugers, but they all follow basically the same format.

Pit.

[samnev]

I have also seen questionable sellers at gun shows, last one had an unregistered MP 44 and said so, trying to sell it at the show. Another time a guy with an M2 carbine trying to sell one at that show.

[shadowwolf]

My mates Grandfather threw his MG 42 in the local pond back in the 70's, probably still there.

I imagine that a lot of vets just dumped them at the bottom of the garden or buried them in their allotments.