What if you found a Thompson submachine gun?

[22-rimfire]

If I found such a firearm, more than likely, I would cut it up with a torch and spread the pieces around in the trash over a period of weeks or include parts of it with scap metal to be recycled. Risking serious jail time is not an option.

[David Hineline]

And because of your fear of the man, you might have just destroyed a $35,000 gun that could have been legally yours or returned to a legal owner who it was stolen from.

http://www.subguns.com/classifieds/i...uery=retrieval

[schatzperson]

Well, out of the entire arsenal I managed to put 7 Thompsons away and they are still in my collection. I discovered x2 british proofed and marked "tommy Gun" 1928 A1's and 3 PAIRS of consequtive numbered M1a1's and 1 New York adress 1928 a1.
The adventure cost me quiet a bit and unfortunately had to sell the last mentioned lot to be able to afford to keep the 7 guns.

[James K]

I have heard dozens of those stories about how someone reported an unregistered machinegun to the feds and they were allowed to register the gun and keep it. That was SOMETIMES done 30 years ago. But the registry was closed to individuals in 1986, and it cannot and WILL NOT be done today.

I have also heard dozens of stories about police who have a hoard of unregistered machineguns and say it is legal because they are a cop or a deputy sheriff or a village constable or a meter maid. Nope. The law makes NO exceptions for individual cops, only for police departments.

Even departments are subject to scrutiny these days. One sheriff in the South ordered 55 submachineguns for his department. Except that the department had only five deputies; the sheriff was passing out the guns to those who chipped in big bucks to his campaign fund. He went to federal prison, and quite a few "big shots" almost joined him. The guns were seized.

Jim

[youngunz4life]

Who says firearms are bad investments?!! You have a good collection.

[schatzperson]

Well, I guess they are an investment.
But in honest sincerity, I can tell you that this is not what drives me.
I love the sense of history I got from the adventure; I live in Europe of course and have have been a gun nut for always. I had an uncle who lived in then USA who was an nfa dealer. He used to send me photos and stories and all this just fired up my boyhood enthusiasm. When I grew up came across one or two thompsons. About % years ago, I came across reports of parts kits released from ww2 arsenals in eastern europe. Having been in the business of collecting and also connected with the various collector organisations, one way or the other I traced some of these transactions. I got myself an introduction and travelled to examine , sort and buy for myself and other parties.
Well, what can I say ! I ended up in a state that had been right in the centre of the Axis retreat at the end of ww2. The local history is still very much alive and I daresay, sentiment from that turbulent time runs high still. Saw some amazing private collections, but of course what floored me were the cases of brand new thompsons still in cosmoline.

[Jim Watson]

... the cases of brand new thompsons still in cosmoline.

One legend is that our European allies did not want to bother with the logistics of odd American caliber ammunition. For a SMG they'd rather have a STEN or Axis takeover 9mm.

[schatzperson]

Its not clear why the Thompsons were handed over to the Russians with little or no 45 acp ammo. One rumor hints at the fact that by 1945 things were soured up enough between the US and Russia that the ammo was deliberately witheld. Difficult to say for sure.
I looked into as many crates as I could and poured over a few serial lists of a few thousand guns and one can safely assume that most of the guns were late manufacture. Those that were not bore US arsenal re-work markings.
This would suggest that these guns were handed over very very late in the war.
The historical aura around this discovery is simply fascinating.
Enough said that the area where I viewed the crates is right by where all the legends of nazi gold, counterfeit money, nuclear research (heavy water) dumped in lakes are centered. Including eyewitness accounts of the Ustasha infamy when large numbers of Ustasha men women and children running from the advancing Russian army committed suicide by throwing themselves into the river after having been betrayed by allied deals for safe passage. I could go on and write endless posts.

[youngunz4life]

I know there must still be many WWII mysteries unsolved and mainly some fortunes still collecting dust somewhere(known and unknown). I never knew about the amnesty, but I think another amnesty would be good for most parties involved. Both of my Grandpas were in WWII. One was on a vessel that was sunk and on an island that was occupied and/or taken over by the japenese. My dad has the records and letters to my great-grandparents, so I'll get more info before speaking further. The info given so far is obviously very vague. My mom's dad was a 28yr sailor, and the german uboats put a scare thru him that he never forgot. He taught me about 'suicide alley' too. You spoke about some tragic events - turning against their own jewish german citizens who had fought for their country in WWI is another example.

[PTK]

I no longer have to play "what if" on this kind of question. Recently, I've gotten back into construction/contracting on homes. One lady's house that I was remodeling, I found a Reising SMG in the bathroom wall behind the tiles (it was rusted, but intact)

I immediately called the local PD, who sent a couple of very helpful officers over, who took photos, made sure of my story, made sure I didn't touch it before calling, etc. They had a local BATFE field agent come over, who then took the SMG with her. She ran the numbers or whatever they do, and it came up as stolen property. Property got returned, I got in no trouble. Story over.

What's nice is that implicitly, they were telling me that if it were registered with no legal owner currently or heirs lined up, I would have been able to keep it by paying a $200 tax. The big difference in this case is that the owner was still alive, and that it had been stolen years and years before.

I've yet to have any bad experience with the BATFE, and I've dealt with them a few times a year for a while now.

[Jim Watson]

What's nice is that implicitly, they were telling me that if it were registered with no legal owner currently or heirs lined up, I would have been able to keep it by paying a $200 tax.

You say "recently."
I fear this is a case of government employees not knowing the law they are supposed to enforce. Or perhaps what you thought was implicit was not what they meant to convey.

[PTK]

Could be either. Either way, I feel no remorse over actually calling the PD instead of spiriting away a found MG.

[44 AMP]

No remorse, you did the right thing, under current law.

[Redbullitt]

Depends on how said individual would handle finding such a gem. I could see it going alright, or totally terribly.

[PTK]

44 AMP,

That's precisely how I view it. Not only did I do the right thing legally, but morally - the legitimate owner got his firearm back.

[silvercorvette]

Out of the 3 F/A guns I own and all the F/A guns I ever hope to own I have a special place in my heart for the Thompson because owning one has bee a dream of mine since I was a kid. I hope I never find one because I would be tempted to put it in a safe place untouched in he hope that someday the law may change.

[SVO]

Back in the early '90's, I worked at a chemical plant that originally a WWII government owned plant. After the war, the government sold the plant. There was a small arsenal for protecting the plant during the war. When the plant was sold, the weapons were left there but the government retain ownership of the weapons. On a yearly basis, the plant has to inventory the weapons and account for every weapon and round of ammo there. There was probably about a dozen P17 rifles and Model 12 riot shotguns, about a half dozen BAR's and Thompsons, and a couple of water cooled machine guns (Model 1919's?). The Plant Security Officer showing me the stash remarked that they had been trying for some time to get the government to come get their "toys" with no success. I've always wonder if the weapons were ever turned back to the government, would they be scrapped or saved in some way. To the best of my knowledge, the weapons are still there.

[B.N.Real]

First off,I'd have to probably drink a beer to relax my face muscles from smiling so much.

Then I'd simply call the police and tell them what I found and to come pick it up.

With the express statement that I want to claim it if no one else does.

Even if I have to have a FFL holder hold it for me while I get the necessary paperwork to own it.

[Jim Watson]

Sorry B.N. there IS no paperwork that can legitimize a FOP submachinegun.

SVO, my old agency (TVA) had an arsenal of legacy guns left over from guarding dams, power plants, and other sensitive installations during WW II, Korea, and the Cold War. I saw TVA stamped Reisings and Thompsons, along with M97 and M12 riot or trench guns and the usual assortment of .38 revolvers for daily duty. There was a Dukes Mixture of shotguns they had confiscated from hunters straying or trespassing on the reservation. I don't know whether the lever action rifles were agency purchase or takeaways.

Any road, they decided to modernize and found a way to sell off all that stuff to a FFL, the SMGs to a "class 3" operator. The collector's value bought them a full outfit of Remington 870 Riot and Ruger AC556. The instructor said the Ruger was a false economy for $50 less than an M16; that it was a sporting rifle and did not hold up to regular full auto.

[MCCALL911]

What? What Thompson? We got no Thompson! We don't gotta show you no stinkin Thompson!



Seriously, I want to avoid some serious time in the Federal pen, so I would most definitely do the proper and legal thing. Call the BATFE and turn it over to them.

[lefteyedom]

There is only one way a secret can be kept between only two people...

To be kept it requires a Murder Suicide pack inside of a burning house 100 miles from the nearest human.

[pcb911]

My saying was: the best way to keep a secret among three people, was to kill two of them.

Is it worthy having something that you can never show to anyone or shoot?

You could dig a hole into the dirt touching your basement and shoot it into the hole that is two long. But, that would not be much fun, especially on full auto.

However, to hold a piece of steel and wood that is so famous would be so great. It will never happen!

[CPTMurdoc30]

If I happened to find a full auto Thompson. I sure as hell would not be cutting anything up. it is called put it up and shut up. You never know there may come a day you need that sucker. If AHBL having a full auto might be a tad useful. JUST SAYING....

If no one knows you have it and you don't go on a shooting rampage who is it hurting to keep a piece of history?

I am not advocating anyone break the law in any ways shape or form.

[PTK]

Keep a piece of history that may well belong to someone else and have been stolen. Think through that. If those are your morals...

[egor20]

If I ever came across one, I would call the police/BATFE, I really don't need the kinda stuff from the Government that would come raining down on me if I was caught with an illegal machine gun. I also wouldn't come on a Forum to announce it, if I did try to hide one..