Posted on 03/26/2010 9:30:21 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
Being commander of the Catholic War Veterans Post 370 on Illinois 159 south of Belleville hasn't been particularly trying for Mike Anthony -- until they found the machine gun.
"In January, when they found it, the guys called and said they needed to talk to me," Anthony said. "They showed me what they had. I thought it was a beautiful relic but I wondered what we could do with it."
What they had was a Lewis .30-caliber machine gun, manufactured in 1917 by the Savage Arms Co. in Utica, N.Y., according to markings on the gun.
"It was in the closet where we keep the ceremonial rifles we use for salutes," he said.
A few years ago it had been found in the Quonset hut where the post stores its grass cutting equipment, but was moved inside. After that, apparently everyone assumed it had been gotten rid of.
So Anthony went online and did some research that disturbed him.
"I found out it was illegal to have it," he said. "Not only that but there was a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison. So I thought, 'Well, it doesn't work but previous cases showed that if it could be made serviceable, you still could get in trouble.'"
Some guys thought maybe they could give it back to the Savage company, which wanted it for its museum. But that isn't legal either.
Instead, Sheriff Mearl Justus was able to take it off their hands, legally. But the sheriff's department's options are limited as well.
"We can register it and keep it, we can send it to Alton to have it melted down or we can give it to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosive) and it will be destroyed," said Sgt. John Fulton, administrative assistant with the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department.
Fulton said the department is trying to figure out what to do with the gun.
"It's a beautiful machine and we don't want to see it destroyed," he said. "It matches with the Tommy gun we have."
That gun was given to the department in 1927 by the local bankers association so the good guys could keep up with the bad guys. It had been locked up in the safe until it was unearthed, cleaned and tested.
Fulton said the Lewis gun is kind of rare.
"We're trying to track down what pieces are missing," he said. "There is supposed to be a round magazine that mounts on it and the wooden stock is damaged.
"We don't know if it is worth restoring or what we should do with it."
Fulton said pictures of the gun are posted on www.flickr.com/photos/thebadge and he is getting some information about the gun from collectors and enthusiasts, but he wonders whether anyone local knows where it came from and how it got to the Catholic War Vets.
"Somebody must know something," he said.
Archangel Gabriel has to stash his equipment somewhere?!
I would tell you, but the SS might come looking for me.
The NAZI SS.......Oh, we have Nazis here too?
$50,000 minimum, though I’m sure ...never mind.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ping
“Sheriff Mearl Justus”
Sweet!
Take it to the local shop and have the breach welded.
Now rendered inert, it is perfactly legal to own.
It’s Illinois.....
They’ll save millions of lives by putting it through a grinder.
Those guns have firing pins? Just pop it out!
Go ammo shopping?
Might be a long search for that round....
I wouldn’t not want to try that with the ATFE (Which should be a party store, not a FedGov agency) - they normally not noted for their sense of humor.
Welding cannot be easily reversed, firing pins OTOH, not so much...
Wonder if Snoopy could use it.
If it would help the situation, I’m willing to offer a loving, nurturing home.
Well, you could pop the pin and weld over the hole.
I’m just saying that with a piece like that it’d be nice to keep it in a shape so that people could still see how the action works.
Weld the whole thing shut and you could probably never get it open again to even oil it!
They used a lot of them on the bi-planes in WWI. The Lewis gun was well known, and I believe it had a penchant for jamming but right now I can’t remember all that much about their peculiarities.
That gun is so old, you could have it shipped right to your front door! ... If you have the $25 federal permit to deal in antique and collectible firearms.
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