"1 Jap Rifle"
Posted on 05/11/2005 6:50:00 AM PDT by pabianice
Veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War could legally register firearms brought home as war trophies under a bill introduced May 4 by Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev.
The bill, HR 2088, allows veterans and their heirs to register firearms that troops were allowed to bring home under U.S. military policy in effect at the time. It would not change existing policy for combat veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are barred from bringing back any captured weapons.
Called the Veterans’ Heritage Firearms Act, Gibbon’s bill applies to firearms brought back to the United States between June 26, 1934 and October 31, 1968. The veterans who brought back the firearms or their lawful heirs would have 90 days to register the guns without fear of prosecution.
Similar amnesty was approved by Congress in 1968 as new and tougher firearms rules took effect, but Gibbons said many veterans never knew they needed to register their weapons. Now, because they didn’t follow the 1968 procedures, those who brought a firearm home in full compliance with military rules and federal law face confiscation of the weapon and possible criminal charges if they are found to own an unregistered firearm, Gibbons said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, when our servicemen returned home from battle, many did not learn about the registration regulations until the short registration period had passed and it was too late,” Gibbons said.
Veterans “are currently in jeopardy of being unjustly convicted of serious felonies because they possess war relic firearms that they were authorized to bring home,” he said.
Gibbons’ bill contains a second provision under which any firearms confiscated from veterans would not be destroyed, but rather would be made available to museums to add to their permanent collections.
Gibbons introduced similar legislation last year, but it never came to a vote. He reintroduced the bill on May 4 with 50 original cosponsors, a bipartisan mix that includes Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., the House Armed Services Committee chairman.
Whew - now I can own that F-4 that dad sent home piece by piece and not have to worry anymore.
My dad registered his WWII German P-38 over 30 years ago. What's the problem?
they can't bring them back, but they can register them if they do?
this sounds more like establishing a precedent for registering personal weaponry than anything worthwhile.
Wouldn't the cops have to know about the guns first, before they could confiscate them?
"1 Jap Rifle"
The ATF's NFA registry is a total mess. It will just about take another amnesty to set records straight. Some people have been waiting over a year for their transfer approval. The ATF's self proclaimed policy is to have transfers approved or rejected within 120 days. Some dealers have had their forms approved BEFORE they sent them in (no joke!). There were also reports of an ATF examiner caught shredding forms submitted by transferors. Needless to say destruction of federal tax documents is a big no no for employees.
What's happening now is a lot of these veterans are passing away. The heirs find the war trophy, don't know what to do with it or even diddly-doo about firearms, and so they call the cops. The gun then gets confiscated if no paperwork is found showing that it's in the NFA registry. Some of these firearms can be worth a LOT of money - think five and six figures - if they can be registered.
Lesson for the day - if you find a gun in dad's or grandpa's attic, don't call the cops. Ask for advice instead!
So now we are gonna make a law to turn Our Veterans into criminals? < /disgust >
Not to worry. The AK is at the bottom of Yokohama Bay.
you do the same thing that all of those vets did through the years, keep it at home in a cherished place and keep quiet.
Obviously, you didn't read the article.
Basically, Veterans of WW2, Korea, etc. who brought back MG's and other guns from theater according to the law on the books at the time, may not have known about the changes on the books in 1968. Due to the nature of the weapons, their historical value as well as the situation created by our ignorant government, the veterans that did this and didn't register the weapons can currently be charged as a felon.
This bill will allow an amnesty to have these weapons registered so they are not destroyed and the veterans won't be charged for a crime. The bill will not apply to any guns brought back after 1968.
This bill is critically important in the fact that the BATF has already destroyed at least 9 irreplaceable war trophies who's historical value is immeasurable... and probably a whole lot more.
Mike
Here's an idea to simplify the whole thing. Pass a law that says the following: "The Second Amendment guarantees to the people the right to keep and bear arms. Accordingly, from this day forward, we are banning any requirement to register guns, including "war trophies".
if you'll forgive the inference, it's the camel's nose inside the tent.
within a year legislatures across the land will be besgeiged with demands that since obsolete, rusted war trophy guns need to be registered, why aren't new, dangerous assault type moden weapons registered?
if you allow them to "register" one type of gun, it won't be long before others are added to the list.
why not just leave the guys and their antiques alone?
That would suit me just fine. The 1968 GCA and the 1986 MG ban were both bad news from the start and have done nothing but infringe on the 2nd Amendment. Personally, I'd like to see the 1934 NFA act repealed in it's entirety as well.
As to the reference to "dangerous assault type modern weapons"... there hasn't been a single technological advancement in the firearms industry in nearly 50 years. Everything "new" today is pretty much a rehash of older design and operation. So to answer the knee jerk comment... I hope that is exactly what happens as the 1986 ban is unconstitutional, irresponsible, and has done nothing but cause the ATF to become an out of control, draconian, outside the law agency. The 1986 ban and the resulting abuses by the ATF due to that ban have resulted in literally hundreds if not thousands of deaths of innocent people who in reality committed no crime at all.
As for the last question... "why not leave the guys and their antiques alone?" Reference my above comment about the ATF. They won't... they never have and as long as we let them get away with it, they never will stop leaving anyone alone.
My suggestion would be that you read the book "Unintended Consequenses" by John Ross. It will enlighten you to the abuses I mention above and what will eventually happen.
Mike
yo mike, i'm on your side.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.