German Assault Rifle From The 1940s Back In The News

[428CJ]

The government in Los Angeles, California recently held a gun buyback program offering $200 grocery gift cards or pre-paid Visa cards for any firearm turned in, no questions asked. One of the weapons turned in was a World War II vintage German assault rifle. This was the StG (Sturmgewehr or “assault rifle”) 44. This weapon is very much a collectable and depending on the model and condition sells for up to $30,000 or more. The price has tripled in the last decade and continues to rise. This is despite many more of them coming on the market as so many World War II veterans (especially American ones) die and weapons like this are found hidden away as one of the not-so-legal souvenirs many American veterans brought back from Europe.

More of them are now coming onto the market as illegal weapons because of those found recently in the Middle East. 


http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/German-Assault-Rifle-From-The-1940s-Back-In-The-News-1-26-2014.asp

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[ItWasntMe]

StG 44s are so cool.

[Son of Jared]

I would love to have one of these but I'm not shelling out 30K for one.

[JeffW]

For the person that inherited (?) such a gun that was a WW2 souvenir, what are the legal issues involved in getting squared away with BATF? That could get pretty ugly.

[pistolpadre]

For the person that inherited (?) such a gun that was a WW2 souvenir, what are the legal issues involved in getting squared away with BATF? That could get pretty ugly.

Here in AZ it shouldn't be much harder than buying the full auto stamp..  his beautiful piece of art showing up at a buy back program is head shaking.. wow did you get your 200 bucks of grocerys for it..  On an unrelated (sorta) note I remember not long ago seeing a group of African Natives..(looked like a 1950's Hollywood movie) and one of the Natives is holding an STG 44.. can't imagine it had ammo .. but way cool.. he was no doubt looking for the grocery store..

[ItWasntMe]

Here in AZ it shouldn't be much harder than buying the full auto stamp.. [...]

The NFA registry closed. I don't think you can add one even if it's datable prior to NFA closure. They'd probably force it to be semi-auto only.

This isn't a state-level thing.

[armoredman]

Negative, sorry guys - even a museum can't have it. If it was never registered, it's scrapped. The ATFE has this thing, "once a machine gun, always a machine gun", which is why the semi-auto converted M-14s aren't on the market as C&R rifles. No, that rifle will become a manhole cover, because of the Hughes Amendment. It can never be legally owned by anyone. The absolute best thing that could possibly happen is the receiver is torch cut in three places, and the parts are sold off as a "parts kit" for the few registered STG44/MP44 rifles inside the US.

[LuckyLeaky]

I LOVE that gun....

Can I get those pieces in a picture frame???? 

[Thernlund]

The NFA registry closed. I don't think you can add one even if it's datable prior to NFA closure. They'd probably force it to be semi-auto only.

Negative, sorry guys - even a museum can't have it. If it was never registered, it's scrapped. The ATFE has this thing, "once a machine gun, always a machine gun", which is why the semi-auto converted M-14s aren't on the market as C&R rifles. No, that rifle will become a manhole cover, because of the Hughes Amendment. It can never be legally owned by anyone. The absolute best thing that could possibly happen is the receiver is torch cut in three places, and the parts are sold off as a "parts kit" for the few registered STG44/MP44 rifles inside the US.

Legend has it that you can get around that by passing it through an SOT, who can register FA weapons.  Then from there the SOT will donate it to a museum on your behalf.  The ATF has worked with people in such circumstances before to get these items into museums and whatnot. 

The ATF is pretty unlikely to prosecute someone who finds an old WWII bring back weapon so long as a good faith effort is made to get it out of your hands in a reasonable amount of time.


-T.

[ROGER4314]

It's a shame that could happen to a genuine piece of history but Liberals never care about facts or reason. They seek total domination and control and will stop at nothing to achieve that.

Flash

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]