wartime gun buyback

this is an older story, but hopefully you can still enjoy it.

An WWII veteran decided to turn in an old WWII rifle at a police buy back program. He had no idea it is incredibly rare.
"I feel like an idiot," said Filippelli, 79, four days after selling the rifle and just a few hours after discovering its worth.
$75 for $5000 Arisaka Type 99 pressure test rifle

http://www.alphecca.com/mt_alphecca_archives/001458.html

Oh that stinks!
The buyback programs are fine for getting illegal firearms off the streets but not applicable to law abiding citizens. :eusa_doh:
He learned a valuable lesson!

A member of my re-enactment group worked for a police dept as a civilian. He told us many stories of weapons that had been confiscated for whatever reason that were being melted down. Almost all the main weapons from WW2went through there. He tried in vain to get them to donate them to a museum or something but they said they had to melt them down due to some lame California law.

I also remeber some gang/drug bust shown on TV her in LA were the news showed the guns they confiscated and there were several STEN guns in the mix. Can you imagine a gang memebr using a STEN in a drive by shooting?!?!

I also remember an episode of "COPS" where they were called to a house that had a foul smell. Turns out the old guy living there had died and was rotting away. The guy must have been a gun collector because the house was filled completely with guns. They called the bomb squad in the clean it up. One of the officers brought out a Boys Anti-tank rifle and said something to the effect of "no person has a need for this big gun" They panned around in the house and you could make out all kinds of weapons. I remember seeing a PIAT in there.

I wish that these various government agencies could be a little more discerning in how they "eliminate" theseantiquing and collectible weapons.
I can't imagine anyone holding up a bank or doing a drive by with a BOYS!

Buy back programs only have citizens turning over firearms that have never been used in criminal activity and does absolutely nothing to take them out of the hands of criminals. It's just another "feel good" deal that produces meaningless stats to support crime fighting figures.

Anyone with sense that I know has willed their WW II firearms to loved ones or to museums.

It's unconscionable that so many classic, historically significant, perfectly legal firearms are being destroyed. Australia's destruction program was especially egregious. Rare models could be clearly seen in the piles waiting for the scrap metal grinders and the smug idiots in charge could do nothing but talk about how much "safer" folks would be with 50 year old museum pieces "off the streets".

In this country there are a lot of WWI/WWII full auto "bring-backs" that are still sitting in attics and such, shot rarely and discretely. Now that the NFA registry is closed it's hide 'em or lose 'em.

I hope they stay hidden. Someday hopefully someone will get a clue and open the registry again. (Getting rid of it is a bit much to hope for.)

In interviewing WW II vets I have found a curiously inconsistent customs proceedures when they returned too. Some had war souveniers confiscated and others were simply waved through. I do do know a couple pilots that got documents allowing them to bring back weapons though. The average GI stuffed it in the duffel bag and hoped for the best.

I love the way the news vultures always describe them as "arsenals" instead of "collections" too. More of that warped subliminal media crap. When they describe an unrelated find of firearms when responding to a call at a residence they say 15 firearms is an "arsenal of weapons." Gee I have more than that so I guess I have "weapons bunker" full!!lol

I also love the term "cache" in describing a collection! That term reminds me a little squirrel hiding away nuts for the Winter.
Another fancy media term is "stockpiling ammunition".