Back when I was really STUPID

[Stoner630]

Back in 86 I worked part time with a local GS and one of the owners was also a Class III. I had just bought a HK94 and had it converted by JA Ciener to FA. The Class III friend offered me a chance to buy his AK47 for $5000. Could have taken out a load from my bank but decided not too. Why STUPID??? It was a real ChiCom AK47 bringback from Viet Nam. The real deal. 20/20 hind sight. Mint condition.

 

[MunsonMan]

Did your friend detail to you how he registered the gun? I've always been curious about how that 'bring-back' process worked.

 

[MPA guy]

In the grand scheme of things, both are worth close to the same money-wise.

 

[sweersa]

Did your friend detail to you how he registered the gun? I've always been curious about how that 'bring-back' process worked.

Likely the amnesty of 1968. I'm sure other processes were utilized, processes in all shades of legality.

 

[slimshady]

Under the regs any equipment captured by US service personnel is the property of the US government as the serviceman was acting as their agent. However, with permission, military personnel were allowed to bring back war trophies up through the Vietnam War. This was typically guns, bayonets, helmets, etc. You just filled out a "capture papers" form and got them approved through your chain of command and you could take them home. Probably many more were just tossed in a box and shipped home, if it got confiscated there were plenty more Lugers where that one came from!

NFA stuff included, for a long time ATF accepted capture papers as evidence they were properly registered, maybe they still do? The weird thing is I have seen a 1945 dated set of regs for war trophies and it specifically prohibits machine guns, live ammo, and explosives from being brought back. OTOH, is some officer rubber stamping a stack of forms gonna know an MP44 is prohibited if he even bothered looking? Or they were allowed previously until someone changed the rules later on? Other conflicts, I don't know how they treated NFA stuff. Sometime after 'Nam the taking of firearm war trophies by individuals was banned, and each conflict had their own rules. Our first trip to the sandbox I knew an EOD guy who brought back some deactivated plastic mines, just a round container really but it was allowed. Last time around another guy I knew said all they were allowed was a single bayonet and they almost strip searched you to make sure nothing else got through, even made him pour out a pill bottle of genuine middle east sand he had scooped up.

 

[Vegas SMG]

In the grand scheme of things, both are worth close to the same money-wise.

Genuine bring back AKs with Vietnam providence sell for twice the money.

 

[MunsonMan]

Genuine bring back AKs with Vietnam providence sell for twice the money.[/QUOTE

I believe the word you meant to use is provenance. The term usually refers to the verified authenticity of a painting or other work of art... and a genuine Soviet-era AK-47 most certainly qualifies!

 

[Vegas SMG]

Damn you spell check!
https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/03/31/56k-chi-com-ak47-vietnam-war-bring-rifle/

 

[A&S Conversions]

It is my understanding that the Gun Control Act of '68 limited the registration of NFA items that were imported such that all imported NFA items imported or registered after the '68 amnesty would become Dealer's Samples (Pre May Dealer's Samples). As such a private individuals could not possess them. From '68 to '86 a bring back would need to be demilled and registered via Form 1or Form 2.

Scott

 

[rescue161]

Last time around another guy I knew said all they were allowed was a single bayonet and they almost strip searched you to make sure nothing else got through, even made him pour out a pill bottle of genuine middle east sand he had scooped up.

They had us so scared while we were standing in the Customs line right before we left Iraq. I had a small collection of rocks that I found during my time there. They were very smooth, after tumbling in the desert for thousands of years. They were gorgeous. After hearing the brief about charges for attempting to smuggle dirt or other items, I tossed them back into their sandy "moon-dust" home. We had to have letters for our issued switchblades. The letters were on official command letterhead, signed by the CO and had to be wrapped around the knives before being packed into our checked baggage.

All mail was X-Ray'd before it was shipped and there was a contraband wall of all of the items that were found. People actually tried to ship firearms and explosives home. There were other prohibited items too. This was in 2009.

 

[slimshady]

They had us so scared while we were standing in the Customs line right before we left Iraq. I had a small collection of rocks that I found during my time there. They were very smooth, after tumbling in the desert for thousands of years. They were gorgeous. After hearing the brief about charges for attempting to smuggle dirt or other items, I tossed them back into their sandy "moon-dust" home. We had to have letters for our issued switchblades. The letters were on official command letterhead, signed by the CO and had to be wrapped around the knives before being packed into our checked baggage.

All mail was X-Ray'd before it was shipped and there was a contraband wall of all of the items that were found. People actually tried to ship firearms and explosives home. There were other prohibited items too. This was in 2009.

Sad. WWI our boys could mail home a dozen belt fed machine guns if they were willing to pay the postage, now you could get court martialed for a rock.

 

[alex4922]

War trophy

Bless their hearts, The self appointed hall monitors from elementary school have achieved office.

 

[sniperdoc]

Schedule a fight between the Servicemen and the ATF paper-pushers. Winners get to make the rules.