[preachere]

Here's the deal. I've got an egghead friend of mine from high school who did the West Point Prep School and then 4 years of West Point, graduated, served as an officer for a while, and now works for the State Department as some special assistant to the ambassador of Thailand (or is it Germany now? I can never seem to remember). Anyway, he is all for no guns, the UN is great, Obama is our national savior, etc. We got into it recently and I made the point that before 1934 machine guns were legal for anybody to own and that many vets brought back MGs of all kinds from WWI and WWII. He's not buying it and says he can't find anything on the internet to back up my claims.

I've been into guns my entire life and some things I know are fact but no longer have a referrence to point someone to. This is one such incident. He argues that MGs weigh 40-65 kilos (See? He doesn't even think like an American anymore!) and that the weight alone would have prohibited GI's from bringing them home.

Anybody out there have a source or sources online to back up vets bringing MGs home from WWI first, and WWII next? I appreciate any and all help in this regard.

Regards,
Eric

 

[kenb]

In the book "Deadly Business: Sam Cummings, Interarms, and the Arms Trade", it describes how Cummings got a hold of a WWI bringback German MG in his childhood.

 

[preachere]

Thanks for the referrence, and yes, you are correct; however, he picked it up from a VFW hall or some such. I was thinking about pointing him to Sam Cummings as well. He really needs his garter snapped before his panties ride up in a bunch.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Palimino Stripe]

For what it's worth- A few years ago I had a [old] professor who liked guns (and we talked about C&R's all the time- especially since he had a few 'in his day' ). And he once told me a story about how once in 1963(?) or so- he volunteered to help move some items in a VFW attic- and he found a fully functional "French" machine gun! He didn't know what model it was- but from his discription I gathered it might have been a 1914 Hotchkiss. Goes to show that quite a few MG's ended up stateside surely before '34... In any case- he told the guy he was helping what he found- and the guy told him- "meh, you can have it if you want." He thought about it long and hard but sadly figured he'd be in WAY too much trouble if he was caught with it- so he declined

-Palimino

 

[Palimino Stripe]

Oh, and don't forget IIRC Thompson SMG's were marketed public after the war (WWI that is)...

 

[Flakshield]

Here's the deal. I've got an egghead friend of mine from high school who did the West Point Prep School and then 4 years of West Point, graduated, served as an officer for a while, and now works for the State Department as some special assistant to the ambassador of Thailand (or is it Germany now? I can never seem to remember). Anyway, he is all for no guns, the UN is great, Obama is our national savior, etc. We got into it recently and I made the point that before 1934 machine guns were legal for anybody to own and that many vets brought back MGs of all kinds from WWI and WWII. He's not buying it and says he can't find anything on the internet to back up my claims.

I've been into guns my entire life and some things I know are fact but no longer have a referrence to point someone to. This is one such incident. He argues that MGs weigh 40-65 kilos (See? He doesn't even think like an American anymore!) and that the weight alone would have prohibited GI's from bringing them home.

Anybody out there have a source or sources online to back up vets bringing MGs home from WWI first, and WWII next? I appreciate any and all help in this regard.

Regards,
Eric

General John Taliaferro Thompson was an 1882 graduate of the United States Military Academy...and...the inventor of the Thompson Submachine Gun...not all eggheads out of West Point turned out badly.
Flakshield

 

[Hickorysplitter]

preachere,

I can't figure out how to bring up an old post,but on 1/2/08 I posted an attachment on this forum, of an old newspaper article dated April 1918, It told of our guys tagging all sorts of weapons...including MG's, for souvenirs. Andy

 

[Acutus]

Is this it?

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?t=20645

 

[bkd1986]

I don't have access anymore, but I remember reading some 20s era ads for the thompson when I was in college that were really pretty comical. This probably won't be that helpful to you, but as a side note, it was marketed to protect yourself from bandits or to protect against Indian attacks (which seems kind of paranoid, but hey, I wasn't around then so I shouldn't judge) and it was also marketed to farmers in the mid-west to kill prairie dogs (why aim when you can spray, right!?). I don't know about you guys, but that's right up there with midget tossing.

 

[ChazzMcKlausna]

I'd love to hunt prairie dogs with a Thompson....

 

[Tiglath-Pileser]

I'd love to hunt prairie dogs with a Thompson....

If you had a horse step in a prairie dog hole, you'd hunt them with dynamite, too.

 

[Pahtu]

Man, I have a friend like that also. Numerous debates over firearms, production, etc.
Example: I would make a claim like triggers being gold plated on some shotguns. He would argue that they never were....I showed him my shotgun, he would say that is not gold plate....I would show him factory descriptions of the shotgun that agreed with me....He would look at me smugly and say so?.....Arhhhhh. Did the same thing with a Ruger rifle - Again he was proven wrong.....He would look at me and say...I don't remember that....Arhhhhh - He is my best friend, but will never admit he was wrong...

Pahtu.

 

[tedley2]

A friend in Nashville, who knew Dolf Goldsmith btw, had a collection of MG's that he picked up that were from the 30's, two Colt Vickers in 30/06, with the Colt name plate on the tripod of at least 1 [one was an aircraft version with the Jacket modified], that Dolf was continually trying to get off him, an 08 Maxim, an 08/15 Maxim that were brought in after WW I by vets. They might just be pictured, or at least mentioned in THE DEVIL'S PAINTBRUSH, but he had 'em. Direct him to the NRA. I don't know how vthey got the stuff back, but they were transporting via troopship in those days, so had a bit more space.

 

[AWO425]

An ex-officer, that does not like guns????
Maybe he doesn't like women also??????????

Such men are a shame for your country...............

 

[cousinkix1953]

Bonnie & Clyde has surplus WW-1 model 1918/A2 Browninmg Automatic Rifles in the 1920s...

 

[Bob In St. Louis]

I can't provide a source as to how they got back here, but I have seen them over the past 20 years or so of doing gunshows in the St. Louis area. About once every other year someone comes walking in the show with "Grampa's old gun" which turns out to be automatic. I have seen a couple Thompsons, a couple German grease guns, and an Astra Model 902 -- I so dearly would have liked to gotten that Astra, but I told the lady she was best off tearing it down and throwing it in the river.

 

[Clay]

The heavier stuff was mailed back. The lighter stuff was smuggled back by GI's.
I once knew a marine that brought back a knee mortar in the sleeve of his overcoat only because he was told that he was not supposed to.
Bond drives were a source of mg's during world war I.
If you bought a bond you were frequently offered a souvenier ...the mg 08/15 was one such. Many ended up in barns.

Clay

 

[AniWaya]

I doubt that the GIs had permission to bring home a machine gun but that didn't stop them. Some were doing it in Vietnam both the M16 and AK47.
As far as proof civilians could buy them at hardware and/or sporting goods stores:
"With military and police sales low, Auto Ordnance sold its submachine guns through every legal outlet it could. A Thompson submachine gun could be purchased either by mail order, or from the local hardware or sporting goods store." http://www.auto-ordnance.com/AO-2A.html.

 

[Edward Tinker]

An ex-officer, that does not like guns????
...

Most officers in the army (any country) are not "gun guys", neither are a lot of police officers; they use them, but they don't collect them.

Just because they serve their country doesn't mean they are pro gun, or if they don't like guns, they are 'bad" people; we just need to properly turn them and get them liking them.


History, the mechanics of a gun, the men (or women) who used them), etc.


Ed

 

[David Murvihill]

As far as how they got home, I brought home a spent shell casing from a 5"/54 after one of my Midshipman cruises. Packed in the center of my seabag and stuffed full of underwear. It holds umbrellas now.