Cool find
Lewis gun found in Illinois. More pics here.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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March 19th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
“I hate Illinois Nazis” 😀
I don’t get why they couldn’t donate it to Savage (which has more wherewithal and motivation to restore it, and not at taxpayer expense.) Even if the Sheriff’s Dept. does manage to restore it to shooting condition, there is just something about a PD with a machine gun (particularly in IL) that sticks in my craw.
March 19th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
Can’t donate it, but the cops get to keep it to play with. Oh yeah, that doesn’t suck much.
Your government at work.
March 19th, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Good luck getting it to run if it’s in .30-06. Parts are scarce and that gun looks like it needs more than a couple new ones.
March 20th, 2010 at 2:41 am
I wonder why the vets. couldn’t register and keep it? Ill.?
March 20th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
“I wonder why the vets. couldn’t register and keep it? Ill.?”
Federal law prohibits the registration of existing NFA devices except by government agencies. While it’s possible the gun was registered properly, the documentation has been lost, making it de facto an unregistered machinegun. This is no different from the Maxim gun that was captured by Alvin York and found in a library in Massachusetts – only the library got very lucky and actually made some money off it, despite it being unregistered.
The fact that Illinois prohibits possession of NFA by non-governmental/non-dealer parties is just another layer of problems.
March 20th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I am curious how the law applies if the gun was legally brought back to the U.S. before any of these laws were written? It should be grandfathered and the legal owner (original or by inheritance or purchase) should be allowed to either register it or sell it to a museum. This blatant disregard for property rights(incorrectly written as pursuit of happiness in the Constitution) has to stop.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Look at the markings, it’s an ex-Navy gun. They should have records of who took it home and when.
It is entirely possible that it was not honestly obtained originally, we should not ignore the possibility just because we don’t like it.
March 22nd, 2010 at 6:01 pm
“I am curious how the law applies if the gun was legally brought back to the U.S. before any of these laws were written?”
If there is some kind of paper from an agency of the federal government – military, Treasury Department, whatever – specifying what firearm is allowed to be in the possession of what person, then it is possible to have it added to the current registry.
It’s rare but it does happen.