No hyperlink since it's translated, but here'sa report from Italy...
The POLO DI MANTENIMENTO DELLE ARMI LEGGERE (PMAL, "Small Arms Mantainment Compound") of the Italian Armed Forces, located in TERNI, Region of LAZIO (yes, the PMAL is the former "Terni Arsenal") has in storage something like 600'000 GARAND rifles and M1 Carbines, in both the WINCHESTER American-made versions and BERETTA P31 and P30-M781 Italian-made versions. Those guns, which were the backbone of the Italian Armed Forces untill full introduction of the BM59 battle rifle (between the end of the '50s and the end of the '60s), and which served as drill training weapons until the very half of the '80s, now are completely out of service, and their keeping in storage and mantainment is costing service time to the PMAL personnel, and obviously taxpayers money.
The Italian Armed Forces has so made several attempts to clear the room of those dismissed guns. The first, and MAIN followed way, since now has been the ALIENATION: this means that those well-cured, completely polished and working, as-brand-new former ordnance guns have been thrown on the civilian market by the Italian Armed Forces, via the PMAL which opened its doors to the public to sell its guns to the shooters. Almost 60000 Garand rifles have been sold in 5 years, when this program has been started, and at least an equal number of M1 Carbines have been given away. The rifles sold by PMAL are all in mint condition, even thought practically ALL of them saw military drill and training use for almost 40 years, and the M1 Carbines even saw Law Enforcement use until the very and of the '70s.
However, the Italian internal civilian market is not enough to "clear the rooms" of the PMAL; by now, only 1/10 of the M1 Carbines and 1/10 of the GARAND rifles have been given away. And the need for the PMAL to make "tabula rasa" out of those guns so that its personnel can concentrate on the maintenance of the currently issued weaponries and equipments of the Italian Armed Forces is day after day more urgent.
The POLO DI MANTENIMENTO DELLE ARMI LEGGERE (PMAL, "Small Arms Mantainment Compound") of the Italian Armed Forces, located in TERNI, Region of LAZIO (yes, the PMAL is the former "Terni Arsenal") has in storage something like 600'000 GARAND rifles and M1 Carbines, in both the WINCHESTER American-made versions and BERETTA P31 and P30-M781 Italian-made versions. Those guns, which were the backbone of the Italian Armed Forces untill full introduction of the BM59 battle rifle (between the end of the '50s and the end of the '60s), and which served as drill training weapons until the very half of the '80s, now are completely out of service, and their keeping in storage and mantainment is costing service time to the PMAL personnel, and obviously taxpayers money.
The Italian Armed Forces has so made several attempts to clear the room of those dismissed guns. The first, and MAIN followed way, since now has been the ALIENATION: this means that those well-cured, completely polished and working, as-brand-new former ordnance guns have been thrown on the civilian market by the Italian Armed Forces, via the PMAL which opened its doors to the public to sell its guns to the shooters. Almost 60000 Garand rifles have been sold in 5 years, when this program has been started, and at least an equal number of M1 Carbines have been given away. The rifles sold by PMAL are all in mint condition, even thought practically ALL of them saw military drill and training use for almost 40 years, and the M1 Carbines even saw Law Enforcement use until the very and of the '70s.
However, the Italian internal civilian market is not enough to "clear the rooms" of the PMAL; by now, only 1/10 of the M1 Carbines and 1/10 of the GARAND rifles have been given away. And the need for the PMAL to make "tabula rasa" out of those guns so that its personnel can concentrate on the maintenance of the currently issued weaponries and equipments of the Italian Armed Forces is day after day more urgent.