Can somebody in the military bring home a legal captured weapon?

[Dreamcast270mhz]

Just wondering, and not like a full auto AK, like a TT pistol or SKS as one might capture after a skirmish in Iraq or Iran. My friend, whose shipping out to Iraq in May, said he did not know so I wanted to know are you even allowed to?

 

[justin 561]

"War trophies, per se, are not against the law," said Maj. Matthew W. Cord, the director of the Criminal Law Division for Marine Corps Base. "The definition of a war trophy is something we take from the enemy - not (from) enemy personnel. ... When I say we, I mean the Marine Corps. Individuals do not take it; it's done as an institution, the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense."

contraband items:

* Personal effects of enemy fighters or prisoners. U.S. troops returning with such items could face larceny charges under military law, along with international, federal and state laws and general orders.
* Weapons, pieces of weapons and ordnance, according to Lt. Col. Thomas G. Scully, the staff judge advocate for the 1st Marine Division rear element.

War trophies that might pass muster, based on 1st Marine Division guidance:

* Uniform items - military blouses, trousers, berets, helmets, belts, sashes, boots and gloves.
* Uniform accoutrements - military rank insignia, shoulder patches, shoulder straps, epaulets and buttons.
* Individual equipment - gas masks, swagger sticks, cartridge belts, mess kits, canteens, ammunition pouches, map cases, compasses, binoculars and other optics.
* Unit equipment - unit insignia, military photos, training manuals and training posters.
* Other - nonlethal items conforming with the spirit and intent of expressed guidance.

But also read: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=27640

 

[bayhawk2]

I don't think so.I have however,heard of soldiers breaking
the stuff down to a small size and shipping it home
that way.A trigger assembly here,a forearm stock there,
a magazine in this package,etc.Don't know if it's still
true today,but heard it happened in past wars.

 

[Dreamcast270mhz]

Hmm... Thats stupid

 

[WardenWolf]

Short answer is, not anymore. There's no legal path to get a captured weapon back home anymore. That is sadly a thing of the past. I'm not sure who we have to thank for that, either.

 

[Travis McGee]

Until at least the Viet Nam era it was very common to bring enemy weapons home. My father in law brought home two Japanese Arisaka rifles, a Nambu pistol and two samurai swords. My next door neighbor brought home a German Luger.

 

[Dreamcast270mhz]

So why is it exactly illegal to bring back a rifle that you can legally own in the states?

 

[EddieNFL]

Several years ago a USAF major tried. He may be free by now.

 

[Dreamcast270mhz]

So I wonder if it would be illegal to bring back a PSOP scope from iraq?

 

[justin 561]

"We didn't go into Iraq or Afghanistan to conquer them, but to liberate them," said Marine Capt. Bruce Frame, a Central Command spokesman. "Taking articles from those countries sends the wrong message."

From the Defense.gov article.

 

[Dreamcast270mhz]

^Disagree

 

[BleysAhrens]

I knew a Marine who brought back a few pounds of gold items back from the last Iraq invasion..

 

[fatcat4620]

Sounds like thw key here is don't get caught.

 

[SharpsDressedMan]

Weapons captured have been legitimate war trophies for individual soldiers for almost 200 years in this country. Having served during the Viet Nam years, I find it unnacceptable today, that some bureaucratic and military leaders have "decreed" that this can no longer be. The military may not be a democracy, but I say let either the people of this country or the serving soldiers decide by a vote if weapons should be allowed to be brought back as souveniers. If every person ready to enlist, and every soldier ready to re-enlist refused to do so until this personal respect and sovereignity for service rendered by our fighting men is restored, then I would be behind them 100%. I would not serve again until they paid me that right/courtesy, and a few other points of respect that have also been lost along the way in the name of "political correctness". If it was good enough for our founding fathers, my grandfather (WWI), my dad (WWII), and for myself, then it should be so for the men fighting in our behalf today.

 

[justin 561]

^^ And face: (meant for fatcats post)

A few soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division understand how serious the command is. Some soldiers tried to smuggle weapons back from Baghdad, and they have gone through courts martial. Others received Article 15 administrative punishments. "There is a whole spectrum of punishments, depending on the severity of the offense," said Maj. Robert Resnick, an Army lawyer at Fort Stewart, Ga.

 

[ATBackPackin]

I may be wrong, but I don't think it was ever legal. I just think that now they actually enforce and look for it. I know my grandfather told me that the Walther PP he brought back, and gave to me before he died, that he had to sneak it back and that was obviously WWII. So it was done and done quite a bit, but I think people kinda looked the other way then. With the politics around guns now I think that the military has really cracked down on it.

 

[Tim the student]

Generally speaking, no. Well, a bayonet was no problem for me, but that isn't what you're asking about.

I have heard of guys legally taking weapons back from Afghanistan, but I think only bought, not captured. Only antiques too.

 

[HorseSoldier]

So I wonder if it would be illegal to bring back a PSOP scope from iraq?

Generally, gun parts are a red flag/bad idea.

 

[BLACKHAWKNJ]

The rule in Vietnam was that you couldn't bring back anything full auto-an AK-47, e.g., or had originally been US-an M-1 Carbine, e.g. For front line troops the usual procedure was as you were outprocessing they let you pick something out of pile, filled out a form labeled "War Trophy" or something like that, and you were good to go. Higher ups, people who worked in transport, etc. had their own ways of bringing things back. No sneaking things through in duffle bags, we-us lower ranking types-didn't have them. You turned in all your TA 50 at your unit, left your ratty jungle fatigues and boots there, you (at least I did)-wore a set of khakis with a small AWOL bag. I did bring home a Chinese Type 54-copy of Soviet M1944 all wra
pped up.
Again, different today, from what I have gathered the troops aren't allowed to bring anything back.

 

[chihuahuatn]

BLACKHAWKNJ there were a few dozen Chicom AK-47, that were Vietnam war vet bring backs that made it in before the 68' law went into effect. Vietnam bring-back AKs have been known to turn up from time to time and command a previous in price.

Mike

 

[snake284]

After the end of the war in Europe in 45, my dad brougth home several pistols, such as Lugers, Walthers, a Mauser (Pistol that is). He went over on the Queen Mary and came home on the Queen Elizabeth or vice versa. As I remember it, he said there were like at least 5,000 pilots and soldiers on the ship coming home. My dad was a fighter pilot in the 8th airforce in a P-51 and a lot of them were happy they had survived the war. Of course they were looking forward to getting to go to the Pacific, because they had no clue what was about to happen with the atom bomb and they were facing another bloody battle with the die hard Japanese. So they acted like there was no tomorrow. They played pocker night and day aboard ship and my dad won some guns and lost some in the pocker games. Also he won a sizeable amout of cash too. All that's left of those guns is the one little Mauser 7.65 or 32 ACP. He let the rest slip away. He never was a real gun person. He loved to quail and squirrel hunt in East Texas where he was born and raised. But he was not a collector of firearms as he was more in to golf and other sports. So the Mauser is all I have of the bring homes.

 

[hueytaxi]

Same situation for me. I had a Viet Cong restocked SKS made with local wood and crude. Exterior badly pitted yet the operating mechanism looked pristine. I have never fired or lubricated it since 1970 and it still looks the same today.
I had to declare it as I received my orders home and could not ship it with my "hold baggage". It was wrapped in heavy brown paper and returned to me with documentation. I was required to hand transport it home. Flying commercially to SF and then Jax Fl I would hand the rifle to the stew and she would stand it in the coat rack until I deplaned. I would then carry it in the airport as I changed flights. Unthinkable today and no one ever raised an eyebrow.

 

[BushyGuy]

must be nice to bring home some war trophies! i would love to have a 9mm luger off a dead german officer!

 

[matty-vb]

can't bring anything back. even fake "antique" rifles that are for sale here in all of the bizzars are a no go unless you have a memo from your CO.

 

[Shadow 7D]

um, not captured (that was turned in for evidence in their trial -100% serious)

But I know of two guys, one bought all sorts of knifes and bayonets, and for the bayonets there was some paperwork, as that raised the MP's eye

The other one got stuck on the plane for 3 hours waiting for the JAG, Airforce SP and an ATF inspector, along with customs, decide if he had the proper paper work, and if so, if it was filled out correctly, all that for some old Martinis he bought at a local Bazaar, but, the one that walked customs with NO Problems, was a demilled Henry Martini, done by either a EOD or SF foreign weapons guy and papered as such, that hung on the orderly room wall. The brigade had captured weapons, the were demilled before they left the country and papered as War Trophies, technically the belonged to the Division museum, And the latest one I saw was from Grenada.