Evil Empire guns?

[Sunray]

"...with Nazi proofs..." No such thing. The 'eagle over the swastika' is an acceptance stamp, not a proof mark. It's also proof of provenance that has nothing whatever to do with the current owner. Anybody who looks at you sideways for owning a collector piece is just stupid.
"...such as the Luger..." Lugers existed long before1933. Lugers were not the official Wehrmacht issue pistol either.
"...Perhaps not neutral..." The Swiss were totally neutral. They would shoot or force down anybody, while flying Me-109's and then interning any pilot shot down. The Swiss were the bankers for all the Nazi hierarchy as well as the rest of Europe. That's why nobody bothered 'em.

 

[entropy]

Soviet stuff doesn't seem to bother or offend anyone. If you were to wear NKVD officer at Holloween everyone would smile, but if you were to put on black SS officer uniform everyone would show disgust. Apparently some victims are worth a whole lot than others.

Depends on where- Hayden Lake, Idaho, you'd fit right in in that SS uniform-Skokie, Ill.; Not so much. Most here would mistake an NKVD uniform for Red Army.
Same victims, either regime. The Soviets just added a lot more of their own to the total. That said, I own several Mosin Nagants, and have owned 98k's before. No qualms about it, they are inanimate objects.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

I have no problems owning them, but I am in the camp that doesn't want to have a rifle with Nazi markings all over it.

For the folks who would not own a Russian-made weapon, where does the Finn M39 stand? Russian made, captured by Finns and rebuilt to fight Russians?

I have a German K98 that has had all the Nazi markings pined. Whoever did the pining really must have hated the Nazis, or was just overzealous. The sad thing is the other rifles treat my poor pined k98 like a retarded little brother.

 

[Zendude]

There is a difference between purchasing a new gun from a company located in a country that you don't like and purchasing an old gun as a collector.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Soviet stuff doesn't seem to bother or offend anyone. If you were to wear NKVD officer at Holloween everyone would smile, but if you were to put on black SS officer uniform everyone would show disgust. Apparently some victims are worth a whole lot than others.

I would no sooner do one than the other. I just like old military guns, that's all.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

No problem with owning historical weapons from past evil regimes. I do have a problem owning weapons that come from state-owned or puppet companies from current evil regimes, however. Hitler doesn't benefit if I purchase a Waffen SS-proofed Mauser. He's dead, and so is Nazi Germany. Putin probably benefits if you purchase Kalashnikov. But, on the other hand, probably not much.

That sort of thing.

 

[rskent]

The weapons themselves may be inanimate objects but they still provoke thoughts and feelings.

Some of those thoughts and feelings are unpleasant. So, my answer would be Yes.

I guess I’m in the minority.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I have no problems owning them, but I am in the camp that doesn't want to have a rifle with Nazi markings all over it.

For the folks who would not own a Russian-made weapon, where does the Finn M39 stand? Russian made, captured by Finns and rebuilt to fight Russians?

IIRC, the Valmet M39 was new Finn production. Ya that's a bit of a quandary because its a Tsarist design produced by an Axis ally which fought against the Commies......moral dilemma, if your bothered by such things, but still a very nice rifle.

 

[Robert]

The short answer appears to be no.

 

[Dr.Rob]

After WW2 many former German arms were used by Israel against a number of adversaries until they started making their own weapons--from BF109 fighter planes to Kar98k's to artillery.

Is that irony or pragmatism?