tark
Member
This happened years ago before I started working at the Arsenal Museum, but it is a legendary story.
Late one afternoon, near closing time, and before 9-11 happened, It was very easy to get onto Arsenal Island. One simply drove past an empty guard shack. Someone did, with a gun wrapped in a blanket. They entered the museum and there was no one at the counter. This person called out for help and a voice answered from the back of the room " Be with you in a second. "
The man responded "You can have this." and he walked out, leaving the weapon lying on the counter, still wrapped up in the blanket. No one saw him or got a description of what he was driving. I don't know who was on duty that day, but whoever it was unwrapped the gun, gasped in horror and called the Arsenal Police.
The gun was a first pattern FG-42. The ATF was contacted and they had no record on the gun. It was determined that the receiver was cracked and the bolt rusted shut. The gun was junk, but still an unregistered machine gun. After some wrangling, it was decided that the gun was to be donated to the Museum.
The gun is the third from the top in the pic, below the two second pattern guns.
The guy was never caught.
Late one afternoon, near closing time, and before 9-11 happened, It was very easy to get onto Arsenal Island. One simply drove past an empty guard shack. Someone did, with a gun wrapped in a blanket. They entered the museum and there was no one at the counter. This person called out for help and a voice answered from the back of the room " Be with you in a second. "
The man responded "You can have this." and he walked out, leaving the weapon lying on the counter, still wrapped up in the blanket. No one saw him or got a description of what he was driving. I don't know who was on duty that day, but whoever it was unwrapped the gun, gasped in horror and called the Arsenal Police.
The gun was a first pattern FG-42. The ATF was contacted and they had no record on the gun. It was determined that the receiver was cracked and the bolt rusted shut. The gun was junk, but still an unregistered machine gun. After some wrangling, it was decided that the gun was to be donated to the Museum.
The gun is the third from the top in the pic, below the two second pattern guns.
The guy was never caught.