okay i live in the U.S. and i wanna know if its legal to own working WW2 and WW1 Guns
i know its legal to own muskets but im not sure about those guns because some might be auto
the reason is i want them is for historical purposes

Should be, I have been to plenty of War reenactments with men privately owning their own Mp40s, Stermghewers, Mosin Nagants, and plenty of Mousers.

This should help. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_law_in_the_United_States

You should probably check with your local Police Dept. a lawyer, the local gun shop, or dare I say, look up your state's gun laws online. I don't think "But someone on the internets said I could have it" is a good legal defense.

Possibly boarder lining on no

There are gun permits that allow more unique weapons, I believe fully auto is one, as well as other nuggets of firearms but those permits include very invasive clauses as far as rights. So read carefully before you commit.

But I don't know the specifics about that kind of ownership.

I know the country-wide ban on automatics has expired for quite a long time. But to be safe, do what eindecker said. Also, I believe you can call a firearm that is 100 years and older an antique, and is legal, but don't quote me.

Of course, you need a FOID card and you'll likely need to register those guns.

If you have the permits for them. I think theres a law stating that you can own a full auto weapon if it was made before 1919 or something similar. Just as long as you have the paperwork for them and aren't doing anything stupid, you should be fine.

Local and State laws are going to play a bigger role than federal laws on this one. For example, gun control is pretty strict here, but much laxer in other States. Best bet is to ask your local police department for the full rundown.

When the guns were made isn't particularly relevant. What is more relevant is if they're capable of fully-automatic or burst fire, or presence of a suppressor. (aka silencer) Pretty much anyone can buy a WWII Colt M1911 .45 ACP pistol- but a Thompson Submachine Gun is a bit more involved.

Automatics and suppressors are Class III, and have some http://www.westernfirearms.com/wfc?set=02 for ownership based on several criteria.

The smartest advice seen in this thread so far- ask a local gun dealer. By virtue of the business they're in, they've got to stay on top of all the legalities.

I wish it as strict as in California it is kinda of dangerous being a negro in the upper parts of the state were there's less minorities.

Yeah its legal. The only types of firearms that are illegal are usually automatic firearms currently used by the military and that depends on your state laws.
In Georgia you can own a grenade launcher. :celebration:

Primarily depends on the state you live in. California gun laws are a lot more strict than say Kentucky's

it's generally understood that fully automatic weapons are illegal without I believe a second class gun license If such a thing even exists (sorry I'm not very educated on gun control) If they are midified (IE: silencers, extended clips, suppressors) it is illegal, you have to have a third class gun license which is only given to acting military workers.

like others have said you should really check your local court system or gun shop. If it's WWI and WWII era it shouldn't be a problem though, most Americans actually have WWII weaponry passed down from their grandparents and it's generally understood as a de-facto pact that such weapons are sacred and used as heirlooms

Really, deadspartan24? So, do you own one?

I thought you needed third class, which can be issued to civilians if they're gun dealers. It is a known loophole to bypass the ban on fully automatics in the state of IL.

They were selling a few at a Gun Show I went to in January. Georgia is really relaxed about gun laws, we don't even have a waiting period. You can simply buy a firearm and take it home.
Sadly I'm not old enough to purchase a firearm.

For handguns or rifles? Pistols are the only guns that I know of that require a waiting period, and I didn't know that any state waved that, but I could be wrong.


I think its automatic-ness would supersede its antique-ness in terms of law.

The class 3 terminology that keeps popping up sounds familiar, and earlier I said it could be invasive. By that I mean it allows the government to check up on the status and proper storage of the gun at any time. But that is situational, because it is not allowed in every state as far as I know.


If you are wondering, the only way you could legally own an automatic rifle without all the paperwork is to go back before the weapons ban and buy them all, then keep them under the grandfather clause.

fully automatics require a class 3 license since the passing of the automatic ban but i believe if you had them before the ban they were grandfathered.

That's most likely how WWII and WWI guns are allowed to be owned. Had a speech teacher who did that, I believe, right before autos got banned. Was also an ex-state cop, so he most likely knew the right people and such to get away with it. His reason of buying them was because he could

Sounds like my kind of guy.

We've had some issues with gun discussions in CD, discussing real life gun ownership, legal issues and other related things that have no real place on a gaming forum - so I am going to close this one. Sorry.