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LA buyup StG44 screengrab from video

The city of Los Angeles held a gun buy-up on Saturday and took in 817 guns in exchange for grocery store gift cards. Pictured above is L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck holding an authentic Sturmgewehr 44, worth in the neighborhood of $30,000, that was turned in in exchange for a $200 gift card to Ralph’s. (Not our Ralph; his store would likely only sell guns, cigars, and scotch, and turning in guns just to buy more guns seems silly.) In case you’re unfamiliar, Sturmgewehr means “storm [or assault] rifle,” and the StG44 is quite literally the gun on which all other “assault rifles” are based; the ultimate ancestor, if you will. Another StG44 was turned in at a CT gun buy-up last year, but authorities allowed that one to be sold to a collector. No word on the ultimate disposition of this particular piece of military history. As for the rest of the guns collected, they’ll be researched to see if they are stolen, and if so, returned to their owners. The remainder will be melted down . . .

One more reminder that you, and only you, are responsible for your own safety. After the shootings at Virginia Tech, the families of two of the victims brought suit, having refused the settlement that most of the other families accepted, a settlement which precluded bringing suit against the state or the University. Their suit alleged that the Commonwealth was negligent in not properly informing students of the danger posed by Cho. A jury agreed, awarding each family $4 million, which was reduced by the court to $100,000 each. The state appealed, arguing that it was not required, by law, “to warn of third party criminal acts.” The Virginia Supreme Court agreed in a unanimous decision, writing that “there was no duty for the commonwealth to warn students about the potential for criminal acts” by Cho after the first two dormitory shootings were discovered. Once again, you’re officially, legally on your own, folks.

Norma Reloading Manual courtesy theoutdoorwire.com

From The Tactical Wire – Norma USA, the exclusive US distributor for the legendary Swedish manufacturer of superior hunting and target ammunition, announces the new Norma Reloading Manual Expanded Edition. As part of Norma’s 110 years in the ammunition industry, Norma is publishing their second reloading handbook for the beginner to the advanced handloader. This highly collectible volume has been updated with new cartridges, components and recipes for avid hunters to dedicated target shooters. The Norma Reloading Manual Expanded Edition offers every handloader enthusiast the history behind the Norma brand, plenty of solidly backed advice and loads; all using Norma bullets and powders. This unique and collectible edition will become the go-to reference book on every loading bench. $34.99 from any Norma retailer or http://www.norma-usa.com/.

The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette has a brief article about ammo shortages where the reporter went to Gander Mountain early one morning to stand in line with the other ammo seekers. I appreciated the basic midwestern sensibility of this part of the story: “The crowd eventually grew to about 15 people, and one man in the crowd suggested that people determine in what order each had arrived and give themselves a number. This would help prevent a Wal-Mart moment, the man said.” I’ve been to a couple early mornings near me, and never seen anything like that. Maybe I’ll suggest it next time.

Primary Weapons Systems has a new promo for their upcoming animated series, Half Cocked. In this one, they brave the trials and tribulations of social media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR5Nn9d2GQQ
I’m really looking forward to this series. For the record, here are their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.

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65 COMMENTS

        • the only gun buy back i actually teared up over is the one where two Colt pythons were melted into blocks of metal. but this is sad to.

      • I agree makes me sad to know it will never get back to it’s rightful. “Stolen guns returned owner, got to think this one was stolen

        • More than likely it was “stolen” from the dead German a U.S. G.I. killed during WW2, was brought home as a war trophy and stuck up in the attic and forgotten about. Years later, the wussy decedents of that brave fighting man probably uncovered it, freaked out like it was a snake or something and wanted it gone. Any half-intelligent person would have at least taken it to a gun store first to inquire as to the value.

      • One thing to keep in mind. If it is fully auto – and I assume it is – and was not listed in the machine gun registry per NFA before it was closed in 1984, then it’s not worth $30K – at least not to the average person in the U.S. as its not a transferable weapon. The $200 gift card was unfortunately, probably not a bad deal to the former owner.

      • This is just really sad. Likely stolen from a private collector, because any son/daughter of a legal owner would have been told

        “NEVER EVER EVER EVVVERRR SELL THE F-ING STURMHEWEHR. NEVER.”

    • We captured a ton of German WW2 ordnance when we went into Bosnia in ’95. All of it went under the dozer blade of an M88, and then was run over by same. I don’t remember any Stg 44’s, but there were plenty of MP 40s and Kar 98ks of both German and local manufacture. It always sux to watch history being destroyed in front of you.

      • I don’t know if Yugoslavia ever had their own StG44 production line, but they definitely used them at one time or another for various reasons. You may have seen the photo of Yugoslav paratroopers armed with StG44s: http://claus.espeholt.dk/billeder/mp44/yugomp44a.jpg

        I believe Serbia is the only country that still churns out 7.92x33mm Kurz ammo from the Prvi Partizan plant.

      • Sucks even more that you disarmed all those people. Quite ironic that people talk about “jack booted thugs” taking their firearms but they obviously dont mind others being disarmed. Especially after their neighbours tried to exterminate them.

        • He said “captured”, not “confiscated”. Which would imply that they were taken from hostile forces of some kind.

        • The Yugoslav states were definitely not disarmed… They – Serbia especially – still have one of the highest gun ownership rates in Europe.

          • That entire region has a very deeply held cultural bias towards weapons ownership and use, regardless of religion. They have been in the path of multiple “invasions” from pretty much every direction and tend to have exceedingly long memories.

        • There was a Zone of Seperation (ZOS) established as a part of the peace accord – basically a demilitarized zone. I can’t remember how wide it was – I think a couple of kilometers. Weapons were not allowed in the ZOS to prevent one faction from invading another faction and starting the whole mess again.

          All factions agreed to the establishment of the ZOS as part of the peace accords. The people there were genuinely happy that we were there, and we were enforcing the agreement. The people we took weapons from were bad dudes – some of them have been tried for war crimes. We weren’t taking farmer Bob’s shotgun – we were taking military weapons, some of them crew served, from organized units (to the extent you could call anything over there at the time organized) who were caching them in a border area for future recovery and use.

          People living outside the ZOS could own/carry/whatever anything their local police would allow as far as we were concerned. We weren’t there as law enforcement, we were there to enforce the terms of the treaty.

          Hope that helps clarify things.

        • That did help clarify things, I honestly thought you were one of the UN f**** who disarmed people and got them ready for slaughter. So please accept my apologies if you confiscated from war criminals and the like.

  2. “…you’re officially, legally on your own, folks…”

    On my own, even if disarmed at certain locations?

    If that’s the case, posted signs for gun free zones should read “Warning…gun free zone…we are not responsible for circumstances that may arise as a result of being disarmed…enter at your own risk.”

  3. If only I could find these idiots that trade in 30k rifles for a $200 gift card before they took them to these useless buy backs.

    • Somewhere in CA and CT there are two very unhappy guys who wished they’d done the paperwork on those items long ago.

      • To my recollection, the one in CT was not only sold to a collector, but the money went to the person that owned it. That person didn’t want it anymore, and the cops more or less acted like the attempted turn-in had never happened. I meant to rephrase that sentence so it didn’t look like the CT authorities got the money, but I forgot. Down here is good enough.

        • The story was that the CT rifle was likely an unpapered WWII bringback belonging to the owner’s father, and she just kept it in her attic for years, not really knowing what it was. Pretty amazing.

          Sad thing about it.. Anyone who managed to pick up an StG44 on the field was probably facing some pretty hard-ass Germans and came out on top, just to have their trophy pawned away by unknowing descendents decades later.

        • The 26th Volksgrenadier Division had many units equipped with the STG 44 during the Ardennes Offensive. The 26th was a regular division that fought on the Eastern Front and was re-designated as a VG division after they were worn down by the Soviet 1944 Summer offensive. They were commanded by the former commandant of the Infantry school. They faced off against the 101st AB at Bastogne. It is the first time that semi-automatic rifles were tested against a select fire assault rifle in real world battlefield conditions. The outcome of the battle would indicate that the M-1 was a superior weapon to the STG 44 at least in European terrain.

      • Since they didn’t, why didn’t the BATFE swoop down on them? These “buy backs” supposedly provide local immunity, but hard to believe that the Federal JBTs would pass up a chance to raid a house or two, stomp a few kittens, etc.

  4. At the store where I spend about 2.5 hours waiting in line on my Saturday mornings, we’ve been doing it long enough that there’s a fairly developed sense of order. Folks line up (or line up chairs if it’s raining or too cold) based on the order they arrive. Those that don’t respect the line (“I’m here to buy a basketball”, or “I can go in the store whenever I want” after showing up 15 minutes before opening) generally end up shamed to the back of the line, or leaving. Generally, we all know everyone in line, so things are fairly orderly, but there’s usually that one guy that thinks he can walk right in.

    • Well, on the flip side, if I am there to buy a basketball or something non-gun, I’ll be damned if I’m going to let someone else tell me I have to wait.

      • That’s similar logic to thinking you won’t have to wait in line to get into the mall on Black Friday if you’re just browsing.

        • Well, I suppose. The numbers they assign each other are the numbers to be helped at the gun counter, anyway. Everyone basically goes in the door at the same time.

  5. I think I will have to show up at the next nearby gun bay back scheme and offer $10 over whatever the police are offering. Might turn into a good business model.

  7. And this is EXACTLY the kind of dangerous antique these buybacks are meant to take off the streets! (sarc off)

    What’s really sad is someone’s grandfather carried that back from Europe, and their descendants were too stupid to even realize the value.

    (It’s a great historical piece, but it’s not exactly at the pinnacle of military technology. It really is a collectors item – not many guys have 7.92x33mm Kurz lying around)

      • Capital punishment, corporal punishment, you guys are a tough crowd.
        How about just an annual reminder letter with an assessment of the current value of the gun that they essentially pissed away?

  11. Whoever turned in the Sturmgewehr should have grounds for a lawsuit.

    They probably don’t, but they should.

    • Turned in “no questions asked” for a $200 grocery card (that was probably sold to someone else for $100 cash that was then used for meth or crack)? I’m guessing the gun was stolen.

  12. So sad… it’s probably WW2 war trophy / battlefield pick-up. Who knows what stories that thing could tell! Somewhere, there’s a really mad grandpa who hates his idiot progeny…

  13. Quoting the police chief in the video, as he holds the StG 44: “This is like that unwanted medicine in your medicine cabinet that are expired. They’re not good to have in your house.”

    Yet another condescending government official.

  14. In the late 1950s, we used to sell those StG44s, lightly DEWATed, at Hunters Lodge in Alexandria, VA. Price was $79.95, same as a 1928A1 Thompson.

  15. I showed my son a StG44 years ago, explained that it is THE ONLY ASSAULT RIFLE, everything else is just a semi-auto rifle. As for assault weapons? Any object used in an assault is an assault weapon.

  17. It makes me sick to know firearms that may be in great working condition are not sold to legit legal gun owners…they could be great self defense pieces or good for range use or hunting use. Imagine a woman who can’t afford a gun that, after getting a background check, could be used to save her life? WHY WASTE THEM. LAPD, I have a friend with an FFL. Contact me and I’ll take them off your hands and it’ll be with the legit background check and completely legal. It’ll be cheaper than destroying them!!! I’ll pay for the shipping!

  18. Never mind the fact that it most definitely was stolen by some mental defective dumb enough to steal a gun in the first place (and risk getting incarcerated or killed in the act) and dumb enough not to know that it was worth a whole lot more even on the street.

    • These police run fencing operations for stolen firearms make me wish somebody would break the windows on a dozen patrol cars and turn in the 870s and ‘patrol rifles’ for $200 gift cards, no questions asked.

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