Too bad there wasn't anybody around with a little knowledge. There may have been amnesty papers!
I bought a dewatted Winchester 1918 BAR from a local Lady. The gun had the chamber welded and the barrel welded to the receiver. I payed more than the gun's worth in that condition. (old dewatts like this were grandfathered in by ATF at the time, before going to the band saw cut receiver policy). Months later the lady called me up and said she had found a document that mentioned the gun. Lo and behold, she had a Treasury Department weapon registry document dated 1961!!, (this is pre ATF). It took me over 6 months, but I was able to establish ownership from the woman's father to her mother to her, through wills and estate documents, as she was the surviving child. The gun was form 5'd to Ohio Ordnance, rewatted and made into a live, transferrable BAR worth many times the original purchase price.
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