We are in a similar situation in the US in regards to the military armaments that were given to war bond holders in the first World War. One of the rewards for raising money to support the war effort was a deactivated Maxim gun and a great many were distributed by the US government amongst the civilian population after the war ended. Later came licensing requirements, then came a mandate making all unregistered forever illegal. There are now non-functional Maxim guns, now family heirlooms, around the country which are forever illegal and can only be sold as parts kits (minus the receiver side plate).
A monument to bureaucratic inefficiency and stupidity, IMHO.
dju
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