Historic Guns Lost Forever

Bob Egan · 03-29-2001, 09:02 AM

Noticed the comments on the photo of destroyed Lugers and Broomhandles in the forum.Years ago I was a patrol sgt. in Manhattan withthe NYCPD and wondered what it would be like to work regular hours in HQ. Wound up in charge of selecting firearms for destruction and lasted a few weeks, at times I was literally physically ill with stomachaches, etc at what I saw. Brand new Broomhandles,Lugers,antique Civil War pistols and muskets, even a 1763 Charlieville, all destroyed along with Purdy shot guns,drillings,Colt Frontiers, the list is endless.There is an ivory stocked flintlock in the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is believed to have belonged to Catherine the Great.A cop in the Bronx took it from a junkie in the streetand since the owner never reported it stolen it was slated to be destroyed and was rescued at the last moment by the newly establised police museum curator.I got permission to donate a few historic pieces to the Army, and when my bosses boss had to sign off on the deal he warned my boss that he was causing waves to knock it off.We had a brand new condition WW1 Maxim aircraft machine gun which I offered to the Smithsonian and which they turned down because they already had ONE!Revolutionary,Civil War swords and bayonets,Samurai swords,priceless bowies, all destroyed!Few of these objects were used in crimes, most were turned in by family members or found abandoned in houses and apartments and turned in.

Even destroyed an olympic Hammerli single shot .22 pistol which easily could have been donated to the olympic team.I told my boss that what I was required to do was the equlivant of telling an artist to go into a museum and slash the paintings and smash the statues,I was quickly transferred back to patrol.Even when family members of deceased came to retrieve an antique gun they were usually turned away and if they did not know better, allowed the PDto destroy the gun. In NY the gun control advocates have full control and the mindless and wanton destruction of historic weapons boggles the mind.This is happening today and not in the ancient past so dont ever doubt for a moment that there is a large and powerful group out there obsessed with destroying every firearm that they can, regardless of history,rarity,or even its potential for criminal misuse!In fact, no effort was ever made to notify owners of licensed firearms that their stolen guns were recovered. The attitude was F the owners, destroy the guns, this despite the existance of an alarm with all the necessary info to contact the owners.While this was going on, the VERA Foundation , which is a liberal activist organization, was given a contract to clean stationhouses.Each station house had about a dozen drug addicts assigned to "clean"it and my locker, among many others was broken into and my off duty gun and cash in a "piggy" bank were stolen. These thefts were so common that cops were told that they could not leave their guns in lockers any longer and were subject to discpline if their guns were stolen from their locker.Confused?????????The same people who want to destroy your guns are busily putting stolen guns into the streets!

BILL · 03-29-2001, 12:54 PM

Hmmmm..Lugers?

Walt J. · 03-29-2001, 12:55 PM

Bob,

Your message should be printed in every edition of the magazaines put out by the NRA. If anything plainly shows the mindset of so many of theÃ?Â*entrenched politicians and their gun hating lackeys that control so much of theÃ?Â*government fuctionsÃ?Â*of our larger cities, this is it. These are the same people that while destroying priceless and historically important weapons, heap praise upon the "artists" that proudly show a crucifix in a jar of urine and sliced up sections of a frozen cow.

03-29-2001, 02:27 PM

Bob, can I quote from this post? I want to write a letter to the editor and would like to refer to your facts - with your permission of course.

EOC Bob · 03-29-2001, 04:35 PM

What a waste, probably the result of guns being passed down from people who treasured them to those that don't. The WW2 generation is leaving us each day, and with them goes history. You have my admiration for trying to save some examples.

Matt · 03-29-2001, 07:58 PM

Destroying historical artifacts ought to be criminal. My local police and sheriff's departments auctions guns. I bought an M1 carbine at one seven years ago, but most of the guns they have are garden-variety shotguns, handguns and .22 rifles.

03-29-2001, 09:02 AM	#1
Bob Egan User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 34 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Historic Guns Lost Forever Noticed the comments on the photo of destroyed Lugers and Broomhandles in the forum.Years ago I was a patrol sgt. in Manhattan withthe NYCPD and wondered what it would be like to work regular hours in HQ. Wound up in charge of selecting firearms for destruction and lasted a few weeks, at times I was literally physically ill with stomachaches, etc at what I saw. Brand new Broomhandles,Lugers,antique Civil War pistols and muskets, even a 1763 Charlieville, all destroyed along with Purdy shot guns,drillings,Colt Frontiers, the list is endless.There is an ivory stocked flintlock in the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is believed to have belonged to Catherine the Great.A cop in the Bronx took it from a junkie in the streetand since the owner never reported it stolen it was slated to be destroyed and was rescued at the last moment by the newly establised police museum curator.I got permission to donate a few historic pieces to the Army, and when my bosses boss had to sign off on the deal he warned my boss that he was causing waves to knock it off.We had a brand new condition WW1 Maxim aircraft machine gun which I offered to the Smithsonian and which they turned down because they already had ONE!Revolutionary,Civil War swords and bayonets,Samurai swords,priceless bowies, all destroyed!Few of these objects were used in crimes, most were turned in by family members or found abandoned in houses and apartments and turned in. Even destroyed an olympic Hammerli single shot .22 pistol which easily could have been donated to the olympic team.I told my boss that what I was required to do was the equlivant of telling an artist to go into a museum and slash the paintings and smash the statues,I was quickly transferred back to patrol.Even when family members of deceased came to retrieve an antique gun they were usually turned away and if they did not know better, allowed the PDto destroy the gun. In NY the gun control advocates have full control and the mindless and wanton destruction of historic weapons boggles the mind.This is happening today and not in the ancient past so dont ever doubt for a moment that there is a large and powerful group out there obsessed with destroying every firearm that they can, regardless of history,rarity,or even its potential for criminal misuse!In fact, no effort was ever made to notify owners of licensed firearms that their stolen guns were recovered. The attitude was F the owners, destroy the guns, this despite the existance of an alarm with all the necessary info to contact the owners.While this was going on, the VERA Foundation , which is a liberal activist organization, was given a contract to clean stationhouses.Each station house had about a dozen drug addicts assigned to "clean"it and my locker, among many others was broken into and my off duty gun and cash in a "piggy" bank were stolen. These thefts were so common that cops were told that they could not leave their guns in lockers any longer and were subject to discpline if their guns were stolen from their locker.Confused?????????The same people who want to destroy your guns are busily putting stolen guns into the streets!

03-29-2001, 12:54 PM	#2
BILL User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Western Washington Posts: 826 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Historic Guns Lost Forever Hmmmm..Lugers?

03-29-2001, 12:55 PM	#3
Walt J. User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New Caney, Texas Posts: 24 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Historic Guns Lost Forever Bob, Your message should be printed in every edition of the magazaines put out by the NRA. If anything plainly shows the mindset of so many of theÃ?Âentrenched politicians and their gun hating lackeys that control so much of theÃ?Âgovernment fuctionsÃ?Â*of our larger cities, this is it. These are the same people that while destroying priceless and historically important weapons, heap praise upon the "artists" that proudly show a crucifix in a jar of urine and sliced up sections of a frozen cow.

03-29-2001, 02:27 PM	#4
BobL Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Historic Guns Lost Forever Bob, can I quote from this post? I want to write a letter to the editor and would like to refer to your facts - with your permission of course.

03-29-2001, 04:35 PM	#5
EOC Bob User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 97 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Historic Guns Lost Forever What a waste, probably the result of guns being passed down from people who treasured them to those that don't. The WW2 generation is leaving us each day, and with them goes history. You have my admiration for trying to save some examples.

03-29-2001, 07:58 PM	#6
Matt User Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 196 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Historic Guns Lost Forever Destroying historical artifacts ought to be criminal. My local police and sheriff's departments auctions guns. I bought an M1 carbine at one seven years ago, but most of the guns they have are garden-variety shotguns, handguns and .22 rifles.