Not all amnesty firearms go into the melting pot

[points]

I was in southern Ontario for a week and took a tour of some of the historical sites. Brantford museum, HMCS Hiada, Hamilton Air Museum (they had the worlds only airworthy Mosquitoe there this week) and Stoney Creek Battleground.
While touring the Stoney Creek site, there was a beautiful Brown Bess in a glass case. The guide told us that it had been turned in during an amnesty for the melting pot. The cops would have none of that and it ended up in the museum. So it doesn't all end up bad.
As an aside. Someone had mentioned in an earlier post that the Branford museum was worth a look. It is. Lot's of nice stuff and they don't have enough room to exhibit even half of what they do have. I laughed when I saw some of the THOUROUGHLY dewatted machine guns that had to have a trigger lock on them by order of the local inspectors.

 

[jbmauser]

That's good.

Sounds like an interesting place to visit.

 

[CanadianAR]

That's good.

Sounds like an interesting place to visit.

Another bunch of reasons to come here jeremy!!!

 

[jbmauser]

Ha! Now I just need a bunch of $$.

 

[green]

A couple years ago an India Pattern Brown Bess along with other antiques were turned into the Hamilton Police during an "amnesty". The HP were adamant the Bess was to be Destroyed but after considerable effort it was given to a museum.

 

[Light Infantry]

A couple years ago an India Pattern Brown Bess along with other antiques were turned into the Hamilton Police during an "amnesty". The HP were adamant the Bess was to be Destroyed but after considerable effort it was given to a museum.

..and I believe a member of this board made it happen.

 

[Dyspnea]

I remember 7-8 yrs ago talking with an RCMP corporal, he would says how occasionally, little old grandma would bring in a box full of grandpas war toys. He told me they would try and give them too legions (as dewatt's I assume). Probably different story now.

 

[gaff]

a lot go on retirement plaques also.

 

[36 hamon]

yep that was me ...still not allowed back to the police station and if it wasnt for the storey in the spectator it would have been destroyed .made me really pissed to see what got turned in

 

[36 hamon]

btw the cops would have happly melted the bess down ..the PUBLIC outcry was ONLY reason it was saved ...and you may have noticed the Hamilton cops have never had a big photo op gun amnasty since ....there were many musuems that wanted that gun as well as others including the military museum in ottawa ...

 

[CanadianAR]

btw the cops would have happly melted the bess down ..the PUBLIC outcry was ONLY reason it was saved ...and you may have noticed the Hamilton cops have never had a big photo op gun amnasty since ....there were many musuems that wanted that gun as well as others including the military museum in ottawa ...

Good work, thats for putting in the effort.

And being barred from the police station doesn't sound so bad. LOL

 

[JR86]

Good thing it didn't have mil-std-1913 rails on it or a collapsible stock. Would have been too scary to let survive!

 

[36 hamon]

ahh but you should have seen the absolutely MINT johnson with bayonet and the pre war BSW all matching Mg34 that did go to the smelter...it was like talking to a brick wall...plus the amount of ignorance when it came to what they had ..one cop called an AR-15 an AK-47 and even when i showed him the markings he still called it an AK....the only one that had any inkling of what was being detroyed was Jenny Ball the firearms officer...really a good lady very helpful back in the day ..the deputy police chief was a real tool saying basically all guns are evil and only cops and army should have them ...like i said public outcry was the only thing that saved that bess...the letters and phone calls made the police change their minds plus when i told the reporter that museums would give tax receipts for donations ppl that turned guns in wanted them back to donate them ....caused quite a headache ..lol the guns were supposed to be melted the next day after the photo op but it was many weeks after before what was left got melted ....

 

[points]

Well done. Out in BC here we have an amnesty going on right now. CBC radio actually let a guy talk about this very issue on air. He let people know that firearms could be given or sold to anybody with a PAL or RPAL or to gun shops. A lot of dicsusion about collectables and how they should be preserved. It went very well.
When somebody rants about how all guns are evil, then tell them to ask their grandfather if he thought his rifle was evil when he slogged up the beaches of Normandy. If the boys attacking Vimy Ridge thought that their Lee Enfields were evil. Ask them if the Canadian flag would be flying over our country if it weren't for that Brown Bess (don't mention that the Americans were also using them )
A firearm is like a fire. It can either warm you and keep you safe or it can burn you and kill you. All a point of view.

 

[sunray]

"...Mosquitoe..." A what? Mosquito? Doug Bradley was in the restaurant I worked in eons ago, talking about a guy building one.
"...turned in during an amnesty..." Mostlikely a very long time ago. Back when there were cops who had firearm experience.

 

[wheaty]

Well done. Out in BC here we have an amnesty going on right now. CBC radio actually let a guy talk about this very issue on air. He let people know that firearms could be given or sold to anybody with a PAL or RPAL or to gun shops. A lot of dicsusion about collectables and how they should be preserved. It went very well.
When somebody rants about how all guns are evil, then tell them to ask their grandfather if he thought his rifle was evil when he slogged up the beaches of Normandy. If the boys attacking Vimy Ridge thought that their Lee Enfields were evil. Ask them if the Canadian flag would be flying over our country if it weren't for that Brown Bess (don't mention that the Americans were also using them )
A firearm is like a fire. It can either warm you and keep you safe or it can burn you and kill you. All a point of view.

hear, hear ..
well said

 

[x0ra]

I laughed when I saw some of the THOUROUGHLY dewatted machine guns ...

Well, I guess raiding museum during the next SHTF situation will not be a good option then...

 

[36 hamon]

i always tell the antis that they are allowed to have an opinion and express it freely because our grandfather/fathers used firearms to protect our freedom ....they dont usually say much after that

 

[points]

Nope. These things are cut and welded and many have no breach blocks. They are a pipe and scrap metal. They look real but only that. A trigger lock sure makes me feel safe.

 

[QM 8687]

Good work Mark.