(U.S. SENATE) – Senator Jon Tester, Chairman of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, is urging federal officials to allow American combat veterans to legally register firearms they acquired on the field of battle.
American veterans who acquired certain types of weapons during combat under rules of military conflict—guns known as “trophy” firearms—are often unable to legally register the weapons, which means those veterans could be charged with illegal possession of firearms.
Tester introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this year to open a 90-day period for veterans and their families to register firearms for legal ownership—guns acquired during World War II and the Korean War, when servicemembers were allowed to legally acquire relic firearms. The bill would apply specifically to machineguns and other automatic firearms, and would not impact more common trophy weapons like bolt-action rifles or semi-automatic pistols, which do not need to be registered.
http://tester.senate.gov/Newsroom/pr_062111_trophyguns.cfm