Do you own a gun that has killed someone?

[MrWolf]

Have a K31 but no idea if it took a life -so far.

[Hick]

Don't really know, but maybe my SMLE, as it was made in the right time frame and has a field repair (a front sight taken off another damaged rifle). Maybe also my Webley revolver, as it was issued in the Royal Air Force during WWI. My Garand and Mauser are both the wrong time frame for an war (both between wars).

[15meter]

Never thought about it, with 4 M1's, 3 M1 carbines, Trap Door, .43 Spanish rolling block, 6.5 Swedish Mauser, 8mm Turkish Mauser, 7mm Chilean Mauser, 6.5 Carcano, Steyr in 8x56R, SMLE, P14, Model 1917 and a sporterized Model 1917, I suspect there is more than a passing chance one of them did what it was supposed to did.

Forgot the 03A3.

[alfadan]

Have two Taurus M85 Brazilian police trade-ins. Odds could be fair with them.

[M-Tecs]

You often hear the phrase or seen a bumper sticker; "My gun has killed less people than Ted Kennedy's Car" (he's been sober now for over 20 years)

I was thinking about this, and only my military rifles may or may not be in this category, I wouldn't know but I would hope so.

Then I thought of retired police guns, probably very few police have even drawn theirs let alone taken a life.

But how about the relative that used a gun to end their own life. Often family will surrender the firearm when this happens.

What is your story?

I never knew firearms had a free will? I do know people that have killed others is combat, in LE actions, various accidents and themselves in a suicide. Some were with firearms and others by various other methods.

[MT Gianni]

At one point I had 6 rifles built on 98 Mauser actions an O3A3 and a 1917 30-06. I probably own an action that was involved in someone's death on both sides of bitter wars. If I found out it would not mean one iota to me positive or negative. I have owned a bunch of used cars so one may have killed someone. One of my pension funds may have owned Union Carbide funds. The jalapenos I bought last week may have been trucked from south of the US border and the truck been involved in a fatal accident. We live in a world with many inter-connections.

While I have pointed a gun at someone, I was wearing a badge at the time. Had I needed to use it I would not have lost much sleep is what I tell myself. I don't see or follow any fascination as to what weapons I own that may have been involved in shootings, owned by agencies or private LEO's. If you set store by such that's ok too.

Gun show rule #3 "buy the gun, not the story".

[technojock]

I forgot about a couple of my rifles so my earlier statement about 1 in 3 should be 1 in 5...

One one them is a K31 and the Swiss were neutral and likely only saw drill action. The metal is perfect but the stock is a little beat up...

I knew the man that brought my first Type 99 home from WWII and he said that he found a case of them on the beach of some island after the Japanese pulled out. When the rifle made it to me, it still had packing grease in it. My sporterized Arisaka Type 99 is an early one and likely saw service. It still has the Mum intact but has a scope mount on top of it.

My 1909 Argentine Mauser that came to me poorly sporterized with a plugged barrel. I now has a .308 Win barrel and a thumb-hole stock. I don't know if the Argentine military saw much action...

My most recently acquired military rifle is a M1917 Enfield. It's been weirdly sporterized. The rear sight has been very nicely machined off and the barrel trimmed just behind the original front sight. Then someone managed to cram it into a civilian model rifle stock. There's some odd gaps in the wood here and there around the action. I'd say there's a good chance this rifle saw some action in WWI...

[trapper9260]

I had a Civil War 1864 58 cal rebuilt that my dad was not able to get fix till I did . My friend the gunsmith that worked on it said that it seen alot of use . I take it done what it was ment to during its time . I also bought a bayonet that was to go with it and who knows what that seen its time. I had a friend also that had a 38-40 wheel gun that needed to be fix that had a notch on it and he said it was in the family for many years. I do not know if the family had claim it from being fixed by my friend the gunsmith. I told him I would pay for the bill to fix it as long I get it , he got sick of me kept asking about if the family got that he said he will let me know if they do not pay the bill on it. I did told my friends kids about the notch and what it ment . They did not like the idea of about have it for that reason for how it looks. They not into gun .

[Shawlerbrook]

Never thought about this but I often wished some of the old rifles I have could tell their story. After this question I now have second thoughts. I always thought of stories of pioneer hunting trips , etc.

[10x]

I have a number of military firearms, Lee Enfield, Mauser, Carcano, Colt - Springfield
It matters not that the gun was used in a war, or if the soldier carrying the gun killed another human with it.

What truly matters is that these firearms were used to defend our way of life, our culture and language in two World Wars and countless minor military actions (Wars by any other name) and they have allowed us to keep our freedom and culture.

Bear in mind that there are those who want to take our freedom and culture and our guns and rule us like we are livestock

My Lee Enfield No 1, My Lee Enfield No4, my 1917 Springfield, My FNFAL are reminders that we must work hard to keep what the folks who carried these guns died for.

The gun does not carry guilt, or ghost, or regret.

In my youth I knew a man who was a member of Lord Strathcona's Horse - he fought in the Boer war of 1899.
Because he purchased his service revolver and rifle he got to keep them (His story- He may have "Liberated" the rifle as issue rifles are always turned back to stores). His diary indicated that he was in a number of battles. The old gentleman was an excellent shot and his only comment on the rifle was that it had saved his life on several occasions.
He did not talk about the Battles he was in, but any target he put the front sight on , he hit.
His comment was that when his regiment moved into a Boer occupied area the Boers hid their guns and became farmers, and their leaders moved to unoccupied territory.
My recollection of the man was that he was one tough S.O.B. who every one respected.
Lord Strathcona's Horse was composed of Cowboys from Western Canada. Many took their personal horses to South Africa.

https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibit...history_e.html


https://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/exhibit...weapons_e.html

[Land Owner]

Yes. Two handguns - each a suicide.

[firefly1957]

It is a shame our guns can not talk ! I have little idea of a couple guns I have history they were once military but when were they were used in the last 100 plus years who knows .
I know my grandfathers Winchester model 1907 from his words Killed a 300 pound black bear and he gave it to my uncle Bob . Uncle Bob killed one deer and decided he did not care to hunt and gave the gun back . Later Uncle Bob married a Sicilian woman that did not allow guns in her house but she did allow the Winchester Model 1907 in the home during the riots of 1967 as they lived just north of Detriot (Yes it is not the same without a riot!) . His area did not have any problems so that gun never killed anyone .

[Thumbcocker]

Those that do may not feel like sharing the fact or the story with 56,000 people.

[skeet1]

I think the premise is wrong. The gun didn't kill anyone ever, it was the person that used it. Let's put the blame where it belongs!

[farmerjim]

I have a Mauser that was picked up on Omaha beach, but it can't talk and tell me what it did.

[MaryB]

Civil war era blackpowder guns around me were likely used to hunt my ancestors during the Sioux Uprising... there were a lot of murders on both sides...

[Der Gebirgsjager]

One definitely, which terminated a knife wielding burglar. One possibly, that was used extensively in WW I.

DG

[Somebody]

None confirmed, but the first owners of intact-mum type 99s typically did not surrender.

All my evidence tag guns were from seizures after disqualifying events, not taken directly from crime scenes.

[Rapier]

Nope guns do not and never have killed people, people kill people, including themselves. i own a few guns carried by people that killed people, you see, two of my great grandfathers were Sherifs and Judges, one in Jefferson County, AL and the other in Madison county, FL, by coincidence, they both carried a Smith #1 in 32, and I have both guns, holster for one. I also have the rig for "Shotgun" Jack Ingram, US Marshal, Oklahoma Territory. Jack killed a bunch of bad people, one gang tried to kill every person in a little town, man, woman and child, Jack caught them and killed them all. Patrolled an area as big as some states, all by himself, one more tough man. He son, lived outsde of OK City was the NFL player. All the sons, grandsons, great-grandsons are named Jack. He told me about his father.

Interesting how many family members do not want the guns of their own family.

[littlejack]

One of my dad's jobs in the European campaign WWII, was a machine gunner. He and others were watching prisoners walking in formation up the road after being captured. He was in the back of a truck behind his machine gun. He noticed a German officer in the captured crew wearing his Walther PPK pistol. He motioned for the officer to come to him. Dad said that German could speak better english than himself. "Thats probably an exaggeration" Dad was an Okie. The officer stated that he was allowed to keep his pistol to keep his troops in line. Dad said that he would keep his crew in line, as he patted the Browning. I inherited that PPK .32 acp in the 70's. It has been given to my youngest daughter a few years back. Whether is has taken life is anyone's guess. I would say probably not. He also brought back a 98 Mauser, but it was stolen when I was a young, or maybe a squirt.