Years ago my Uncle Bob, a man in his 70's who had never so much as had a traffic ticket, decided he wanted the 70th anniversary Daisy Red Ryder. He had owned one as a child and I guess he wanted to relive some fond memories. Just by chance I found out that he had been waiting for over a year to get his New Jersey gun permit approved, for a child's toy! I lived in New Hampshire so I went to my local Service Merchandise (remember them?) to pick one up for him. It turned out they were out of stock but they said that some were available just over the border in Massachusetts. So we went into Haverhill to buy it. The sales clerk told us we would have to go to the police department, apply for a permit, wait for approval, etc. I called my sister, who happened to be in Maine on business, and had her pick one up at Kittery Trading Post. It took her all of 2 minutes. She took it back to NJ and gave it to my Uncle, who kept it proudly displayed over the mantlepiece until the day he died.
Sad commentary with a touching result!
I’d expect less hassle in Eastern Europe, 30 years ago.....