At my range last month, an elder gentleman was firing a BAR. I asked him if it was a sporterized version or was it an automatic. He said it was an auto fire he brought home after WW2. I told him if he did not have a license for it, I’d be real careful whom he told that to. He laughted and said they told him to bring in back when he ETSed. He said no way and they never came to get it so he feels they wanted him to have it! WWII vets, got to love em.
There are probably scores of STG44s and BARs in the hands of WW2 vets and their descendants that the gov doesn’t know about.