Officers stunned when woman drops off $40,000 WWII German rifle to be destroyed in police buy-back scheme
The buy-back scheme is designed to reduce the number of guns in circulation, and entails police officers purchasing any gun, no questions asked.
As soon as they saw this weapon, officers realised it was something out of the ordinary, and agreed to allow the woman to sell it.
'Usually, this rifle would be issued to SS troops,' Officer Crabtree told NBCnews. 'This is a gun that should actually be in a museum rather than in a shredder.
'I give her credit for bringing it to us.'
His colleague John Cavanna, a gun historian, added: 'In excellent condition, this gun is rated at $30,000 to $40,000.
'You could kill a soldier back then, and if the captain of your fighting unit signed off on it, you could send that gun home to your family or kid brother or cousin.
'[The seller's] father, who was a World War II army man, had brought this gun home from the European theater.'
